Abstract:
The early years are important as a time of foundational identity formation, the establishment of dispositions and for early language acquisition (Smith, 2013). Since parents and whānau [extended families] know their infant/toddler intimately, partnership between early childhood teachers and parents/whānau is a key concern in relation to the care and education of these very young children (Cooper, Hedges, & Dixon, 2014; Education Review Office [ERO], 2015; Ministry of Education [MoE], 1996). Having in-depth relationships with parents can serve to strengthen the connection between teachers and the infants and toddlers in their care (Recchia, Lee, & Shin, 2015; Rockel, 2013). Yet, despite recognition that the relationships between children, teachers and parents/whānau are at the heart of pedagogies for infants and toddlers, a recent Education Review Office (ERO) report demonstrates that teachers’ engagement with parents of infants and toddlers in Aotearoa is uneven (ERO, 2015).