Early childhood education policy and 2010 : critical perspectives

Critical policy analysis aims to understand "what governments do, why and with what effects" (Taylor, Rizv, Lingard & Henry, 1997. p. 35). The discourses of policy settlement in the field of early childhood education describe particular views of childhood, represent, construct and position groups and communities, and serve to frame issues now confronting the field. Government policies therefore have the potential to either enable or hinder the wellbeing of young children (Goffin, Wilson, Hill & McAninch, 1997). This critical analysis of current Queensland public education policy attempts to confront and problematise the dominance of particular discourses and ideologies pertaining to the field of early childhood education.