1st Edition
Cultivating Leadership in Early Childhood Education and Care Trouble, Complexity and Promise
This book redefines leadership in early childhood education, offering fresh theoretical insights and practical approaches.
Delving into the challenges of the workforce in the early childhood education sector, this book unravels the narrative of leadership development. It underscores the importance of leadership practices in maintaining process quality within early childhood education (ECE), which significantly impacts children’s academic, emotional, and social outcomes and life trajectories. The book presents novel conceptualisations of leadership, shedding light on factors that enable and constrain leadership development through the theoretical frameworks of complexity leadership theory and the theory of practice architectures. It also provides practical strategies for cultivating leadership within early childhood organisations. Through interviews and case studies, the book brings to life the experiences of ECE leaders, amplifying important themes and experiences.
This book is an invaluable read for educators and leaders around the world, providing inspiration and guidance for their leadership journey. It is also an empirically based must-read for lecturers and students in the higher education sector.
Prologue
Part One: Trouble
1. We Need to Talk About Leadership in ECEC
2. Thinking Differently About Leadership Theory and Practice
Part Two: Complexity
3. Dispositions for Leading: Knowledge, Skills, Values
4. The Complex Site of ECEC: Where Leadership Happens
Part Three: Promise
5. Organisations Cultivating and Shaping Leadership
6. Learning for Leading
7. A Path Ahead
Biography
Dr Leanne Gibbs is Senior Lecturer at Charles Sturt University. She joined CSU after an exemplary career within Australian early childhood education. Her research interests include leadership, advocacy and public policy and she has published extensively on the topic of leadership emergence and cultivation in ECE.
Cultivating Leadership in Early Childhood Education and Care fills a gap that ECE leaders are constantly lamenting. There is a dearth of leadership resources for emerging leaders and service leaders of early childhood education and care services. This book will be welcomed and is extremely useful with a mix of theory and practical applications for leaders in this field.
Su Garrett, Director, Explore & Develop, Annandale
This book examines the complexities of leadership in ECEC and bridges the gap between theory and practice. Readers are urged to create a learning culture within early childhood environments and to empower and inspire the leadership in all educators. For anyone who is interested in leading and learning more about what enables effective leadership in early childhood educational contexts this is a must read!
Dr Jo Grimmond University of Wollongong
The author explores the challenges that traditional leadership paradigms have raised within the ECEC profession and offers a path forward through reframing leadership development, knowledge and skills. This book offers an optimistic vision for the future of leadership in early childhood education. I highly recommend this book to anyone passionate about driving positive organisational change through leadership but particularly for established and emerging leaders in the early childhood profession.
Dr Belinda Downey Charles Sturt University
In the important but complex and demanding space of early childhood education and care (ECEC) developing and nurturing leadership is essential to achieving positive outcomes for children and families and for educator well-being. Leanne Gibbs in her book “Cultivating Leadership in Early Childhood Education and Care: Trouble, Complexity and Promise” provides a realistic insight into the challenges of cultivating leadership in ECEC along with a compelling and inspiring alternative approach to leadership development. Through the sharing of leadership stories Leanne highlights practices that enable the development of effective leadership. This book will encourage you to think deeply about the definition, practice, and development of leadership in ECEC and inspire educators who are on a leadership journey!
Marina Papic, Professor of Early Childhood Education
Australian Catholic University
