Love and Care in the Early Years

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoff Taggart
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Ethic Of Care ◽  
The Body ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Cultural Bias ◽  
High Status ◽  
Life Of The Mind ◽  
Feminist Theories

It is widely recognized that children who encounter sensitive and responsive interactions in their settings go on to demonstrate superior cognitive, linguistic, and social skills. At the same time, with mothers either choosing or having to work, young children can expect to spend more of their time in nonfamilial paid care of different kinds. Researchers have therefore increasingly become interested in the role which affective, nonrational skills and dispositions may play in professional practice and the place of concepts such as love, care, and compassion in embodied professional knowledge. Because of the age and vulnerability of the children, research and practice within early childhood education and care (ECEC) is extremely sensitive to the importance of child protection. Therefore, a key intention within commentary and discussion is to redefine the notions of “love” and “passion” within a professional context so that the sexual connotations are removed. Research into love and care in ECEC highlights the cultural bias which prevents it from being taken seriously as a professional undertaking. For example, the distinction between high-status education and low-status care is symptomatic of a Platonic legacy in which the life of the body is inferior to the life of the mind. Care is also associated with the supposedly nonintellectual, private, domestic work of women within patriarchy and stands in contrast to the public, remunerated work of men within the domain of reason and language. Research into the nature and cause of close, nurturing relationships between practitioners and children therefore often has the implicit aim of overcoming such dichotomies, demonstrating that the personal and public/political domains are interrelated and that “love” may be a necessary part of intelligent professional practice. All researchers agree that ECEC is a deeply gendered occupation in that the workforce is overwhelmingly female. This state of affairs is significant since it is therefore impossible to consider the place of love and care in this practice without also considering the rights and agency of women in the labor market. Research has therefore started to make use of feminist theories, particularly a philosophical ethic of care, to justify and champion early childhood work as a form of ethical praxis, rather than as an expression of innate female biology. With this in mind, a key concern relates to the extent to which programs for pre-service practitioners can help to cultivate professional dispositions of love and care in a gender-neutral way.

Strengthening Colombian Indicators for Protection in Early Childhood

2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 638-660 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Cook
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Public Space ◽  
Community Involvement ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
School Health ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Social Environments ◽  
Rights Of The Child ◽  
Childhood Care

This paper provides an overview of protection indicators developed for Colombia’s Intersectoral Commission for Comprehensive Early Childhood Care for the Early Childhood Comprehensive Care Strategy, “De Cero a Siempre”. De Cero a Siempre Strategy promotes the national public policy to strengthen the realization of rights for children aged 0–6 and is laudable in its holistic approach to supporting children’s rights in the early years. The paper provides a context on progress made in strengthening international norms and standards in child protection during early childhood and presents a summary of current frameworks for early years risk and protection indicator development, in particular the un Committee on the Rights of the Child General Comments No. 7 (Early Childhood) and No. 13 (Prevention of Violence). The paper presents a framework of risk and protection indicators, drawing on gcs Nos. 7 and 13, across the first five moments of the lifecycle, and four social environments of home, educational environment (ecd, kindergarten, and school), health environment and public space. The paper also suggests opportunities for community involvement in piloting these indicators. Finally the paper recommends a strategy for Colombian municipalities to incorporate indicators for protection in early childhood, and suggests five specific ways the data gathered from the indicators can be used to strengthen outcomes for children in the early years impacted by De Cero a Siempre policy and its programmes.

scholarly journals Sustainability and Relationality Within Early Childhood Care and Education Settings in Aotearoa New Zealand

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Ritchie
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Ethic Of Care ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Teachers College ◽  
Early Childhood Care ◽  
Childhood Care

This paper discusses one aspect of a recently completed two-year study, that of the enactment of relationality within early childhood care and education practice. The research project, Titiro Whakamuri, Hoki Whakamua. We are the future, the present and the past: caring for self, others and the environment in early years' teaching and learning, involved ten early childhood centres from across New Zealand (Ritchie et al. 2010). Relationality refers to our lived relation to other human beings, other living creatures, and to the non-living entities with whom we share our spaces and the planet. The study has demonstrated some ways in which early childhood educators were able to extend children's understandings of their relationality, their connectedness to others, and to the natural world, following theoretical underpinnings of the Indigenous Māori, such as manaakitanga (caring, generosity) and kaitiakitanga (environmental stewardship) (Tikanga Māori. Living by Māori values, Wellington, Huia, 2003), and of western epistemologies such as an ethic of care (The challenge to care in schools: An alternative approach to education, New York, Teachers College Press, 2005a; Educating citizens for global awareness, New York, Teachers College Press, 2005c, Philosophy of education, Boulder, Westview Press, 2007). © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

scholarly journals Sustainability and Relationality Within Early Childhood Care and Education Settings in Aotearoa New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Ritchie
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Ethic Of Care ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Teachers College ◽  
Early Childhood Care ◽  
Childhood Care

