Quality and Leadership in the Early Years

Verity Campbell-Barr is a lecturer in early childhood studies at Plymouth University, undertaking a Marie Curie European Research Fellowship (funded by the European Commission) in the Department of Child Education at the Faculty of Child and Adult Education, University of Debrecen, Hungary. Her research interests center on the quality of early childhood services, with her fellowship focusing on the knowledge, skills and attitudes required of the early childhood education, and care workforce. She has a background in researching the provision of early childhood services and policy developments in early childhood education and care.Dr Caroline Leeson is Associate Professor in Early Childhood Studies at Plymouth University. She has particular interests in the welfare of looked after children, children’s centre leadership and reflective practice and enjoys working with students towards their goal of being strong advocates for young children and their families. Her research interests are in social justice; children with a parent in prison; children who go missing and/or are vulnerable to sexual exploitation and the involvement of children in decision making processes. She is also active in researching the articulation of leadership in early years settings. Before working in higher education she worked as a social worker in child protection, fostering and adoption and was the leader of a family centre for a period of time. This experience proved particularly profound as she learnt the importance of communication, collaboration and the joy of spending time in the home corner making stone soup.

This exciting book brings a new dimension to the study of leading quality services in the mixed economy of early years.  It addresses how post-structuralism supports understanding of quality leadership, especially where there are external accountability structures.  The reader is supported in deconstructing what is meant by quality, who defines it and enabled to consider alternative perspectives.

• IntroductionSECTION 1: QUALITYChapter 1: Why an Interest in QualityChapter 2: What is Quality? Exploring the Evidence BaseSECTION 2: LEADERSHIPChapter 3: Tracing the Development of Early Years LeadershipChapter 4: Early Years Leaders - All Things to All PeopleSECTION 3: IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICEChapter 5: Visions of QualityChapter 6: Reflecting on Leading Quality Early Years Services