Neoliberalism, with its worldview of competition, choice and calculation, its economisation of everything, and its will to govern has ‘sunk its roots deep’ into Early Childhood Education and Care. This book considers its deeply detrimental impacts upon young children, families, settings and the workforce. Through an exploration of possibilities for resistance and refusal, and reflection on the significance of the coronavirus pandemic, Roberts-Holmes and Moss provide hope that neoliberalism’s current hegemony can be successfully contested. The book provides a critical introduction to neoliberalism and three closely related and influential concepts – Human Capital theory, Public Choice theory and New Public Management – as well as an overview of the impact of neoliberalism on compulsory education, in particular through the Global Education Reform Movement. With its main focus on Early Childhood Education and Care, this book argues that while neoliberalism is a very powerful force, it is ‘deeply problematic, eminently resistible and eventually replaceable’ – and that there are indeed alternatives. Neoliberalism and Early Childhood Education is an insightful supplement to the studies of students and researchers in Early Childhood Education and Sociology of Education, and is also highly relevant to policy makers.

Neoliberalism, with its worldview of competition, choice and calculation, its economisation of everything, and its will to govern has 'sunk its roots deep' into Early Childhood Education and Care. This book considers its deeply detrimental impacts upon young children, families, settings and the workforce. Through an exploration of possibilities for resistance and refusal, and reflection on the significance of the coronavirus pandemic, Roberts-Holmes and Moss provide hope that neoliberalism's current hegemony can be successfully contested. The book provides a critical introduction to neoliberalism and three closely related and influential concepts - Human Capital theory, Public Choice theory and New Public Management - as well as an overview of the impact of neoliberalism on compulsory education, in particular through the Global Education Reform Movement. With its main focus on Early Childhood Education and Care, this book argues that while neoliberalism is a very powerful force, it is 'deeply problematic, eminently resistible and eventually replaceable' - and that there are indeed alternatives. Neoliberalism and Early Childhood Education is an insightful supplement to the studies of students and researchers in Early Childhood Education and Sociology of Education, and is also highly relevant to policy makers.

"Neoliberalism, with its worldview of competition, choice and calculation, its economisation of everything, and its will to govern has 'sunk its roots deep' into Early Childhood Education and Care. This book considers its deeply detrimental impacts upon young children, families, settings and the workforce. Through an exploration of possibilities for resistance and refusal, and reflection on the significance of the Coronavirus pandemic, Roberts-Holmes and Moss provide hope that neoliberalism's current hegemony can be successfully contested. The book provides a critical introduction to neoliberalism and three closely related and influential concepts - Human Capital theory, Public Choice theory and New Public Management - as well as an overview of the impact of neoliberalism on compulsory education, in particular through the Global Education Reform Movement. With its main focus on Early Childhood Education and Care, this book argues that while neoliberalism is a very powerful force, it is 'deeply problematic, eminently resistible and eventually replaceable' - and that there are indeed alternatives. Neoliberalism and Early Childhood Education is an insightful supplement to the studies of students and researchers in Early Childhood Education and Sociology of Education, and is also highly relevant to policy makers"--

This book explores the impact of neoliberalism on education in the UK. Drawing on policies across the sector in England as a case study, the author illuminates and analyses the development of neoliberal policy on models of practice. The author explores the theory and philosophy that have come to define neoliberalism, and offers an explanation as to how this has been applied to the education sector in England at various different stages. Informed and scaffolded by years of empirical research in educational contexts, this book interrogates the impact of neoliberalism on educational practice. It will be of interest and value to scholars of neoliberalism and education, as well as practitioners.

Early childhood education and care is a major policy issue for national governments and international organisations. This book contests two stories, both infused by neoliberal thinking, that dominate early childhood policy making today - ‘the story of quality and high returns’ and ‘the story of markets’, stories that promise high returns on investment if only the right technologies are applied to children and the perfection of a system based on competition and individual choice. But there are alternative stories and this book tells one: a ‘story of democracy, experimentation and potentiality’ in which early childhood centres are public spaces and public resources, places where democracy and experimentation are fundamental values, community workshops for realising the potentiality of citizens. This story calls for transformative change but offers a real utopia, both viable and achievable. The book discusses some of the conditions needed for the story’s enactment and shows what it means in practice in a chapter about project work contributed by a Swedish preschool teacher. Critical but hopeful, this book is an important contribution to resisting the dictatorship of no alternative and renewing a democratic politics of early childhood education. It is essential reading for students and teachers, researchers and other academics, and for all other concerned citizens.

This reflection on Paulo Freire’s seminal volume, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, examines the lessons learnt from Freire and their place in contemporary pedagogical theory and practice. Freire’s work has inspired ground-breaking research which Vandenbroeck has collated, demonstrating the ongoing influence on early childhood educators. Vandenbroeck brings together an international cohort of early childhood experts to present cross-cultural perspectives on the impact of Freire’s research on education around the globe. This book covers discussions on: The background to and impact of Freire’s work Alternative approaches to supporting child development Pedagogical approaches in Portugal, South Africa, Japan, New Zealand and the United States Vandenbroeck concludes with a vision for theorising and implementing emancipatory practice in early childhood education in contexts of neoliberalism. An insightful resource for academics and students in the field of Early Childhood Education and Care, Revisiting Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed is a benchmark of the progress made in the field over the last half a century.

Early childhood education and care has been a political priority in England since 1997, when government finally turned its attention to this long-neglected area. Public funding has increased, policy initiatives have proliferated and at each general election political parties aim to outbid each other in their offer to families. Transforming Early Childhood in England: Towards a Democratic Education argues that, despite this attention, the system of early childhood services remains flawed and dysfunctional. National discourse is dominated by the cost and availability of childcare at the expense of holistic education, while a hotchpotch of fragmented provision staffed by a devalued workforce struggles with a culture of targets and measurement. With such deep-rooted problems, early childhood education and care in England is beyond minor improvements. In the context of austerity measures affecting many young families, transformative change is urgent.