Building parents’ understandings of quality early childhood education and care and early learning and development: changing constructions to change conversations

Journal article


Fenech, Marianne, Salamon, Andi and Stratigos, Tina. (2019). Building parents’ understandings of quality early childhood education and care and early learning and development: changing constructions to change conversations. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal. 27(5), pp. 706-721. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2019.1651972
AuthorsFenech, Marianne, Salamon, Andi and Stratigos, Tina
Abstract

Educator-parent partnerships have long been constructed in a discourse of improving outcomes for children. Notwithstanding the value of parent engagement for children's learning, development and wellbeing, this paper calls for a broader construction. In the context of marketised provisioning in which parents generally operate as uninformed consumers, the paper proposes a positioning of parent engagement that builds parents' understandings about quality ECEC and early learning and development, and which operates from a strengths-based platform. Findings from an Australian study that explored such a positioning from the perspective of five centre directors highlight the challenges involved, with participants exercising different degrees of intentionality. Those who actively sought to build parents' understandings demonstrated a professionalism that viewed parents from a strengths-based perspective, and strategically used time with parents and educators to undertake this work as part of their daily practice. In contrast, the less intentional participants appeared to comply with a marketised framing of parents as consumers, whose real or perceived needs took priority.

Keywordsearly childhood education; parent partnerships; advocacy; child care choice; quality
Year2019
JournalEuropean Early Childhood Education Research Journal
Journal citation27 (5), pp. 706-721
PublisherRoutledge
ISSN1350-293X
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2019.1651972
Scopus EID2-s2.0-85070498157
Research or scholarlyResearch
Page range706-721
Publisher's version
License
All rights reserved
File Access Level
Controlled
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online06 Aug 2019
Publication process dates
Deposited21 Dec 2021
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