Early Childhood Education and Care in a Global Pandemic

Linda Henderson is a senior lecturer in the School of Education, Culture and Society, Faculty of Education, Monash University. Her cognate research area is early years education. Her research facilitates the reimagining of educational leadership for early childhood education and is underpinned by issues of social justice and equity.Katherine Bussey is an infant and toddler specialist and research fellow in educational psychology at Monash University and early childhood education at Deakin University. Recent research projects focus on professional learning for teachers and educators to foster inclusion, teacher and educator wellbeing, and early childhood professional placement experiences.Hasina Banu Ebrahim is a professor and the UNESCO Co-chair in Early Childhood Education, Care and Development in the Department of Early Childhood, College of Education at the University of South Africa. Her research coheres around the theme early childhood at the margins with special reference to policy, practice and workforce development.

• 1. Preschool children’s ideas about the COVID-19 pandemic 2. Dora´s doll got sick: Preschool children’s wellbeing and play during the COVID-19 crisis. 3. Back to day one: the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on the return to kindergarten in Australia. 4. Children’s transition between home and ECEC services: Innovative practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. 5. Children’s participation in education during COVID-19. 6. COVID-19 pandemic and centre-based services for children under three: Evidence and insights from the Portuguese context. 7. Predictors for caregiver involvement in childcare, education and early learning in Kenyan urban informal settlements during COVID-19. 8. Drop-off at the gate: Challenges to parent–staff collaboration in Danish childcare in the era of COVID-19. 9. Education and Care: Expanding traditional pedagogies with(in) a pandemic. 10. What does it mean to educate and care for children in Brazil in times of COVID-19 ? 11. Struggles at the frontline in pandemic times: Time to reimagine early childhood care and education in South Africa. 12. Distance learning in Cameroon: Case study of private nursery school teachers' experiences and challenges amidst COVID-19 lockdown 13. Politics and practices of the new normal: What are preschool teachers’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey? 14. The role of the Australian Education Union Victoria in supporting early childhood educators during a global pandemic: Tensions, challenges and opportunities for the profession. 15. A ‘quint-essential(ised)’ ECE workforce: COVID-19 and the exploitation of labour. Afterword

'A raw presentation of the impact of COVID-19 on children, teachers, and families across the globe. Seen through their eyes, this international book is an important read.'Laureate Professor Marilyn Fleer, Foundation Chair of Early Childhood Education and Development, Monash University, Australia'This book presents a comprehensive and thought-provoking exploration of the impact of COVID-19 on young children, families, and educators in countries around the world. Leading international authors have come together to identify and address the complex challenges of the pandemic such as the impact on educational programs, wellbeing and play, the evolution of innovative practices, and educator professional identities. These are viewed through children’s perspectives, parents’ expectations, and educators’ experiences. This is a must-read text on the topic.'Andrea Nolan, Deakin University, Australia; Professor of Early Childhood Education'The contributing authors bring a socio-political lens to critical analysis of the immediate effects of the pandemic, and the aftermath. The ethical concerns with families, children and practitioners are threaded through each chapter, informed by children's rights. This is a challenging, but essential text for ECE students, practitioners, teachers, families and policy makers.'Dr Elizabeth Wood, Professor of Education, University of Sheffield 'This state-of-the-art collection includes empirical and conceptual insight into how the pandemic has impacted ECE in countries around the globe. The editors make these alternative stories about children, parents, educators, pedagogies, the profession, the workforce, play and wellbeing, virtual learning, and of course lockdowns, accessible. They are for the most part optimistic, and present an enlightened read for practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and students.'Sue Grieshaber, La Trobe University, Australia; Foundation co-editor Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood