Editorial

Over the past two decades, an accumulation of institutions at the supra-, national and sub-national levels of influence have turned on and tuned in their agendas to the policies and practices that inform and (re-)construct early years care and education. This politicization of early childhood takes place at a time when we witness its growing consumerization and early sexualization. It is within these emerging contexts that this special issue of Management in Education is so timely.

Whilst the policy and provision of early years care and education endures turbulence and change within Europe and the UK in particular, we endeavour to present, in this special issue, a collection of articles showcasing the contested, yet empowering, theorization and practice of participation. Whether it is participation of children in routine activities within a particular setting, or participation of practitioners in managing and leading change, or participation of other professionals, such as academics, in developing policies and initiatives, we believe it is through this participation that the transformation and empowerment of all involved can be realized. This collection of articles will enable the reader to engage with both the practice and policy dimensions of early childhood. In so doing it is hoped that this special issue will open up further discussion over democratic approaches in practice and how practices in general are nuanced by ideology, politics and the economy.

This special issue arises, in part, from a Higher Education Academy funded seminar day, at Anglia Ruskin University, where there were invited guest speakers from the University of East London, delegates representing the further education (FE) and higher education (HE) sectors, early years practitioners, local council early years trainers and early childhood HE students. The seminar itself was aimed at exploring and debating students’ voice and participation in education and led to the development of this joint issue between the University of East London and Anglia Ruskin University. The articles are a result of our common belief in the principles of participatory practice, which, we believe, can lead to empowerment at a personal, relational and collective level. Personally, it can help the participants develop confidence and capacity to bring about change; relationally it can develop the capacity to participate, negotiate and influence the nature of relationships; and collectively, it can lead to decision-making which can potentially achieve more extensive impact(s). In different ways, the articles written by authors in this issue demonstrate all these levels.

We start this special issue with an article by Mathias Urban that, within the context of the current strategic framework of the European Union (European Commission, 2010), outlines the concept of ‘competent systems’ in early childhood and discusses implications for governance. His article questions the persistent use of a ‘language of technology and normalization’ (Dahlberg et al., 2007) in policy documents and argues for alternatives that recognize and embrace the relational, political and uncertain characteristics of early childhood professional practice. Eva Lloyd, within the context of the European Union’s 2001 White Paper (Commission of the European Union, 2001), focuses on participatory governance and its relevance to the conceptualization, design and implementation of early years’ policies under the Coalition administration in England between 2010 and 2013.

Paulette Luff and Rebecca Webster, in their article, show the implications of participation primarily at a personal level. The article shares exemplary participatory approaches within early childhood education, focusing upon respect for children’s viewpoints, student practitioners as legitimate participants, and collegial, distributed leadership that includes egalitarian approaches to decision-making with members of staff. Sarah Hodgson, Theodora Papatheodorou and Mary James discuss the implications and benefits of participation at a relational level. They make a case for the adoption of participatory (internal) evaluation projects, by sharing an example of monitoring and evaluation for, and by, staff, in a community-based early childhood development programme in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Mallika Kanyal discusses the implications of participation at a collective level. Her article argues for the participation and involvement of students in developing learning spaces within HE. The article draws upon the principles and practices of participatory research where participants are considered as researchers, with the aim of creating democratic, social and politically ‘safe spaces’ for the students to work in.

The article by Geraldine Davis reports on findings from one research project carried out in the East of England, which analyses the impact of professional development on the early years graduate leaders, from their own perspective. Whilst drawing upon the positive impact of development programmes on/by practitioners, her article critiques on the current status of graduate leaders within the early childhood education and care workforce, and brings to the foreground the challenges faced in the changing policy landscape for professionalization of this workforce. Tim Waller critically reflects on the participation of young children aged 3–4 years in an ongoing outdoor learning project started in 2004. His article analyses the research findings from a sociocultural perspective focusing on transformations of participation. Tim critically discusses findings from the project and identifies a number of significant implications for participatory research with young children, early childhood pedagogy and management in early childhood settings.

Leena Helavaara Robertson and Dave Hill examine some of the conflicting policies and ideologies in early years education in England. The authors analyse responses to inequalities, as informed by different ideological positions, and identify three main types of responses: (i) conforming; (ii) reforming; and (iii) transforming. The article concludes by addressing some historical developments in terms of equality in early years and identifies key implications for leadership and management. Our final contribution comes from Karen Horsley and Helen Penn. In their article, students on the Early Childhood Studies degree programme at the University of East London were asked to reflect on their childhood memories and how these have shaped their understandings of early childhood and practices with young children. The authors argue that understanding the cultural influences on childhood and practice is crucial to identifying and unpicking complex relationships between childhood memories and the everyday work with young children, in the various practice settings students encounter.

We hope you enjoy this special issue and we thank our authors who have worked so hard in the realization of this particular publication. We are also hugely indebted to our book reviewers Sara Knight, Daniela Mangione and Elizabeth Appleton for their contributions to this special issue.