Suchergebnisse

SUMMARY. This paper reports results from a study of playgroups in three areas of England. It describes the extent and nature of parent involvement in the study playgroups, and how far this involvement included fathers as well as mothers; examines the relationship between involvement and various socio‐economic characteristics of the parents, to see whether certain groups were more or less likely to be involved in their children's playgroups; and considers attitudes to parent involvement among both mothers and playgroup leaders, and playgroup leaders' experience of involvement, in particular whether they experienced any difficulties in getting or maintaining involvement.

Community playgroups are member-run parenting groups in Australia, aligned with early childhood services. Parents and carers meet weekly with their babies, toddlers and preschool children. Through interviews with mothers who attend community playgroups, I find that these playgroups are important sites of social support for parents. Social support is interwoven with parental and family identity, and the shift in identity when becoming a parent. This is demonstrated through three themes: making a connection, shared practices and language, and judgement and respect. Parents seek out a playgroup in which to belong, where they feel included and respected. These findings can inform the creation and operation of parenting groups.

AbstractThis article employs narrative policy analysis to examine how community playgroups are constructed in the ECEC policy framework, in order to understand what might exclude families, and how more families can be included in community playgroups. Playgroups are a widespread and important component of early childhood education and care (ECEC) provision in Australia, where parents and carers meet weekly with their babies, toddlers and preschool children. They are sites of social support for parents, together with play‐based learning and socialisation activities for the children. Through the lens of intersectionality theory, four narratives are constructed through analysis of interviews with policy elite informants. The classic narrative draws on the enduring model of community playgroups from the 1970s, and the vulnerability narrative centres the supported playgroup model. The belonging narrative and the intercultural narrative indicate possibilities for future policy approaches to community playgroups.

This paper draws on three years of fieldwork within informal supported play-groups in inner Sydney. In Australia, some 40% of children reach school age without attending formal preschools. Aboriginal and immigrant groups are greatly overrepresented in this statistic. For these children, informal playgroups, funded from a range of government and non-government sources are important sites for learning. For children who speak a language other than English in the home, the playgroups also offer an opportunity to strengthen and support the use of the home language and connection to heritage cultures.

Using data from observations, audio and video recordings, interviews with mothers and
carers as well as interviews with play-group workers, literacy specialists and community
workers, this paper will examine the challenges facing these families as their children prepare for schools in which their home language will be 'submerged.' The case study includes an evaluation of a bilingual program within informal playgroups aimed at strengthening home language use among children from the Maori and Tongan communities. The program was designed and implemented in collaboration with these communities as a part of research discussed in this paper. The evaluation will examine the benefits and limitations of such programs as well as foregrounding those strategies that engage and support families in their efforts to maintain their home language.

The effects of these programs in terms of strengthening parental home language support cannot be underestimated and the results of this study highlight the importance of supporting home language in early childhood education settings through structured programs that are responsive to local needs.

La educación infantil no ha sido en absoluto ajena a la fuerte evolución que, durante las últimas décadas, han sufrido las sociedades europeas en general y las familias en particular. Esta etapa educativa ha pasado a realizar un importante papel de apoyo a las familias, yendo más allá de una mera función asistencial, pretende llevar a cabo una esencial misión educativa. Conscientes de la importancia de los primeros años de vida para el desarrollo integral del menor, las administraciones públicas de Alemania, España, Francia e Inglaterra han puesto especial interés en la atención a la infancia. Tras realizar un estudio comparado sobre la educación infantil implantada en estos países, comprobamos como sus políticas relativas a la educación infantil se basan en enfoques claramente diferenciados. Su historia, contextos, valores, creencias y situación socioeconómica inciden fuertemente en las decisiones que cada uno de ellos ha adoptado.Early childhood education is not at all alien to the strong evolution over the past decades European societies have suffered in general and families in particular. This stage has come to perform an important role in supporting families, going beyond a mere function of care, intended to carry out an essential educational mission. Aware of the importance of early life for the integrated development of children, governments of Germany, Spain, France and England have a special interest in child care. After making a comparative study on child rearing practices implemented in these countries, we check that their policies on early childhood education are based on distinct approaches. Its history, contexts, values, beliefs and socioeconomic status strongly influence the decisions that each has adopted.

This article presents findings from two case studies examining the experiences of participants and volunteers in parent/carer and baby groups (playgroups) in Scotland. Through a detailed case study analysis – using participatory observation and a series of semi-structured interviews – this research finds that playgroups: 1) support the development of social capital through long-term connections and sense of belonging and wellbeing; 2) enhance community voluntarism and reciprocity, through capacity building; and 3) develop the skills and confidence of their members related to child development through knowledge exchange and storytelling. It is further contended that despite playgroups importance to the social fabric and contribution to other positive social outcomes, these groups, and the women that run them, have been marginalised as researchers focus attention on more formal early years' education and child development. This research highlights an important gap in knowledge and focus from social scientists on informal settings and women's invisible labour, which take place every day and in every community in Scotland. The research aims to inform policy and practice on perinatal support and early-years settings in Scotland and more widely.

SUMMARY. Using General Household Survey data, this paper considers attendance by children under five at public and private services providing non‐parental daycare and education in 1986 and compares it with 1979. Attendance of children under five rose from 32 per cent in 1979 to 42 per cent in 1986. The services included are primary schools, nursery schools and classes, playgroups, day nurseries and child minders. Playgroups are most used for two and three year olds and schools for four year olds with the majority of children attending on apart time basis. Children from higher social class backgrounds are more likely to receive care and/or education with 50 per cent of such children using pre‐school services, as compared to 3 7 per cent of children with fathers in manual occupations

New approaches to support the early learning for young Indigenous children are important to government policies across Australia. This study explores whether the Abecedarian Approach Australia (3a) intervention, with strong cultural adaptations, can boost young Aboriginal children's early language and learning skills, prior to preschool. Participants in this study were Aboriginal children attending playgroups, Families as First Teachers, in school settings in two remote communities in the Northern Territory. Implementation data on two components (Conversational Reading and LearningGames) of the Abecedarian Approach Australia (3a) intervention are reported, and the level of exposure the children had to the programme during the study period is analysed. Child outcomes were assessed on the Brigance Early Childhood Screen II for 149 children aged from 24 to 56 months. Children's language and early learning were associated with intervention dosage. Higher exposure to Conversational Reading and LearningGames predicted stronger language and overall development for young children. This study demonstrates that this intervention can be delivered effectively in playgroups in remote settings and is a meaningful and robust strategy to support early childhood learning, with potential to improve educational outcomes for young Aboriginal children in remote communities.

By the time he became Secretary of State for Social Services in June 1970, Sir Keith Joseph had a long-standing interest in child poverty, 'problem families' and social deprivation. This article traces the origins of Sir Keith's concern with the 'cycle of deprivation' and examines the development of his thinking on the subject before 1970. It then discusses the immediate background to his keynote speech to the Pre-School Playgroups Association in June 1972. The final section examines why Sir Keith chose (or was obliged) to return to the theme of a putative 'cycle of deprivation' on several occasions between the Conservative defeat of February 1974 and his death in December 1994.