ABSTRACT
In New Zealand, diverse early childhood services are available for young children. The vignettes in this chapter draw from research in a full-day, mixed-age (birth to 5) education and care centre in Auckland. The project was a collaboration between academics, teacher-researchers, and parent participants who positioned children and families as experts in relation to their own lives. Ethical principles of informed consent (including ongoing assent of children), social and cultural sensitivity, and benefits for participants were paramount. The chapter explores how the concept of funds of knowledge can deepen and extend understandings of play, learning, and pedagogy through embedding practice with families and communities. As a concept, funds of knowledge acknowledges the intuitive and implicit cultural knowledge families possess. We argue that positioning funds of knowledge centrally in the play-pedagogy arena enhances partnerships between families and teachers, encourages authenticity in children’s educational experiences, and supports children’s identity development in meaningful ways.
