An Introduction to Early Childhood Studies

Sacha Powell is Director of Education, Research and Strategy at The Froebel Trust (www.froebel.org.uk). Her research focuses on policies and practices in the care and education of babies and children up to three. Her recent publications include the Routledge International Handbook of Philosophies and Theories of Early Childhood Education and Care (2016). Sacha is Chair of the UK’s Association for Professional Development in Early Years (www.tactyc.org.uk). Her first degree was in Modern Chinese with Japanese and she continues to collaborate with colleagues in early childhood settings, universities and local education bureaus in China. Dr Kate Smith is a Senior Lecturer in Childhood and Early Childhood Studies at Canterbury Christ Church University. She currently leads modules on language and literacy and supervises post-graduate and research students. As a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy she has led employment based undergraduate programmes and travelled to Sweden, Finland and Norway as part of her university role. Kate’s PhD explored young children’s writing activity in their first year of school. She continues to research this area and has written a number of articles about young children’s literacy. Before lecturing she was a primary teacher working with children aged 3-7 in London and Kent schools with whole-school responsibility for Literacy and Art. Kate’s work with school’s continues in her role as a Director of a Multi Academy Trust in Kent. She is co-editor of An Introduction to Early Childhood (2018) and has recently contributed to the Birth to Five Matters documentation. She is a member of UKLA and BERA.

Part I: Perspectives on Childhood
Childhood in Different Cultures - Joanne Westwood
Childhood through the Ages - Yordanka Valkanova
Sociology of Childhood - Nigel Thomas
The Globalisation of Early Childhood Education and Care - Helen Penn
Childhood in the Digital Age - Jackie Marsh
Part II: The Developing Child
Thinking and Cognitive Development in Young Children - Ruth Ford
Babies′ and Young Childrens′ Social and Emotional Development - Tricia David with Sacha Powell
Language Development in the Young Child - Thea Cameron-Faulkner
Play and Development in Early Childhood - Justine Howard
Cultural-Historical Theories of Child Development - Marilyn Fleer
Part III: Policy and Provision for Young Children
Early Childhood Policy and Services - Sonia Jackson
Children′s Rights and the Law - Nigel Thomas
Early Childhood Education (ECE) - Iram Siraj-Blatchford
Child Welfare and Protection - Dendy Platt
Children′s Health and Wellbeing - Sally Robinson
Inclusive Policy and Practice - Siobhan O′Connor
Part IV: Developing Effective Practice
Observing Children to Improve Practice - Helen Moylett
Undertaking Research with Young Children - Alison Clark
Is Working Together Working? - Angela Anning
Effective Early Childhood Leadership - Carol Aubrey
Early Childhood Education for Sustainability - Nicola Kemp
Opening Pandora′s Box: Postmodernist Perspectives of Childhood - Jayne Osgood