In many countries, strategies to further develop services and institutions for the education and care of young children are linked to a discourse on professionalism. Ambitious policy goals, it is argued, can only be achieved by a skilled and qualified workforce whose practice is guided by a professional body of knowledge. This article argues that…

In 2004, the UK government launched a new programme for early years leaders in England--the National Professional Qualification in Integrated Centre Leadership (NPQICL). In collaboration with the National College for School Leadership, Pen Green led the development, pilot and rollout of this M-level training programme, which by 2006-07 involved 17…

Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) is now firmly on government agendas in many countries, including England, and the need to develop a professional workforce is generally agreed. The reform of the children's workforce in England acknowledges that increasing the skills and competence of this workforce is critical to its success. Two new…

The provision of early childhood education and care for children and families has received unprecedented community attention in recent times. In the resulting policy flows, competing and contradictory discourses of professional identity have emerged. In part, these are also shaped by dominant political and economic discourses, and interact with…

The Educational Leadership Project (ELP) is a professional development programme attuned to the curriculum and assessment approaches of Te Whariki, New Zealand's early childhood curriculum framework. ELP encourages and supports early childhood teachers to adapt of Te Whariki to their situations. This article links the author's community…

Established in 1940, Lady Gowrie Child Centres in Australia provide integrated early childhood programs and develop and share project work, information, resources and training at local and national levels. While changes in social policy compromised their provision of integrated programs, the centre in Adelaide has made real strides towards moving…

Recent policy in England has created a new status of "Early Years Professional", thus imposing professionalisation of the early years workforce. There has been an increase in policy focus on those working with young children, and such a focus raises questions about practitioners' own responses to the debate about their training, education,…

Drawing on a national survey of New Zealand early childhood teachers' views on ethics and professionalism in their practice, this article discusses three key themes that emerged as core conceptual elements in how teachers in education and care settings defined professionalism. The three themes were: a distinct pedagogical style; specialist…

This article discusses the different ways in which students and preschool teachers at two Swedish universities interpret the concept of professionalism. Data for this article are drawn from a study conducted in two different urban areas of Sweden which explored the following four questions: (1) What does the concept of professionalism imply for…

This article examines the Finnish day-care centre out of a neo-Weberian-Bourdieuan frame of reference. The leading idea is that the day-care centre field is continuously shaping as a result of both inner struggles and struggles with other fields. The state, the education system, and trade unions act as the dealers of professional playing cards.…

Robust leadership is increasingly recognised as a critical element of healthy professions, yet some research suggests that early childhood practitioners do not readily identify with the concept of leadership. This article explores some dimensions of leadership in early childhood and how it is understood and practised in Australian early childhood…

The National Professional Qualification in Integrated Centre Leadership (NPQICL) is a programme that supports children's centre leaders to develop their own leadership capability. This research highlights the effect the particular constructivist teaching and learning methodology has had on individual tutors' and mentors' professional development.…

Leadership mentoring is a central component of the National Professional Qualification in Integrated Centre Leadership (NPQICL), which is designed to develop robust, creative and courageous children's centre leaders. Mentoring provides a safe, supportive and confidential space in which leaders can discuss the challenges of leading their centres.…

The role of a practicum supervisor of early childhood students has received limited research attention in discussions of professional practice in this field. This article discusses four phases in the author's personal journey towards professionalism in this role. The phases reflect an ongoing research-practice cycle: Phase 1 involved a research…

This article is one of a series of articles to evaluate the National Professional Qualification in Integrated Centre Leadership (NPQICL) during a national rollout in 2005 in England. It explores the experiences of the tutors who delivered the programme. The informants were eight academic tutors who teach in seven universities and four tutors who…