Early Childhood Education & Care: An Introduction for Students in Ireland

Unique new text introducing the theories and concepts of Early Childhood Education and Care, highlighting the knowledge, values and skills required to become a competent ECEC practitioner in Ireland today. Written by educators, practitioners and policy experts from across Ireland, this book is organised in four parts: Part 1: Theoretical Underpinnings of Early Childhood Education and Care Introduces students to the key concepts and theories from a range of relevant disciplines, enabling them to make sense of a child's place in the world. Part 2: Approaches to Early Childhood Education and Care Demonstrates the richness and breadth of pre-school learning models, describing the numerous theoretical and practical perspectives in early education and care. Part 3: Pedagogy and Learning Explores the different types of environments and situations contributing to young children's learning and reinforces the importance of engaging with parents and the community. Part 4: structures and Issues Outlines the unique character of the ECEC sector in Ireland, while also highlighting the importance of ethics and the significance of diversity in ECEC practice. Suitable For: Undergraduate degree programmes in Early Childhood Education and Care in Institutes of Technology and Colleges of Education. Unique new text introducing the theories and concepts of Early Childhood Education and Care, while highlighting the knowledge, values and skills required to become a competent ECEC practitioner in Ireland today. Written by educators, practitioners and policy experts from across Ireland, this book is organised in four parts: Part 1: Theoretical Underpinnings of Early Childhood Education and Care Introduces students to the key concepts and theories from a range of relevant disciplines, enabling them to make sense of a child's place in the world. Part 2: Approaches to ECEC Demonstrates the richness and breadth of pre-school learning models, describing the numerous theoretical and practical perspectives in early education and care. Part 3: Pedagogy and Learning Explores the different types of environments and situations contributing to young children's learning and reinforces the importance of engaging with parents and the community. Part 4: Issues and Context Outlines the unique character of the ECEC sector in Ireland, while also highlighting the importance of ethics and the significance of diversity in ECEC practice.