Bringing together valuable insights from research and practice undertaken at the world-famous Pen Green Centre, Democratising Leadership in the Early Years illustrates how settings and practitioners can develop and maintain forms of leadership which foster collaborative practices across and within settings and services. Effective leadership is key to establishing socially inclusive and democratic practices and as such, it has become a key concern for policy-makers, researchers and practitioners in the field of Early Childhood Education and Care. Drawing on authors’ first-hand experiences, on systems theory, psychological theory and neuroscience, chapters in this book illustrate the role of highly effective leadership in ensuring that services are accessible, inclusive and innovative. Practical advice will support professionals in overcoming destructive systemic and psychological dynamics to flatten hierarchies, improve relationships, learning and educational outcomes, and to encourage staff, parents, and children to contribute creatively to collaborative enterprises. Accessible and insightful, Democratising Leadership in the Early Years will improve understanding of approaches to leadership and support early years practitioners, students and managers as they develop their leadership skills and build capacity within settings and the wider community.

Leadership can be a challenging and complex area of practice, but this textbook will be your essential guide, teaching you how to master this important skill and find your professional voice. The book considers the challenges of leadership in the early years, exploring both the theoretical aspects, and the skills and tools needed to support and develop leadership and mentoring in practice. You will be encouraged to critically reflect on practice in a global context, looking at vignettes, case studies and reflections from international settings, which will equip you with valuable transferable leadership skills, applicable to any situation in practice.

Studying for an Early Childhood Degree, based on the practices of The Pen Green Centre for children and families, exemplifies how student-practitioners can foster strong communities of learners and create student-teacher connections that remain long after studies are complete. The Pen Green Integrated Centre in Corby, UK, has developed a unique approach to adult education. Highly qualified tutors, with their wide-ranging experiences, have written Studying for an Early Childhood Degree in collaboration with current and former students. It illustrates different ways to complete assignments, providing 20 case-studies of work that achieved an excellent grade from students of different professional, geographical, ethnic, educational and socio-economic backgrounds; it also explores the rationale behind what contributed to these excellent final grades. Each chapter, linked to the key themes of the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) Early Childhood Studies degree, includes discussions, reflections, commentary and extracts from students’ works through Levels 4-7, as well as suggestions for further reading. Studying for an Early Childhood Degree is an essential read for learners as well as educators and practitioners. It will be a key resource for students having varied learning needs, professional heritages, writing styles and interests. Further, it will also support other educators to consider the unique and often competing demands of being an adult in higher education.

Engage learners with this new and fully updated edition that covers core topics across all aspects of Early Years. This comprehensive full-colour textbook will build knowledge and understanding, from traditional theory to cutting-edge research, and from updated legislative and regulatory frameworks, to effective practice examples. - Benefit from the expert knowledge of authoritative contributors, skilfully edited by Dr Francisca Veale. - Content carefully matched to core modules offered on higher level early years programmes. - New and relevant material covering literacy, numeracy and digital literacy. Who is this book for? Early Years for Levels 4 & 5 and the Foundation Degree is an authoritative and accessible course textbook for anyone studying at Levels 4 and 5, whether a Foundation Degree, HNC/HND, the first year of an undergraduate programme or other higher vocational qualifications related to early years or early childhood studies. It is also relevant to those working towards Early Years Professional Status (EYPS) or Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS).

This accessible handbook offers an in-depth exploration of the distinctive features of the play, development and learning of children from birth to three years old. Key theoretical ideas relating to social, emotional, cognitive and physical development are discussed in relation to everyday practice, offering a wealth of information and guidance on working with this unique age group. The book emphasises the connections between all aspects of a child’s experience and development; addressing key questions of what babies and young children need, enjoy and have a right to experience. It demonstrates how early years educators can develop their practice and organise their provision in a way that is positive for babies and young children and their families. Focusing on the holistic nature of early development, chapters explore the following: The importance of interactions and relationships between educators and children How to develop a holistic pedagogy that gives equal consideration to children’s care, play and learning The value of the connections that children make with the world around them, and how educators can create an environment conducive to nurturing these connections Observation and self-evaluation of practice and provision Each chapter features case studies, links to key aspects of practice and practical tasks to help readers apply the ideas to their own context. The book is accompanied by an extensive companion website (www.routledge.com/cw/Manning-Morton) containing video explainers, reflection points, practice tasks, downloadable resources, quizzes and more. Opening a window on what it is like to be a baby or young child in an early years setting, this is an essential tool for all early years educators and students on a wide range of early years courses. It will also be of interest to parents.

Evolved through conversations with key early childhood education experts, Schemas in the Early Years focuses on the value of ‘repeated patterns’ of action or ‘schemas’ in young children’s play. It stimulates readers to ask questions of themselves, to watch children closely, and to create a dialogue with parents and other educators as well. Contributors to this fascinating book discuss their observation of children in naturalistic situations when they are deeply involved in play and identify topics or themes that can be linked to and inspire professional development opportunities. This book provides an antidote to beginning with the curriculum rather than the child and really considers children as learners. Each chapter focuses on young children and schemas, considering a wide age range from babies to children attending statutory schooling. Schemas in the Early Years is an accessible and inspiring text and serves as essential reading for educators wanting to think further and in more depth about schemas. Newcomers to schema theory or anyone currently using schema theory to understand children will also find these enquiries useful. All royalties from the sale of this book will be donated to Shelter – the housing and homelessness charity.

At a time when democracy promotion is increasingly becoming part of international relations and foreign policy, this study offers some poignant lessons for democratization and conflict resolution in places such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Israel/Palestine to name but a few.