Primary First Journal Issue 42 - Early Childhood

Welcome to this special Early Childhood edition of the NAPE Primary First journal which presents articles that capture the diverse scope of issues that colleagues working with our youngest children are facing. The writers in this edition include a Welsh-medium playgroup leader, university lecturers, an early years consultant, a specialist speech and language therapist and an early years practitioner studying for their doctorate.  This range of professional backgrounds illustrates the interconnectedness of care and education that has been an inherent issue in the field of Early Childhood for many years. More recently this issue has started to emerge in the primary education sector across the UK home nations, with schools increasingly stepping in to undertake caring aspects of children’s lives such as providing laundry services, additional meals and personal hygiene support. We hope that you will be able to connect the themes and ideas the writers explore to your own practice and experience, reminding us all that the child is at the centre of what we do and understanding their previous experiences helps us to do this.

In this edition we explore some of the established thinking that has marginalised the youngest members of our communities. We need to work to actively include babies in society from birth, rethink the concept of school readiness, and fully embrace the agency of young children—not only as a matter of equity and justice but also as a vital investment in the present and future health of our societies. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC, 1989) recognises children as full rights- holders, including the right to express views freely in all matters affecting them. This applies from birth but in practice, many societies still design systems that “wait” until children can talk, read, or reason in adult terms before listening to them.

Dr Jane Dorrian, Programme Leader- Early Childhood, The Open University

Dr Karen Horsley, Senior Lecturer, Early Childhood, The Open University

Dr Jo Josephidou, Associate Head of School, Research & Knowledge Exchange, The Open University

Dr Eleonora Teszenyi, Senior Lecturer, Early Childhood, The Open University