Early Years Policy and Practice

Pat Tomlinson's working life has been spent developing, delivering or teaching aspects of children’s policy. Her decades of experience and learning include school teaching in the 1970s, to play development work in the 1980s, as a university academic developing and delivering childhood studies graduate programmes through the 1990s to 2009 when she took up the position of head of the early years programme at the Children’s Workforce Development Council. Her interest in early childhood policy continues through involvement as governor of a large college and membership of a number of early years fora.

• Introduction to Critical Thinking Introduction: Challenging misconceptions about policy and practice 1. The shaping of early years policy since 1900. 2. Family structures, status and public policy. 3. Cultural and social aspects of the health and wellbeing of young children. 4. The status and rights of young children as political and policy influencers. 5. Education and care for early learning and development. 6. Poverty as part of the early years’ experience. 7. The landscape of rural and urban living for young children. 8. Early years politics and economics on the international stage.9. References 10. Index

I particularly like the critical questions that prompt the trainees to reflect on their own practice and their own understanding. The chapters are organised in a good order and I particularly like the way in which the synthesis of action and knowledge have been drawn together and then applied to challenges of the role of working in EY. Pat Tomlinson writes so well, and the trainees will find her approach accessible. - Helen Childerhouse, Sheffield Hallam University