Leadership in Early Childhood is a practical resource for early childhood practitioners who want to understand how to create successful childcare and early education settings. Leadership in the early years has moved on in the way it is organised, and this fourth edition has been fully revised and updated to reflect the changes affecting leaders in early childhood. This rapid change in the field over the past few years includes moves to professionalise the workforce generally, and this edition recognizes the implications of these developments and revisits some of the concepts and messages. Praised for its excellent overview of early years leadership, accessible writing style and clear links between theory and practice, the fourth edition also includes: Thorough discussion of the leader’s role in moving towards leading/best practice. Reconceptualised coverage of team building to consider working collaboratively as a team at service level, multi disciplinary teams and integrated service provision through multi agency working. A chapter which considers the essential characteristics of leadership in terms of personal qualities, skills and timing related to effective leadership.

Leadership is a core skill required by all early childhood educators, whatever position they hold - whether leading their own ethical and professional practice or leading others. From understanding ethical frameworks to managing change, and from quality assurance to working with teams, families and the wider community, the most effective early childhood leaders act with confidence, flexibility and creativity. In this book early childhood researchers Elizabeth Stamopoulos and Lennie Barblett provide a new model for leadership. Recognising that leadership is both an individual and collective endeavour, multi-layered and multidimensional, the authors have distilled core tasks of leadership that are explored in detail in each chapter: *Understanding and conceptualising theories of leadership *Leading in times of change * Advocating for high quality pedagogy and practice *Developing strong communication skills * Leading through digital technology and media * Developing effective teams * Building positive relationships with families and the wider community * Embedding Indigenous perspectives * Embracing evidence-based research And * Leading ethical practice. Featuring the perspectives of leaders from diverse settings, together with reflection exercises and discussion questions throughout, this is an essential book for both pre-service and in-service early childhood educators. 'The authors...are commended for their commitment to shining a light on a wide range of research, theories and issues concerned with leadership and the early childhood profession. ' -- from the foreword by Catharine Hydon and Dr Anne Kennedy

'Essential reading and a powerful tool for emerging early childhood leaders.' - Catharine Hydon, Early Childhood ConsultantWith increasing community insistence for quality and accountability in early childhood education and care, there is a need for effective and professional leadership in these services. Leadership in Early Childhood is a practical resource for early childhood practitioners who want to understand how to create and sustain successful childcare and early education settings.Fully revised and updated, this fourth edition is divided into three sections: deconstructing leadership; leadership in practice; and special responsibilities of early childhood leaders. This edition also includes new case studies, an additional chapter summarising the key contributing factors to effective leadership and examples based on an extensive international study of early childhood leaders.Leadership in Early Childhood has been widely used in early childhood education programs and as a professional reference text and remains a valuable resource for both students and professionals.

The book presents a conceptual framework for understanding leadership for effective educator learning in early childhood settings. The book describes how leaders can move centre practices from crisis to stabilization. It argues that a core component of leaders' work in early childhood settings is to construct and enact epistemological accounts of practice change. The book includes case examples that bring to life the contexts early childhood services and services leaders who participated in the research. The book also describes the application of cultural-historical activity theory to the development of practice in early childhood education. It describes how background theory, literature, and data can be synthesized to create new focal theory in education. Readers will benefit from the theory that is presented, establishing a sound basis for testing in future research in schools as well as in early childhood education. “Joce Nuttall and team are congratulated for their ground-breaking scholarly endeavour in designing, implementing, validating findings, and then writing a book that unambiguously connects theory-policy-practice in enacting leadership in early childhood settings. This book is ambitious, eloquent, and inspirational. The research was driven by a bold vision to build a new theorisation of early childhood leadership. The writing style of the book makes the complex clear and easy to digest, and thereby strengthening its readability and understanding. The comparative lens adopted in the study, underscores the neoliberal control of the working lives of early childhood leaders in both Australia and England. The use of case study narratives to explain various aspects including the study design and methodology, was refreshingly engaging. Notes of encouragement addressed to novice researchers such as those embarking on higher degree studies, also provide apt guidance about the messiness of conducting qualitative research. The book is infused with lots of examples demonstrating the transformative power of learning – especially when expertly scaffolded by the research team, and thereby increasing practitioner agency and quality improvement across the early childhood setting. If professional autonomy is the driver of reform and change, then we must find ways to nurture strong educational leaders who can think outside the box. Overall, Nuttall and team succeed in arousing learning-rich possibilities for reimagining early childhood leadership in theory and in practice, and thereby making a magnificent contribution to the scholarship of educational leadership.” Professor Manjula Waniganayake PhD, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia

Theory meets practical tips in this guide for leaders of early childhood programs

Early childhood practitioners are often reluctant to see themselves as leaders and managers. However, all those who work with young children and their families, whatever their level of experience and competence, have to undertake both of these roles on a daily basis. This book encourages practitioners to recognise their active involvement in leadership and management in relation to their work as team leader or team member, and in their work with parents and other professionals, to ensure appropriate and effective provision for young children. The authors identify a number of key principles involved in effective early years leadership and management, which focus on the idea that: Leadership is about influencing others to improve and enhance children’s care, learning and development Leadership is only effective if it develops the leadership of others by supporting a team or group in meeting their declared aims or vision Leadership is ultimately distributed, shared and dispersed in early childhood settings These principles are supported by a detailed exploration of the statutory demands made on practitioners working with young children and their families, and reference to relevant literature drawn from both early childhood studies and leadership theories. As well as providing guidance on the roles, responsibilities and tasks facing early childhood leaders, the book features a number of case studies and practical tasks, giving life to concepts and ideas and enabling readers to apply theories and policies to their own work settings. Additional activities at the end of each chapter further support practitioners in fulfilling their leadership and management roles in practice. Leadership and Management in the Early Years is an essential text for early years and early childhood studies students as well as practitioners particularly those who are aiming for Early Years Professional Status.

In this inspiring collection, 13 early childhood leaders take action to challenge and change inequitable educational practices in preschools and elementary schools. For them, educating for social justice is not an empty platitude. Steadfast and resolute, they turn rhetoric into reality as they guide early childhood teachers to teach for social justice innovatively and strategically. Through the voices of families, teachers, and the administrators themselves, each chapter shares ways that these leaders use the power entrusted in them to question and disrupt discriminatory and marginalizing practices that deny opportunities for some students while privileging others. The book includes insights, strategies, and resources that administrators can use to build confidence, knowledge, and skills as they invest in more equitable and just pre/schools. Book Features: Highlights the actions of administrators as they take a stand to transcend standardized approaches to teaching and learning, creating more equitable educational environments.Portrays strategies and resources used to engage teachers in critical examination of self and the institutions in which they work.Describes principles and practices that guide administrators as they support the development of culturally relevant practices and policies. Offers powerful ways early childhood administrators can approach inequitable mandates.Highlights the voices of families as they participate in and are impacted by the work of administrators. “Susi Long, Mariana Souto-Manning, and Vivian Vasquez, scholars with stellar reputations in the fields of early childhood education, critical literacy, and social justice education, have combined their considerable talents to edit a book that will serve as a beacon of hope for administrators, policymakers, and educators at all levels of learning and teaching.” —From the Foreword by Sonia Nieto, professor emerita, University of Massachusetts, Amherst and bestselling author