Position Paper – TCHR3001: Early Childhood Matters

Posted: August 11th, 2024

TCHR3001: Early Childhood Matters
Assessment Brief
Title Assessment 2
Type Position paper
Due Date AEST/AEDT (end of Week 6)
Length 1500 words

Task Description
This task requires you to analyse and evaluate the various positions of the contemporary issues presented in Module 4 – 6. Include a personal reflection that explains your own position on a selected issue and critically analyse and justify your personal position in relation to current, scholarly literature.
Task Instructions
Assessment Brief
Drawing on the unit learning materials, unit tutorials and a range of relevant and current scholarly literature, select one issue addressed in Module 4 to 6 of this unit and:
• Part 1: Analyse and evaluate the positions put forward on this issue within the unit
materials and discussions. (500 words)
• Part 2: Reflect on and synthesise your personal position on the issue explaining why and how it is relevant to you personally as a teacher/educator working with children, families, and other relevant stakeholders in the Australian early years sector (500 words).
• Part 3: Justify your personal position on the issue using a range of relevant and current scholarly literature. (500 words).

Position Paper
Analysis and Evaluation
The idea of inclusion has been at the heart of the issues regarding early childhood education and care (ECEC), which the module content, together with the course materials, disclose a range of viewpoints on. The underlying role articulated in this unit is that inclusive practices and mainstreaming should be the starting point of ECEC services. This will ensure that every child is able to be actively involved and maximize his or her potential (AGDE, 2022; ACECQA, 2023). The unit studies pointed out the moral and legal obligation of inclusive programs that take care of children with disabilities, unique needs, or from different cultures and languages. From this angle, inclusion goes on the assumption that equitable, child-centered education and care can only be achieved by including all children. According to the National Quality Standard (ACECQA, 2023), among others, ECEC environments should be designed with the ability to access diverse children and respond to their sense of belonging, identity, and agency.
In line with this, the module has positioned inclusion as something more than just giving access or making ‘reasonable adjustments.’ Inclusion requires a whole service approach, but any small adjustments made are no longer on a case-by-case basis. ECEC professionals constantly develop and readjust the tools that are used in the setting, modify and introduce new teaching strategies, and provide a culturally diverse and welcoming environment. It follows the guidelines of the Early Years Learning Framework (AGDE, 2022), which places significant emphasis on fostering the growth of a child’s sense of self and connection to his community.
On the one hand, it may seem fairly easy to incorporate such inclusive education strategies into ECEC centers. However, on the other hand, some complexities and challenges need to be addressed. Tutorial discussions show that participation is sometimes like an area with two opposing poles, with some people having more conservative or medical or deficit-based views of disability and differences. Therefore, from this point of view an argument has emerged that inclusion may be perceived as an encroaching force or a threat to the ‘quality’ of early childhood education settings in those settings which are financially limited or may lack expertise (Mathwasa & Sibanda, 2021). Moreover, the module content acknowledges that even though ECEC professionals often do their best to put in place inclusive practices, they may still struggle due to a lack of specialized training, biases, or ambiguity about what kind of practices to employ to provide adequate support to children with different needs. For this reason, the approach should consist of ongoing professional learning, building collaborative partnerships, and an incessant willingness to reflect on your own beliefs and attitudes critically (Hansen et al., 2020).
Reflection
Inclusion as an ECEC professional is one of the most significant problems for me; this issue is very connected with the principles of my teaching philosophy and methods. Inclusive provision of ECEC should be a built-in and not argued-for element for quality provision that would guarantee all children are respected, supported, and inspired to participate, succeed, and grow despite their inherent differences or varied cultural backgrounds. My aim here is the creation of learning environments that will celebrate diversity, providing a strong sense of belonging and equality to all of the children so that they have every possibility to reach their full potential through learning. I can tell you from my own experience that inclusion in the educational process has a huge and long-lasting influence on children’s social, emotional, and cognitive development, as it does a great deal of harm when children are marginalized and discriminated against. Hence, I seek to further my knowledge and capabilities that would enable me to keep doing an even greater job of inclusion advocacy and creating it within my ECEC service as well as the broader community.
It is from this core principle that my stance as a strong proponent of inclusion as a human right derives. I strongly believe that ECEC employees have a moral and ethical duty to carry out these rights and that every child, regardless of the children’s challenges or backgrounds, must be treated with respect and dignity and a real interest in supporting their learning and development. It is hence in line with the principles and practices as described in the Early Years Learning Framework (AGDE, 2022) and National Quality Standard (ACECQA, 2023), which underscores the respect for diversity, making sure everyone is treated fairly and fostering a profound sense of self-belonging in everybody.
In addition, the social model of disability refers to the understanding that the majority of the impediments to accessibility and participation stem from environmental factors in the majority of the cases (Lawson & Beckett, 2020). It is not from the deficits within the physically, socially, or attitudinally challenged individuals that served the purpose to form the basis of my understanding of inclusion. My role as an ECEC professional, then, is to be an active participant in identifying and breaking down these barriers, working together with children, families, and other partners to create inclusive learning communities where, in fact, there are no barriers to learning. This could involve re-configuring the teaching methods, altering the physical setting, confronting prejudices and stereotypes, and creating a culture that values everyone’s acceptance, mutual respect, and empathy.
Besides, the move to inclusion also recognizes that the issue is complicated and multifaceted. I appreciate that the realities of creating inclusive practices may include maneuvering the range of the different perspectives and needs of various stakeholders, navigating the specialized resources and knowledge that are necessary to meet the needs of different children, or accessing the resources that are needed in order to support these children. Nevertheless, I am determined to accept and learn from the challenges, consistently pursue training, and devise plans to partner with community stakeholders in order to make inclusion a meaningful experience for children and their families. Regardless of my specific position on diversity, I am firmly committed in both mind and heart as well as I firmly believe that ECEC could help bring about a more just, equitable, and inclusive society. I am assured that I can make a significant and permanent difference in the lives of children, their families, and communities at large, which will help them realize that every one of them has special gifts and talents that can be offered to the community.
Justification
Empathy, being the foundation of my ideology relating to inclusion in the field of early childhood education and care (ECEC), is what I firmly believe in as it is based on contemporary research and the principles of the sector in Australia. Furu et al. (2023) just point out that inclusive approaches are paramount, and their tremendous contribution to the all-round development of children cannot be undermined, as well as the moral and legal dictates for ECEC services providers to respect the rights of children at all times. Individuating a person’s job is not only about providing access or reasonable adjustments but involves more than that. However, studies demonstrate that real inclusion is achieved only on condition of the whole-of-service approach in ECEC when the professionals work to identify and remove every barrier to full participation, develop strategies that could be adapted to the child’s needs, and maintain the culture of diversity and acceptance in the care center (Turner & Morgan, 2019). These are in line with the philosophies of the early years learning framework, which show that one should take care of the development of the child’s sense of himself/herself and the relationship with the community (AGDE, 2022).
There is irrefutable evidence that inclusive practices should comprise a compulsory and indispensable part of quality ECEC programs. Research has proved over and over again that inclusive education is a source of great benefits for children with and without special needs in terms of their development, social skills, and emotional skills (Furu et al., 2023). The services should address the essential skills, for instance, empathy, cooperation, and social competence, while at the same time, they can enhance a feeling of inclusion and self-esteem.
I also completely support the moral and ethical imperatives for inclusion because of my reading from the children’s rights literature and the social model of disability. Discrimination and stigmatization faced by children with disabilities or diverse backgrounds [is] a human rights issue in accordance with conventions that define children’s rights, such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. (The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2007). The central proposition of the social model of disability is that the barriers to participation are often based on society’s misperceptions and environmental circumstances and not the perception of disabled people as deficient. Therefore, these give a clear theoretical basis for my belief that ECEC employees have to be involved in the process of tearing down these barriers and creating an environment of true inclusion.
According to Berti et al. (2020), this idea supports my position on ECEC services while integrating special needs students who should be treated as equals. These should involve continuous professional development and constructive collaboration. Studies indicate that a lack of expert knowledge, an unfavorable attitude, and insufficient tools for implementation can all be barriers to inclusive practice (Bibiana et al., 2020). Nevertheless, the research additionally showed that when ECEC professionals are given the appropriate knowledge, skills, and guidance, they can bring noticeable, positive transformations and create an inclusive environment in which every child can grow (Rad et al., 2022).