This paper discusses one aspect of a recently completed two-year study, that of the enactment of relationality within early childhood care and education practice. The research project, Titiro Whakamuri, Hoki Whakamua. We are the future, the present and the past: caring for self, others and the environment in early years' teaching and learning, involved ten early childhood centres from across New Zealand (Ritchie et al. 2010). Relationality refers to our lived relation to other human beings, other living creatures, and to the non-living entities with whom we share our spaces and the planet. The study has demonstrated some ways in which early childhood educators were able to extend children's understandings of their relationality, their connectedness to others, and to the natural world, following theoretical underpinnings of the Indigenous Māori, such as manaakitanga (caring, generosity) and kaitiakitanga (environmental stewardship) (Tikanga Māori. Living by Māori values, Wellington, Huia, 2003), and of western epistemologies such as an ethic of care (The challenge to care in schools: An alternative approach to education, New York, Teachers College Press, 2005a; Educating citizens for global awareness, New York, Teachers College Press, 2005c, Philosophy of education, Boulder, Westview Press, 2007). © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

scholarly journals The Curriculum of Early Childhood Education: Indonesia and United Kingdom

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 62
Author(s):  
Saddam Husein
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
The Body ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Library Research ◽  
Curriculum Structure ◽  
The Uk

This paper aims to investigate the curriculum of early childhood education in Indonesia and the United Kingdom (UK) and how they pertain to each other. Library research was conducted to gather information intended. The findings confirm that the curriculum of early childhood education in Indonesia applies curriculum 2013 which consists of aspect development of curriculum structure, and the learning process with a scientific approach. While the UK applies the curriculum according to the statutory Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework which recognizes the importance of play and a balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities. Moreover, there is a basic difference between these two curriculum aspects, which Indonesia includes the religious and moral values to the body of the curriculum, while the UK does not. However, both Indonesia and UK are closely similar which promotes a balance between the development of academic and literacy skills, socio-emotional development, and creative and physical development.

scholarly journals Reframing infant-toddler pedagogy through a lens of professional love: Exploring narratives of professional practice in early childhood settings in England

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 387-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jools Page
Keyword(s):  
Professional Practice ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Infants And Toddlers ◽  
Policy Context ◽  
Pedagogical Relationships ◽  
Global Concern ◽  
Level Of Concern ◽  
Early Childhood Settings ◽  
Depth Interviews

There is an increased international interest in how close attachment interactions with infants and toddlers are realised and interpreted by early years professionals. It is troubling for those who work in early years settings with infants and toddlers to know how best to demonstrate healthy loving attachment behaviours as an expectation of their professional caregiving role when ‘standing in for parents’. This article reports the interview findings from a mixed-methods study which examined practitioners’ views on love, care and intimacy within the English early years policy context. It draws on attachment theory and relational ethics to analyse the narratives of practice drawn from eight in-depth interviews with infant-toddler professionals to reveal the extent of their challenge as well as their beliefs about attachment and professional love. The responses highlighted the level of concern about the place of love and intimacy in non-familial pedagogical relationships with young children, against the backdrop of child protection and safeguarding following the global concern about infant abuse. The study suggests that there is a need to embrace an infant-toddler pedagogy to include the lens and the language of attachment and professional love, and to provide early years professionals with training and guidance on how to safely interpret these theories in their everyday practice.

scholarly journals Sustainability and Relationality Within Early Childhood Care and Education Settings in Aotearoa New Zealand

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Ritchie
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Ethic Of Care ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Teachers College ◽  
Early Childhood Care ◽  
Childhood Care

