Early Childhood Folio vol. 27 no. 1 (2023)

Stories are one critical aspect of literacy across the life span. For young children, stories invite engagement in shared thinking, and social and emotional connections with others in family homes and early childhood education settings. In this article, we share key findings from two studies that illustrate ways that story interactions are grounded in social relationships across different ages and contexts. We highlight common themes around the role of stories in supporting relationships,… Read more

The involvement of whānau in the teaching and learning process is important at every juncture of a child’s educational journey. Rich understanding of the curriculum enables whānau to make deep and meaningful contributions to discussions about their child’s development. It also presents an interesting challenge for educational settings to create opportunities for whānau to increase their knowledge of the curriculum. This article outlines the benefits of a toi Māori approach to support whānau… Read more

Kaitiakitanga is promoted in the revised curriculum document Te Whāriki—He Whāriki Mātauranga mō ngā Mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early Childhood Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2017). The authors give primacy to the Māori worldview of sustainable living through engaging with, and protecting, the natural environment. This article reports on a picturebook research project designed to support teachers to explore kaitiakitanga with young children in early childhood education settings. Two Aotearoa… Read more

Critical pedagogy has the potential to create transformation experiences within early childhood settings, as educators open up children’s worlds to explore fairness, equity, and democratic participation across issues of interest and relevance to young children. Using a critical inquiry framework, informed by the work of Paulo Freire, teachers from an Auckland kindergarten provided examples of what the critical pedagogy elements can look like in practice with young children. These… Read more

The KidsCan ECE programme is designed to remove barriers to participation in early childhood education through the provision of raincoats, shoes, nit treatment products, lunches and snacks. Data from an evaluation of the pilot programme involved surveys and interviews with whānau and teachers. Findings showed the benefits for children’s health and attendance, although not every child experienced the same beneficial changes. This article considers some of the key findings of the evaluation in… Read more

Inclusive teaching approaches and positive teacher attitudes are vital when creating inclusive early childhood educational (ECE) settings for all children, and especially for children with additional learning needs. This study focused on understanding how teachers nurture and promote the spirituality of children with additional learning needs in their early childhood settings. Seven ECE teachers employed in five diverse settings took part in individual semistructured interviews as part of… Read more