Parents, participation, partnership: Problematising New Zealand early childhood care and education

Abstract

Due to global migration, Aotearoa (New Zealand) is now home to more than 200 ethnic groups and categorised as a ‘superdiverse’ country (Royal Society of New Zealand, 2013; Statistics New Zealand, 2013). This presentation interrogates notions of teacher ‘partnership with parents’ within early childhood care and education (ECCE) settings in the context of a ‘superdiverse’ Aotearoa. The aspiration of involving families in New Zealand ECCE is strongly evident in Te Whāriki, the New Zealand early childhood curriculum. Special mention is made with regard to the need for “two-way communication that strengthens the partnership between the early childhood setting and families” (Ministry of Education, 1996, p. 30). Te Whāriki also clearly positions children’s learning and development as being “fostered if the well-being of their family and community is supported” and “their family, culture, knowledge and community are respected” (p. 42). The importance of partnership is further highlighted in a range of national literature (see for example: Billman, Geddes & Hedges, 2005; Grey & Horgan, 2003) and institutional documents (see for example: Children’s Commissioner, 2013; ECE Taskforce, 2011; ERO, 2013a, 2013b, 2013c). This presentation will report qualitative findings collected from a process of documentary analysis and participant narratives that involved both Māori (the indigenous people of Aotearoa) and Chinese immigrant families (one of the largest immigrant groups in Aotearoa). Findings from both national evaluative reports and our recent studies indicate that in many instances, members of the non-dominant cultural group do not experience the synergy of parent-teacher partnership, impacting children’s everyday life and wellbeing. Hybridity theory (Bhabha, 1994) and the notion of funds of knowledge (González, 2005) will be drawn upon to reinforce the need for teachers to proactively move beyond the hegemonic and traditional teacher-dominated practices, towards opening spaces of dialogic, fluid engagement with families whose backgrounds differ from their own.