Equal Opportunity in Early Childhood Education Essay

be after for equity rump be a difficult peasantbed for betimes puerility educators across Australia. According to Sims (2009), equity in wee clawhood didactics refers to fairness and is based on a balance of dickens different sets of accountabilitys every tiddlers right to an opportunity to check an wee puerility purlieu and every shavers right to participate and be represented equ on the wholey within that environs. Children spend a penny divers(a) conveys and belong to different cultures and affable classs which results in children participating in primaeval puerility environments differently.Childrens access to quality former(a) childishness computer programmes which address issues of equity and social justice are crucial in maximising childrens battle in the encyclopaedism experiences (Robinson & Diaz, 2006). adjoin fortune in Early Childhood Education Under the guinea pig Partnership Agreement on Early Childhood Education, states and territories have attached to achieving universal access to early childhood education for wholly(a) children by 2013 (Council of Australian Governments, 2008).The Agreement targets a childs right to have an opportunity to attend an early childhood environment, by stating that by 2013 children impart have access to quality programmes organised by four course university trained early childhood t for individu exclusivelyy bingleers ( part of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, 2011). However passim Australia there is currently a shortage of t each(prenominal)ers, so allow these goals be achievable? While this is a positive agreement addressing each childs right to the opportunity to attend an early childhood environment, it neglects the need to address each childs right to equal participation.Opportunity al angiotensin-converting enzyme get out not improve the quality of early instruction experiences provided to children. Every Childs Right to Participate Equality of participat ion is an issue in early childhood education that is concerned with early childhood educators, together with children, creating a diverse range of cultural and social learning activities and experiences for all children to access in the early childhood environment (Elliot, 2006). Images of the child as less competent or developed than adults sack up lead-in to a misconception that children do not have the emotional or cognitive capability to make rational choices.This thinking may lead to the voices of children be left out of decisions that affect them, denying children their right to participate equally in their early childhood environment. More importantly, this does not align with pedagogical practices fitting the United Nations Conventions of the Rights of the Child (The Convention) (1989). How Can Educators Ensure Equal company in the Early Childhood Environment? According to the Early days Learning Frame twist (EYLF), through their practices educators should reinforce the principles laid out in The Convention (Council of Australian Governments, 2009).The Convention states that all children have the right to participation. This includes educators involving children in decisions that directly affect them (United Nations, 1989). The issue of equal participation involves educators collaborating with children near all matters affecting their lives and respecting childrens family, culture, language and other identities by representing these diversities in ordinary activities and learning experiences. Including childrens cultural and social backgrounds into the programming and planning enables children to successfully participate equally in the early childhood environment.In right aways early childhood environments, a vast array of spaces will be available and they may change depending on the childrens interests. This can include spaces that allow children to express their knowledge and understanding of the knowledge base, by providing a range of activ ities within different spaces. Activities supported by spaces include tho are not limited to art reading imaginative head for the hills problem solving Catering for smorgasbord through inclusive practices acknowledges that all children have different life experiences.The early childhood environment therefore becomes a place for collaborative learning supporting diversity and dissimilarity through respecting each childs equal right to participation. Embedding practices of diversity and inclusion in early childhood environments is a difficult task for educators. Educators need to develop practices that promote diversity through communicating with children, their families and each other, and always be asking themselves Who is this practice benefitting? Catering for Diversity in the Early Childhood Environment.Representing each child in the early childhood environment involves to a greater extent than simply adding a range of diverse resources. This is one small aspect of incl usion and diversity. Resources need to be discussed and explored with children and educators need to comprehend and observe how children are interacting with them. Recently, I added a large felt world map to the preschool environment. This resource included felt animals and people from around the world. The children had been exploring animals and the kin that humans have with them.My intention was for the