Towards the Re-Emergence of a Critical Ecology of the Early Childhood Profession in New Zealand

Abstract

A 10-year strategic plan for early childhood education introduced by the New Zealand Ministry of Education in 2002 included policies to create a teacher-led early childhood profession by 2012. This article reviews the provisions of the strategic plan and argues that it emerged from a critical ecology of the early childhood profession with a history of advocacy and strategy. The article marks out new challenges to the implementation of the strategic plan as it draws close to its end date in a changed political context and a time of economic constraint. It is argued that the challenges call for the re-emergence of a critical ecology of the profession that responds to the current context.

Professional responsibilities and accountabilities within discourses of bicultural teaching practice:

“…Professionalisation of early childhood teaching in Aotearoa New Zealand progressed significantly since the 1980s (May, 2007(May, , 2009 and with an influential strategic plan from 2002 to 2009 (Ministry of Education, 2002). Early childhood teacher professionalism is a complex concept with multiple interpretations (Warren, 2014), including being qualified and skilled, being accountable, being relationally professional and caring, being critically activist, and being culturally responsive (Dalli, 2008(Dalli, , 2010. Data from my co-participants and me shows that we position ourselves within this discourse as competent, accountable, relationally skilled and morally responsible.…”

Discourses of economic investment and child vulnerability in early childhood education

“…In its May 2009 budget, the government pared back the policy initiatives that in combination were doing well in improving and sustaining quality of ECEC provision (Dalli, 2010;Mitchell et al, 2011). It abruptly stopped funding for professional development resources and Centres of Innovation (Meade, 2007;Mitchell, 2011); it also removed higher funding bands for services which were employing more than 80 percent qualified teachers.…”

Learning how to do up buttons: Professionalism, teacher identity and bureaucratic subjectivities in early years settings

“…The ground-up teacher workforce response Bureaucratic scientisation, as analysed above, and its political and academic discourses, has led to an interesting response by the early years teachers' workforce, through what can be seen as a ground-up approach (Dalli, 2010;Dalli and Urban, 2012). This response is evident in a closed discussion group on Facebook, set up in 2011 by teachers under the pretence of exchanging knowledge and experience, which currently boasts over 9000 members (more than half of the preschool teachers in Slovakia).…”