How is 'care' in early childhood education and care thought about by governments and societies? What are the effects for relationships that are enabled and constrained in early childhood education and care contexts? The Provision and Relationships of Care for Young Children considers the relationships that form around the provision of care for young children. It investigates the ways in which governments define the problem of care for young children in policy and provision for early childhood education and care, and scrutinises some of the effects of these definitions in the day-to-day lives and work of early childhood educators, mothers and fathers. Using a combination of research interviews with mothers and early childhood educators and documentary analysis of a range of international public policy texts and reports as data sources, the author explores how experiencing, giving and receiving care is an essential part of our human experience. Through its explorations of the critical place of care in our lives, especially in the lives of early childhood educators, children and families, this book this book presents an investigation of how caring for young children is understood in neoliberal, market states.

Author Biography

Jo Ailwood is Senior Lecturer at the School of Education, The University of Newcastle, Australia.