Democratic participation
Democratic participation should inform and support the implementation and ongoing operation of a high quality early learning and child care (ELCC) system – from parent advisory groups to child care sector engagement to citizen engagement processes at all levels of government.
Participation is meaningful
A broad range of citizens who care about ELCC, including children, families, educators, employers, advocates, researchers, and academics, must be involved in the development, implementation, and operation of a transformed child care system.
All aspects of ELCC engagement processes – from design to delivery and follow-up – should be informed by a diversity of stakeholders whose views are respectfully considered. Governments must provide stakeholders with clear, relevant information about the scope of the engagement process and how their input will be used to shape government decisions.
Participation is valued
ELCC primarily affects parents with young children and educators, yet they are the least likely to have the time and/or resources to inform the system’s development. Governments must provide resources and infrastructure to support and value families’ and educators’ participation.
For decades, the child care advocacy movement has relied largely on the volunteer work of advocates – mainly women – who engage with families, educators, communities, and policy makers to develop and share research-based policy recommendations, create comprehensive child care plans, and mobilize public and political support.
Volunteers have played an important role in social movements like child care, relying on women’s unpaid/underpaid labour. Advocates’ time, energy, and expertise should be resourced with core, long-term, organizational public funding, prioritizing the inclusion of diverse voices and multiple perspectives and experiences in the child care advocacy movement.
Democracy as first practice in early childhood education and care
Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development, article, Sep 2021. International
Citizen engagement in child care policy: Examining child care policy problematisations in Canadian newspaper articles from 2008 to 2015
Routledge, book chapter, Nov 2019. Canada
Towards democratic culture and political practice in early childhood education: The case for transformative change at a time of converging crisis
Educação Temática Digital, article, Nov 2023. International
Democratic participation in early childhood education and care – serving the best interests of the child
Nordic Early Childhood Education Research, journal article, Jun 2018. Europe
Towards a democratic ECEC system
UCL Press, book chapter, 2020. Europe
Influencing policy change through collective action
International Perspectives on Early Childhood Education and Development, book, Oct 2018. New Zealand