This paper discusses one aspect of a recently completed two-year study, that of the enactment of relationality within early childhood care and education practice. The research project, Titiro Whakamuri, Hoki Whakamua. We are the future, the present and the past: caring for self, others and the environment in early years' teaching and learning, involved ten early childhood centres from across New Zealand (Ritchie et al. 2010). Relationality refers to our lived relation to other human beings, other living creatures, and to the non-living entities with whom we share our spaces and the planet. The study has demonstrated some ways in which early childhood educators were able to extend children's understandings of their relationality, their connectedness to others, and to the natural world, following theoretical underpinnings of the Indigenous Māori, such as manaakitanga (caring, generosity) and kaitiakitanga (environmental stewardship) (Tikanga Māori. Living by Māori values, Wellington, Huia, 2003), and of western epistemologies such as an ethic of care (The challenge to care in schools: An alternative approach to education, New York, Teachers College Press, 2005a; Educating citizens for global awareness, New York, Teachers College Press, 2005c, Philosophy of education, Boulder, Westview Press, 2007). © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

scholarly journals Sustainability and Relationality Within Early Childhood Care and Education Settings in Aotearoa New Zealand

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Ritchie
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Ethic Of Care ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Teachers College ◽  
Early Childhood Care ◽  
Childhood Care

This paper discusses one aspect of a recently completed two-year study, that of the enactment of relationality within early childhood care and education practice. The research project, Titiro Whakamuri, Hoki Whakamua. We are the future, the present and the past: caring for self, others and the environment in early years' teaching and learning, involved ten early childhood centres from across New Zealand (Ritchie et al. 2010). Relationality refers to our lived relation to other human beings, other living creatures, and to the non-living entities with whom we share our spaces and the planet. The study has demonstrated some ways in which early childhood educators were able to extend children's understandings of their relationality, their connectedness to others, and to the natural world, following theoretical underpinnings of the Indigenous Māori, such as manaakitanga (caring, generosity) and kaitiakitanga (environmental stewardship) (Tikanga Māori. Living by Māori values, Wellington, Huia, 2003), and of western epistemologies such as an ethic of care (The challenge to care in schools: An alternative approach to education, New York, Teachers College Press, 2005a; Educating citizens for global awareness, New York, Teachers College Press, 2005c, Philosophy of education, Boulder, Westview Press, 2007). © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

scholarly journals Working with the cracks in the rigging in researching early childhood professional development

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Barron ◽  
Lisa Taylor ◽  
Jan Nettleton ◽  
Shabnam Amin
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
The Body ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Transmission Model ◽  
The North ◽  
Early Childhood Professional ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
Childhood Professional ◽  
Working Together

This article seeks to explore the development of the relationship between a group of early childhood academics from the same university and practitioners from a particular early years setting in the north of England into an innovative professional development and research project (2-Curious). The article uses Foucauldian notions of heterotopia to theorise an approach to professional development and research concerned with examining the discourses and practices associated with provision for two-year-old children. In place of a transmission model of professional development and scientific preoccupations with research purity, the authors explore what is offered by an alternative approach that involved a broader engagement with ideas, feelings and the body, and the layering of research complexity. The authors consider what emerges when the practitioners take the learning from the project back into their own settings, and conclude by considering the possibilities and complexities of academics and practitioners working together to research and represent what emerged from the project.

Reproductive Organ Education for Psychic Health Development of Early Age

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dwi Darwati
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Development ◽  
Deviant Behavior ◽  
Reproductive Organs ◽  
Reproductive Organ ◽  
The Body ◽  
Childhood Development ◽  
Early Age ◽  
Digital Era ◽  
Stage Of Development

Reproductive  health education should be given since early childhood by using language that is adapted to the stage of development. If you procrastinate and wait until the teenager it is already too late because in the days of the digital era, as now, all the information can be easily accessed by anyone including children early age. If the early childhood misinformed about their reproductive organs it would disrupt the physical and psychological development due to the wrong behavior in caring for and maintaining reproductive organs. Qur’an as the holy book of Muslims describes the steps of reproduction and  imparting education wisely as well as how to apply such education. This kind of education must be in accordance with the conditions of children and there should not be a lie about it We can also use media and methods such as pictures, songs, tap or other visual  media which can give clearer information, so that children can clearly see parts of the body, their characteristics, and how to treat and care them. The impropriate approach in conveying this kind of knowledge will be very dangerous for children. The provision of early age reproductive organs education can prevent the occurrence of deviant behavior as well as protect children from dangerous influence in early childhood development.

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