As the conservative political mood of our nation eliminates programs for the increasing numbers of bilingual children, educators are nevertheless expected to teach linguistically and culturally diverse learners with limited background knowledge and resources. This edited volume challenges "mainstream" educators to critically examine how to best meet the needs of bilingual/bicultural children in contemporary America.
Drawing on a range of early childhood services, particularly the 'Reggio approach', this book presents essential ideas, theories and debates to an international audience and explores the ethical and political dimensions in this field.
Caribbean Childhoods: From Research to Action is an annual publication produced by the Children s Issues Coalition at the University of the West Indies, Mona. The series seeks to provide an avenue for the dissemination of research and experiences on children s health, development, behaviour and education, and to provide a forum for the discussion of these issues.
This book critiques the often presumed racial innocence of young children. The authors challenge early childhood educators to engage with the racialized identity politics that form among their students, and to reform their own identities and intersect and frame children's identities throughout their earliest years.
Feminism and the Politics of Childhood offers an innovative and critical exploration of perceived commonalities and conflicts between women and children and, more broadly, between various forms of feminism and the politics of childhood. This unique collection of 18 chapters brings into dialogue authors from a range of geographical contexts, social science disciplines, activist organisations, and theoretical perspectives. The wide variety of subjects include refugee camps, care labour, domestic violence and childcare and education. Chapter authors focus on local contexts as well as their global interconnections, and draw on diverse theoretical traditions such as poststructuralism, psychoanalysis, posthumanism, postcolonialism, political economy, and the ethics of care. Together the contributions offer new ways to conceptualise relations between women and children, and to address injustices faced by both groups. Praise for Feminism and the Politics of Childhood: Friends or Foes? ‘This book is genuinely ground-breaking.’ ‒ Val Gillies, University of Westminster ‘Feminism and the Politics of Childhood: Friends or Foes? asks an impossible question, and then casts prismatic light on all corners of its impossibility.’ ‒ Cindi Katz, CUNY ‘This provocative and stimulating publication comes not a day too soon.’ ‒ Gerison Lansdown, Child to Child ‘A smart, innovative, and provocative book.’ ‒ Chandra Talpade Mohanty, Syracuse University ‘This volume raises and addresses issues so pressing that it is surprising they are not already at the heart of scholarship.’ ‒ Ann Phoenix, UCL
A array of childcare and preschool options blossomed in the 1970s as the feminist movement spurred mothers into careers and community organizations nurtured new programs. Now a small circle of activists aims to bring more order to childhood, seeking to create a more standard, state-run preschool system. For young children already facing the rigors of play dates and harried parents juggling the strains of work and family, government is moving in to standardize childhood. Sociologist Bruce Fuller traveled the country to understand the ideologies of childhood and the raw political forces at play. He details how progressives earnestly seek to extend the rigors of public schooling down into the lives of very young children. Fuller then illuminates the stiff resistance from those who hold less trust in government solutions and more faith in nonprofits and local groups in contributing to the upbringing of young children. The call for universal preschool is a new front in the culture wars, raising sharp questions about American families, cultural diversity, and the appropriate role of the state in the lives of our young children. Standardized Childhood shows why the universal preschool movement is attracting such robust support—and strident opposition—nationwide.