References
Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority [ACECQA]. (2023). National Quality Standard. https://www.acecqa.gov.au/nqf/national-quality-standard
Australian Government Department of Education [AGDE]. (2022). Belonging, being & becoming: The early years learning framework for Australia. https://www.education.gov.au/early-childhood/early-years-learning-framework
Bibiana, R. I., Madrine, K., Eric, W., & Simon, T. (2020). Policy strategies for effective implementation of inclusive education in Kenya. International Journal of Educational Administration and Policy Studies, 12(1), 28–42. https://doi.org/10.5897/ijeaps2019.0622
Furu, A.-C., Chan, A., Larsson, J., Engdahl, I., & Klaus, S. (2023). Promoting resilience in early childhood education and care to prepare children for a world of change: A critical analysis of national and international policy documents. Children, 10(4), 716. https://doi.org/10.3390/children10040716
Hansen, J. H., Carrington, S., Jensen, C. R., Molbæk, M., & Secher Schmidt, M. C. (2020). The collaborative practice of inclusion and exclusion. Nordic Journal of Studies in Educational Policy, 6(1), 47–57. https://doi.org/10.1080/20020317.2020.1730112
Lawson, A., & Beckett, A. E. (2020). The social and human rights models of disability: Towards a complementarity thesis. The International Journal of Human Rights, 25(2), 348–379. https://doi.org/10.1080/13642987.2020.1783533
Mathwasa, J., & Sibanda, L. (2021). Inclusion in early childhood development settings: A reality or an oasis. Education in Childhood. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.99105
Rad, D., Redeş, A., Roman, A., Ignat, S., Lile, R., Demeter, E., Egerău, A., Dughi, T., Balaş, E., Maier, R., Kiss, C., Torkos, H., & Rad, G. (2022). Pathways to inclusive and equitable quality early childhood education for achieving SDG4 goal—a scoping review. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.955833
Turner, M., & Morgan, A. (2019, February 15). Opening eyes onto inclusion and diversity in early childhood education. Opening Eyes onto Inclusion and Diversity. https://usq.pressbooks.pub/openingeyes/chapter/chapter-4-opening-eyes-onto-diversity-and-inclusion-in-early-childhood-education/
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). (2007). Promoting the rights of children with disabilities. https://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/documents/children_disability_rights.pdf