ABSTRACT
Leadership in early childhood is not easy to define due to the relational nature of working with young children, the diversity of settings providing for their care and education, and the wide range of roles and responsibilities which are implicit within these settings. Roles and responsibilities inevitably overlap, and a ‘leader’ in an early years’ setting may not be easy to distinguish from any other member of staff. However, strong and effective leadership is essential to the smooth running of early years’ settings, and research identifies strong links between effective leadership and ‘quality’ practice (Siraj-Blatchford & Manni 2008). Identifying what is involved in leadership is therefore of paramount importance. This chapter will consider what is involved in a leadership role in practice and its importance in ensuring effective teamwork to provide the very best practice we can offer the children in our care.