In this seminal volume, leading authorities strategize about how to create early childhood systems that transcend politics and economics to serve the needs of all young children. The authors offer different interpretations of the nature of early childhood systems, discuss the elements necessary to support their development, and examine how effectiveness can be assessed. With a combination of cutting-edge scholarship and practical examples of systems-building efforts taking place in the field, this book provides the foundation educators and policymakers need to take important steps toward developing more conceptually integrated approaches to early childhood care, education, and comprehensive services. Book Features: Provides the only up-to-date, comprehensive examination of early childhood systems.Considers new efforts to expand services, improve quality, maximize resources, and reduce inequities in early childhood.Offers a forum for the field to come together to frame a set of cogent recommendations for the future. Contributors: Kimberly Boller, Andrew Brodsky, Charles Bruner, Dean Clifford, Julia Coffman, Jeanine Coleman, Harriet Dichter, Sangree Froelicher, Eugene García, Stacie Goffin, Jodi Hardin, Karen Hill Scott, Janice Gruendel, Marilou Hyson, Amy Kershaw, Lisa G. Klein, Denise Mauzy, Geoffrey Nagle, Karen Ponder, Ann Reale, Sue Russell, Diana Schaack, Helene M. Stebbins, Jennifer M. Stedron, Kate Tarrant, Kathy R. Thornburg, Kathryn Tout, Fasaha Traylor, Jessica Vick Whittaker Sharon Lynn Kagan is the Virginia and Leonard Marx Professor of Early Childhood and Family Policy and Co-Director of the National Center for Children and Families at Teachers College, Columbia University. Kristie Kauerz is the program director for PreK-3rd Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE). “A veritable encyclopedia of ideas on early childhood system building.” —Barbara T. Bowman,Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Development, Erikson Institute “The key to successful change is continued development of the frames of reference. Both editors have respected the past, listened to the implementers, and provided a context for moving forward. Like efforts to build systems of child development, which we must now link to growth in specific children we know by name, the book ends with robust examples of the work in progress. Sharon Lynn Kagan and Kristie Kauerz don't just talk about the work, they participate in the creation of change.” —Sherri Killins, Ed.D, Commissioner, Department of Early Education and Care, Massachusetts
In recent years there have been significant changes in education across the globe, largely as a result of changing demographics, technological developments, and increased globalization. Relatedly, the changing needs of societies and families, along with new research findings, provide new directions in early childhood education. Consequently, early childhood teachers today are faced with higher and more complex expectations to help ensure that their students achieve their full potential. Such expectations suggest that early childhood teachers should be professionals who are able to draw on a robust knowledge base in making educational decisions. It follows that teacher education programs should develop and implement innovative programs that can potentially enhance the quality of our future teachers. An awareness of pressing issues in the field of early childhood teacher education led the editors to develop this volume. The chapters in these two volumes bring together scholars from across the US and the globe who are interested in improving the quality of early childhood teacher education. The chapters present their experiences, perspectives, and lessons learned as they addressed some of the challenging issues concerning the education and preparation of future early childhood teachers. The various issues and perspectives from different states in the US or countries across the globe provide insights into current issues and dilemmas facing the field. The contributions of these scholars should inform the discourse on early childhood teacher education and help those who work with preservice teachers improve the quality of their work.
Early childhood education and care has been a political priority in England since 1997, when government finally turned its attention to this long-neglected area. Public funding has increased, policy initiatives have proliferated and at each general election political parties aim to outbid each other in their offer to families. Transforming Early Childhood in England: Towards a Democratic Education argues that, despite this attention, the system of early childhood services remains flawed and dysfunctional. National discourse is dominated by the cost and availability of childcare at the expense of holistic education, while a hotchpotch of fragmented provision staffed by a devalued workforce struggles with a culture of targets and measurement. With such deep-rooted problems, early childhood education and care in England is beyond minor improvements. In the context of austerity measures affecting many young families, transformative change is urgent.
Introduction: investing in the early years. 1. Psychology of freedom: Understanding children. Benefits of play. Free play at kindergarten. I play and I grow at playcentre. Teaching mothers and motherly teachers. Playway at school. Permissive messages to mothers. Parent campaigns -- 2. Psychology of disorder: (Dys)functional families. Working mothers and maternal deprivation. The backyard growth of childcare. Regulating childcare. Blaming mothers. Illegitimate solutions -- 3. Getting ahead: The problem with education for Maori children. Sylvia-Ashton Warner: the little ones . Maori children at preschool. Combating disadvantage with a head start. Revolution in learning. Te Kohanga: a chance to be equal Pt. 2. Challenge and constraint 1960s-1980s. 4. Politics of early childhood: The end of the feminine mystique. Children have rights too. Who gets to preschool? Liberating preschoolers. National constituency for early childhood. The year of the child: the world of the child -- 5. Demanding childcare: Campaign tactics. Attachment and separation. Activism and advocacy. Working women. Story of a recommendation -- 6. Working with children: Rocking the cradle. Career at playcentre. Brought to mind in family daycare. To teach in kindergarten. To work in childcare -- 7. Indigenous rights and minority issues: Maori self-determination. Te Kohanga Reo: outside the mainstream. Kura Kaupapa: transition to school. Early childhood responses. Pacific Islands early childhood centres Pt. 3. State interest and devolution 1980s-1990s. 8. Winds of reform: Political shifts. Against the odds. A foot in the door. Implementing before five. National directions. Parents as first teachers. The kindergarten flagship -- 9. Measures of quality: Quality discources. Who gets to preschool now? Weaving TE Whariki. Qualified to teach. After before five. Psychology of freedom -- Psychology of disorder -- Getting ahead -- Politics of early childhood -- Demanding childcare -- Working with children -- Indigenous rights & minority issues -- Winds of reform -- Measures of quality.
