Seven Crucial Conversations in Early Childhood Education

Book excerpt: Designed to spark an interchange of ideas, this book presents early childhood education as a nuanced, shifting, and complex field. Readers will bear witness to several decades of the lived experiences of influential leaders engaged in conversation about seven major topics: systems of early care and education, diversity and children’s rights, developmentally appropriate practice, perspectives on play, curriculum and pedagogy, the care of infants and toddlers, and families and family engagement. Each chapter is accompanied by a “Reflections on the Dialogue” essay from one of the volume editors who include important source material and theoretical and research perspectives. Readers are invited to reflect thoughtfully on each topic to construct their own understanding of where the field has been and why it matters. Contributors reveal how they have been shaped by societal values and events, as well as how they have helped to shape the field as we know it. These reflective dialogues help readers develop greater understanding of the past and its influence on the present, while preparing readers to make decisions throughout their careers about what matters and why it is important to young children and their families. Contributors: W. Steven Barnett, Gloria Swindler Boutte, Sue Bredekamp, Dina C. Castro, Katherine K. Delaney, J. Amos Hatch, Marilou Hyson, Jacqueline Jones, Marjorie Kostelnik, Mary Benson McMullen, Douglas R. Powell, Susan L. Recchia, Mari Riojas-Cortez, Jaipaul L. Roopnarine, Jeffrey Trawick-Smith