Leading and Managing in the Early Years

…a major contribution to the limited literature and research on leadership in childhood education.′ - Professor Tony Bush, Editor of Educational Management, Administration and Leadership. ′This important book focuses clearly on evidence, describing the realities of leading and managing settings in times of rapid policy changes. Carol Aubrey manages to combine theory, research and practice in a book that will be invaluable to a new generation of early years professionals.′ - Angela Anning, Emeritus Professor of Early Childhood Education, University of Leeds, UK ′..skilfully draws on sound empirical research to present a grounded theory model for leadership in early years education. ….of interest to researchers, students and practitioners internationally.′ - Professor Nithi Muthukrishna, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa This Second Edition of Leading and Managing in the Early Years explores and integrates leadership and management practice with a real understanding of early years settings. Revised and updated, this new edition includes: - Two new chapters on private day care and reflective practice and action research - Further coverage of reflective practice and reflective leadership skills - More on EYPS as well as integrated centre leadership - Practical suggestions for working with resistant groups and individuals. Carol Aubrey investigates different concepts and characteristics of Early Childhood (EC) leadership as well as the roles and responsibilities of EC leaders. She also explores the types of leadership programmes or development which are needed to maximise the effectiveness of EC leaders. This book is essential reading for students in Early Childhood courses, Early Years Practitioners and local authority employees involved with the integrated centres initiative. Carol Aubrey is Professor of Early Childhood Studies at the University of Warwick.

Table of Contents:
Introduction: Theorizing Leadership in Early Childhood The Early Childhood Leaders′ Agenda Context What Do We Know Already? What Leadership Research Applies? What Do We Need to Know? Leadership in English Early Childhood Education and Care Introduction Our Objectives What We Asked Our Early Childhood Professionals about Leadership What We Found Out What We Made of the Findings Practitioners′ Understandings of Early Childhood Leadership Introduction Characteristics of the Leaders and Staff That We Talked to Definitions and Perceptions of Leadership Roles, Responsibilities and Functions of Leaders Decision-Making Internal and External Influences on Leadership Training Leadership in a Changing World Early Childhood Leaders′ Work Introduction A Typical Day Roles, Responsibilities and Functions Decision-Making Influences on Leadership Training Collective Views on the Video Highlights ′I Don′t Like the Idea of Making a Profit... Exploiting Those on Low Wages′ Introduction Early Childhood Education and Care Policy Early Childhood Profession and Workplace Issues Making a Profit: The Role of the Private Sector Preschool Care and Education plc? Journeys into Leadership Introduction A journey? Career Paths of Early Childhood Leaders Support through the Career Cycle Mentoring as a Leadership Strategy Introduction Learning from Experience The Nature of Mentoring Establishing Appropriate Ground Rules What Does Learning from Day-to-Day Experience Really Mean? A Framework for Staff Development Mentoring for the Leader Future Possibilities The Challenge of Leading Multi-Agency Teams Introduction Challenges to Collaboration Questions to Ask What Do We know about Effective Multi-Agency Working? Models of Multi-Agency Working Organization of Professional Groups Views on Multi-Agency Working from Four Integrated Centres What we found out A closer look at the challenges of multi-agency working Case Studies Leadership by the Many Leading in a Time of Change Introduction A Need for Interprofessional Education Staff Resistance to Change A Model for Improving the Early Childhood Integrated Centre Understanding Change Reflective Practice and Action Learning Introduction Reflective Process of Progressive Problem-Solving Planning an Action Research Cycle with Integrated Centre Leaders Doing Action Research in the Early Childhood Field Conclusions Reflections Revisiting Our Initial Objectives Conclusions

About the Author :
Carol Aubrey is Emeritus Professor of Early Childhood in the Institute of Education at the University of Warwick. She trained as a primary school teacher and then as an educational psychologist. Later, she spent a number of years in primary teacher education with a particular focus on the early years, first at University College Cardiff and then at the University of Durham where she directed the Postgraduate Certificate of Education (Primary) and for a time was Deputy Director of the School. Thereafter, from 2001, she worked at Canterbury Christ Church University where she led the Centre for International Studies in Early Childhood (CISEC). Her research interests lie in the area of the policy to practice context of early childhood care and education in national and international contexts, early learning and development, with a particular interest in early mathematics and inclusion/special educational needs. She has been convener of the British Educational Research Association (BERA) Special Interest Group for Early Childhood Care and Education and a member of the BERA Executive Council from 2004 to 2007. She was UK editor for Journal of Early Childhood Research from 2003–2009.

Review :
′…a major contribution to the limited literature and research on leadership in childhood education′ - Professor Tony Bush, Editor of Educational Management, Administration and Leadership ′This important book focuses clearly on evidence, describing the realities of leading and managing settings in times of rapid policy changes. Carol Aubrey manages to combine theory, research and practice in a book that will be invaluable to a new generation of early years professionals′ - Angela Anning, Emeritus Professor of Early Childhood Education, University of Leeds, UK ′..skilfully draws on sound empirical research to present a grounded theory model for leadership in early years education. ….of interest to researchers, students and practitioners internationally′ - Professor Nithi Muthukrishna, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa