For students of Early Childhood Studies, questions are as important as answers. What is childhood? Is childhood the same in all cultures? How do children grow and develop? What space do we make for children in our society? How do adults approach risk and what does this mean for children? Can children's play be planned by adults? Early Childhood Studies tackles these questions and more. It explores the why, how and what of studying and working with young children and their families, considering how a range of theories can help us to identify useful questions. This is a comprehensive, up-to-date, challenging and accessible core text for the Early Childhood Studies course. Throughout, key theories and research findings are highlighted and explored to help link theory and practice. It covers the important themes of child development, communication, wellbeing, observation, working with parents, inclusive practice, leadership and research. This fourth edition has been fully updated throughout and includes new chapters on children and risk, inclusive learning environments, play and adults' concepts of childhood.

Do you need good leaders to achieve good quality or does good quality create good leadership? Quality is a term frequently used to describe early years provision without any further explanation of exactly what this 'quality provision' looks like or how it can be achieved. This book not only unpicks what is meant by the term 'quality' in England, across the UK, and beyond, but it does so in the context of how to lead in order to develop and achieve quality. In exploring quality and leadership and the ways in which both terms have been conceptualised from a range of different perspectives you will be able to find a meaning that is right for you and your practice. With chapters covering: * The global interest in quality * The broad nature of early childhood leadership * Reflective evaluation and practice This book will be of interest to setting and room leaders across the early years as well as students studying early childhood or in early years teacher training.

Do you need good leaders to achieve good quality or does good quality create good leadership? Quality is a term frequently used to describe early years provision without any further explanation of exactly what this 'quality provision' looks like or how it can be achieved. This book not only unpicks what is meant by the term 'quality' in England, across the UK, and beyond, but it does so in the context of how to lead in order to develop and achieve quality. In exploring quality and leadership and the ways in which both terms have been conceptualised from a range of different perspectives you will be able to find a meaning that is right for you and your practice. With chapters covering: * The global interest in quality * The broad nature of early childhood leadership * Reflective evaluation and practice This book will be of interest to setting and room leaders across the early years as well as students studying early childhood or in early years teacher training.

For students of Early Childhood Studies, questions are as important as answers. What is childhood? Is childhood the same in all cultures? How do children grow and develop? What space do we make for children in our society? How do adults approach risk and what does this mean for children? Can children's play be planned by adults? Early Childhood Studies tackles these questions and more. It explores the why, how and what of studying and working with young children and their families, considering how a range of theories can help us to identify useful questions. This is a comprehensive, up-to-date, challenging and accessible core text for the Early Childhood Studies course. Throughout, key theories and research findings are highlighted and explored to help link theory and practice. It covers the important themes of child development, communication, wellbeing, observation, working with parents, inclusive practice, leadership and research. This fourth edition has been fully updated throughout and includes new chapters on children and risk, inclusive learning environments, play and adults' concepts of childhood.