Reconceptualizing Leadership in the Early Years

"This book has the potential to do for nurseries what Michael Fullan''s work did for schools, to re-affirm the moral heart of leadership. Often omitted from accounts of early years professionalism, an attitude of care is advocated as the central characteristic of leaders. At the same time, Clark and Murray challenge the traditional explanation for this attitude amongst practitioners in terms of female nurture, presenting it instead in non-gendered terms as a function of ethical character and commitment. With their concepts of catalytic agency, reflective integrity and relational interdependence, the authors provide an intellectual justification for something that many practitioners have long known intuitively, that early years leadership calls for a marriage of both mind and heart."
Dr Geoff Taggart, Lecturer in Early Years, University of Reading, UK

“This book makes an innovative contribution to the discussion and debate about leadership in early years. The new conceptual framework which is introduced for understanding leadership focuses on thinking critically about how leadership is worked out in early childhood practice. Underpinned by empirical research from across the early years sector, a range of practitioner profiles and voices are used to illustrate, examine and discuss the core features of the leadership within process in action. Particularly useful for graduate early years leaders, and all students of early childhood education and care practice, this book includes valuable material that will challenge thinking about the development and professional identity of leaders in early years provision in the twenty-first century.”
Gill Goodliff, Department of Education, The Open University, UK

This book explores the realities of leadership in the early years and examines the challenges and opportunities for the profession. The authors suggest that recent moves to professionalize the workforce offer a unique opportunity to reconceptualize leadership and develop a new paradigm more suited to the specific circumstances of the sector.

As well as discussing current perspectives of leadership, the book proposes a new concept for the early years, leadership within, which recognises that leadership can come from anywhere within an organisation or setting. The book argues that the concept of leadership within is more appropriate for the early years sector as it draws on the professional desire to further the education and well-being of young children and their families rather than on traditional hierarchy and position. Key features of the book include:

• Ideas based on research from a wide range of current early years practice
• Real leadership profiles of practitioners from a diversity of different professional backgrounds and working in a variety of contexts
• Reflective prompts to assist you in identifying the leadership in your own practice and how this can be developed further

The ideas explored in Reconceptualizing Leadership in the Early Years have important implications for sustainable leadership development in the sector and are essential reading for all practitioners as well as those studying early childhood and enrolled on EYPS courses.