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This book offers a critical and thought-provoking exploration of a range of key contemporary debates relating to early childhood (in the UK). With contributions from a range of experts, this book aims to empower students and professionals to engage critically with issues of social justice, children’s rights and the shaping of young children’s lives.
List of contents
Chapter 1: Constructions of Childhood - Joe Brown & Timothy Clark
Chapter 2: The Neo-Liberal Child: Current consumers, future workers - Joe Brown & Alex Morfaki
Chapter 3: The Successful Child: Forms of capital and childhood - Jeanette Simson
Chapter 4: Children as Rights Holders: Rhetoric or reality? - Helen Butcher & Jane Andrews
Chapter 5: Policy: For children or about children? - Eleri John & Joanne Munyard
Chapter 6: The Commercialisation of Childhood - Katrina Diamond & Melissa Arrowsmith
Chapter 7: Children's Health and Well-Being - Jackie Musgrave
Chapter 8: Play: Investment or pleasure? - Zoe Lewis & Vina Patel
Chapter 9: Measuring Childhood: The good, the bad and the ugly - Kate Irvine
Chapter 10: The Unique Child - Sarah Gillie, Rhiannon Packer & Sally Spruce
Chapter 11: Taking Childhood Seriously: Listening, agency and advocacy - Timothy Clark & Rebecca Kingsley-Jones
About the author
Joe Brown is the programme leader of the BA (Hons) Early Childhood programme at UWE Bristol. He has worked in the early childhood field for over 25 years, including 20 years teaching and leading a variety of higher education programmes in early childhood and playwork. Throughout this time, he has been motivated by the belief that children are confident and agentic social actors who can play an important role in their communities, as long as there are adults who are willing to advocate for them. Joe’s professional interests include the impact of neoliberal policies on young children’s lived experiences, personal interests include a perennial fascination with Neolithic standing stones.Tim Clark is the Director of Research and Enterprise for the School of Education and Childhood at UWE Bristol. Prior to moving into academia he gained 20 years’ experience of working in early childhood settings, including 12 years leading and managing early education provision for a community organisation in Bristol. He has taught on the BA (Hons) Early Childhood at UWE for 5 years and conducted research into the experiences of early childhood graduates. He is a member of the Early Childhood Studies Degree Network (ECSDN) Research Strategy Group, and co-lead for the Children, Childhood and Young People strand of UWE’s Education and Childhood Research Group (ECRG).
