More than Words for Working with Children and Families

Introdiction to the special issue, "More than Words for Working with Children and Families.

Camden Childcare Needs Assessment

The Camden Childcare Needs Assessment is a mixed methods study that has sought to consider the childcare needs of parents in the borough, including considering where there is unmet demand, the adequacy of the timing of childcare provision and parental views on the cost and quality of provision. The study aims to contribute to the planning of future childcare in the borough. Aims The Camden Childcare Needs Assessment aims to: - develop a clear and concise picture of the demand for childcare from Camden residents - identify unmet needs in childcare provision in Camden The objective of the project is to enable the Local Authority to plan childcare expansion and support sustainable service development

More than Words for Working with Children and Families

The focus for this special issue arose as a result of noticing the emerging challenges being made to “traditional,” neoliberal understandings of knowledge and knowing coupled with the strengthening international interest in the professionalization of the early years workforce, who, it might be argued, have worked hard to create a knowledge base from which to grow their understanding of the child. This knowledge base has, to some extent, been dominated by hegemonic discourses of developmentalism— absorbed into policy and standardized within some, if not many, education programs for early years practitioners. These two elements combined offered the opportunity to consider alternative ways of knowing(s) for working with young children

The Reggio Approach in Motion. Documenting Experiences, Reflecting upon Practice and Disseminating the Ideas.

This article offers a cultural analysis of the materialization into cultural texts of a variety of educational experiences, political visions, and pedagogical approaches in order to understand the symbolic construction of the Reggio Emilia approach, highlighting its singularity and the motives of its dissemination. The analysis considers selected texts that refer to specific methods of documenting children\u2019s activities to highlight the symbolic strategies that select, organize, and materialize a constellation of local experiences into a unified educational perspective. Through the innovative analysis of text composition, new dimensions of professionalism have emerged, challenging conventional approaches and promoting a valid alternative to the standardization of early childhood education. The dissemination of the Reggio approach through texts opens up new opportunities for early years practitioners to critically consider participation with families and calls on policymakers to reform the sector. The potential is created for cultural dialogue between families and professionals with different models of children\u2019s growth, thereby enriching the \u201cfunds of knowledge\u201d at communities\u2019 disposal to promote children\u2019s approaches to language and symbolism