Professional Recognition

Abstract

Professionalisation is positioned as a route to improving the status of an occupation, creating '...a strengthened position and increased respect...' (O'Connell, 2011, p.780). This is particularly enticing in early childhood, where our work has been chronically undervalued and disrespected. For example, in her 2005 'Australasian Journal of Early Childhood' article about staff shortages in children's services, Jennifer Sumsion demonstrated that Victorian childcare workers in 2003 were paid the same amount as those who pick up our rubbish, which is a sad indictment on how we value our early childhood workforce. It is perfectly understandable, then, that our workforce is striving towards improving its image, and becoming professional. At a national level there are considerable gains being made. We now have a National Quality Framework supported by a national early childhood curriculum (the Early Years Learning Framework). These documents are key elements in formalising what we know about quality early childhood practice. They help create the shared image and identity that researchers identify as essential for professionalisation. Along with these documents, we have the Early Childhood Association (ECA) Code of Ethics, another key element identified by researchers as a necessary prerequisite for professionalisation.