children to explore the remnants between land and ocean animals. However the children had a different interpretation and as a group they decided to place the felt people onto the country in which they believed they were born. non wanting to interrupt the childrens engagement with this resource, I watched on as the childrens interests changed from animals to people and places of origin. Shortly after this experience, I noticed many children kindly explaining to another child that because her skin was br suffer, she was not from Australia.Adding this resource to the environment inspired a conversation about diversity, but it did not shape up children to explore inclusion and equity. This resource needed to be supported with a sustain shared thinking conversation that involved educators and children in discussions about respect, diversity and inclusion within the Australian context. Sustained Shared idea Iram Siraj-Blatchford (2005) defines prolong shared thinking as two or more individuals working together in an intellectual way to solve a problem, clarify a concept, evaluate activities or extend a narrative. twain parties must contribute to the thinking, and the ideas must develop and extend through the discussion. Addressing each childs right to participation through the practice of sustained shared thinking involves early childhood educators engaging with families and children to effectively work together in order to negotiate, develop and implement learning agendas, outcomes and assessments for their own children. Family involvement is critical to the success of young children in early learning environments, as each family comes from a diverse culture with different traditions, values, and judgment system.In order to effectively address the issue of equity, educators need to pull in mutual respectful relationships, where parents and children are heard and their ideas are included in the environment. As recognised in the EYLF (Council of Australian Governments, 2009), an image of a child that is based on children being capable and knowledgeable, requires educators to respect each childs capabilities, culture, and droll qualities. Planning for equity in the early childhood environment is important for childrens social and emotional wellbeing.Each child and family bring with them a collection of diversities to the childs own learning, resulting in children experiencing a sense of belonging, being and becoming differently. With each environment being different in terms of philosophies, children, families and community involvem ent, how you include families in your unique environment will vary. Sustained shared thinking practices are one way educators can improve the issue of equity in early childhood education.Being able to include the voices of children and their families by catering for each childs diversities and encouraging a sense of wellbeing should be seen as a positive attribute of the early childhood education field. Something to think about childhood is broad need ? equity in earlythat children have access to ? differencesequityto be acknowledged to address in early childhood it is important ? early childhood environments that represent ?the ability to program and plan for children, with who they are children, families and communities is a strength of the early childhood sector early childhood educators need to represent children equally and diversity ? all participation to address their right ? helping children uncover difference emf to to in a supportive environment has the transform future societies and will increase acceptance and respect for others. Resources and References Further information about sustained shared thinking practices can be found at http//www.earlychildhoodaustralia. org. au/pdf/shared_thinking. pdf Council of Australian Governments. (2008). National partnership agreement on early childhood education. Retrieved may 18, 2011, from http//www. federalfinancialrelations. gov. au/content/national_partnership_agreements/ED005/national_partnership_on_early_childhood_ education_update. pdf Council of Australian Governments. (2009). Belonging, being and becoming the early years learning framework for Australia. Retrieved May 25, 2010, from http//www. deewr. gov.au/earlychildhood/policy_agenda/quality/pages/earlyyearslearningframework. aspx Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. (2011). Universal access to early childhood education. Retrieved May 20, 2011, from http//www. deewr. gov. au/Earlychildhood/Policy_Agenda/ECUA/Documents/UA_E CE_Factsheet. pdf Elliot, A. (2006). Early childhood education Pathways to quality and equity for all children. Victoria Australian Council for Educational Research. Robinson, K. H & Diaz, C. (2006). Diversity and difference in early childhood education issues for theory and practice.New York subject University Press. Sims, M. (2009). Nurturing a sense of fairness in children. Retreived May 20, 2011, from http//www. earlychildhoodaustralia. org. au/every_child_magazine/every_child_index/nurturing_a_sense_of_fairness_in_children. hypertext markup language Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2005). Quality interactions in the early years. Retrieved May 7, 2011, from http//www. earlychildhoodaustralia. org. au/pdf/shared_thinking. pdf United Nations. (1989). The chemical formula on the rights of the child. Retrieved March.