New ways of working and new opportunities: Early childhood leaders' professional practice post-COVID

Abstract

<p>Early childhood (EC) leaders in Australia were required to respond immediately to the changes presented during the COVID-19 pandemic. The government required the sector to remain open for the children of 'essential workers', but EC workers themselves were not recognised as 'essential'. Using an interpretive social constructionist approach, this study reports on interviews with six EC leaders discussing the impact of the pandemic on their teaching and how their practices had changed as they transitioned into a post-COVID-19 context. The findings highlight the powerful role of EC leaders in supporting children, families, and fellow workers, during the turmoil of an ongoing pandemic.</p> <p>The early childhood (EC) sector supported families financially and emotionally through frequent online communication. Children's knowledge was extended as EC staff shared understandings with children about what was going on in the world and ways they could assist in taking care of people. Educators supported children to attend the EC centre during lockdowns, to learn through play at home with the provision of online and physical learning activities, and to transition successfully back to the EC centre when restrictions eased. Educators learned to operate in different ways in order to implement social distancing, health preventative measures, closures when staff were unwell, and reflect upon interactions with children at home online. While staff reported enduring significant hardships and stress, they also reported developing new ways of working and identifying new opportunities to improve service delivery in the future.</p>