Poverty and Inclusion in Early Years Education

Poverty and Inclusion in Early Years Education will help practitioners to understand the experiences of young children who are living in poverty. It examines the potentially devastating impact of poverty and social exclusion on children’s chances in later life, and considers recent policy and practice reforms which have recognised the critical role played by early years settings and practitioners in guaranteeing a secure foundation for children’s future attainment.

The book explores the historical, political and legal aspects of policy on poverty and social exclusion, before offering guidance on how practitioners can help to address the inequalities caused by poverty and break the cycle of deprivation. Chapters go on to address the practicalities of working with children, families and agencies to create an inclusive early years environment, and focus on issues including:

• developing effective partnerships with families
• collaborating with outside agencies
• encouraging awareness of different socio-economic backgrounds.

With case studies, reflective questions and further reading included throughout to help the reader to apply the ideas to their own practice, the book will be an invaluable resource for early years practitioners, students, and all those wishing to promote social inclusion and tackle the impact of social exclusion and poverty in early years settings.

Mark Cronin is Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Education and Care, Newman University, UK. He has worked in both the local authority and voluntary sector as a children and families social worker. Mark’s interests include safeguarding, social policy, and working with children and families.

Karen Argent is former Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Education and Care at Newman University, UK. She worked as an inclusion worker on one of the first Sure Start programmes and is a co-founder of the Letterpress Project. Her research interests include representations of diversity in children’s literature.

Chris Collett is former Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Education and Care at Newman University, UK, where she specialised in SEND and inclusion. Chris has taught children and young people with moderate to profound learning disabilities for 25 years and was a local authority advisory teacher for children under 5 with SEND.