Will the Early Years Professional Please Stand Up? Professionalism in the Early Childhood Workforce in England

Abstract

This article explores, through a review of a body of literature, whether it is possible to create a new understanding of what it means to be a professional in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) in England. It reviews some competing views of the nature of professionalism and then explores the distinctive attributes and qualities required by practitioners through discussing the demands required of both care and education. The article reconceptualises professional identity in ECEC in England using three themes identified from a ‘ground-up’ study of professionalism undertaken by Dalli in New Zealand — (a) pedagogical style, (b) specialist professional knowledge, and (c) practices and collaborative relations. The discussion is situated in the framework of government initiatives in the United Kingdom that have formulated a more ‘technicist’ approach to professionalisation through the graduate status of the Early Years Professional.