Learning and Teaching in Early Childhood Pedagogies of Inquiry and Relationships

This chapter introduces the Australian early childhood education and care context, with an emphasis on policies, standards and learning frameworks. We begin by discussing historical and sociological perspectives on early childhood education and care, before presenting issues related to various stakeholders: government, policymakers, educators, children and families. We then consider various approaches to bringing about change through advocacy. In the first instance, recognition of the challenges that educators are confronted with in delivering good-quality practices for children are presented, explaining how these have influenced early childhood education and care, and how early childhood education and care has been influenced by policies. The reader will consider contemporary public debates about early childhood education and care, and the implications of these debates for professional development and practice. Some of the key issues include: policies on quality education; the role of governments in determining how education functions; the significance of parents in children’s lives and to the educator; cultural competency; transitions to, within and across the birth-to-eight-years learning environments; and children’s health and wellbeing. Overarching all these issues is that early childhood education and care in Australia suffers from low professional status – for example, early childhood teachers have poor work conditions in comparison to their primary teaching counterparts. The chapter includes a critical look at the issues that Australian early childhood teachers address in their responsibilities, requirements and quality improvement regulations.