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
Authors | Fenech, Marianne, Salamon, Andi and Stratigos, Tina |
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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. |
Keywords | early childhood education; parent partnerships; advocacy; child care choice; quality |
Year | 2019 |
Journal | European Early Childhood Education Research Journal |
Journal citation | 27 (5), pp. 706-721 |
Publisher | Routledge |
ISSN | 1350-293X |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2019.1651972 |
Scopus EID | 2-s2.0-85070498157 |
Research or scholarly | Research |
Page range | 706-721 |
Publisher's version | License All rights reserved File Access Level Controlled |
Output status | Published |
Publication dates | |
Online | 06 Aug 2019 |
Publication process dates | |
Deposited | 21 Dec 2021 |
https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/item/8x3qv/building-parents-understandings-of-quality-early-childhood-education-and-care-and-early-learning-and-development-changing-constructions-to-change-conversations
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