Ethical Practices in Early Childhood Education

Introduction

Three ideas are core to the notion of early childhood education (ECE) practice as “ethical practice.” Firstly, work with very young children is, at its heart, a moral endeavor. Alongside more traditional concepts of learning, often framed as knowledge and skills, young children are learning about what it is to be a human being, to interact with others and with the world. Through interactions within their family, ECE setting, and community, children are being inculcated with the cultural mores and moral values of their community and society. Participation within ECE settings offers many opportunities for children to explore and develop understandings about such mores and values and what these may look like in practice. Teachers may make such values explicit, such as through a discussion about recycling materials to reduce waste or encouraging children to take turns when resources are limited, or they may be more implicitly located within their interactions, such as through...