ABSTRACT
This chapter, written in the first person, will raise the question ‘What could and should an effective and inclusive Early Years curriculum look like if it is to be responsive to the needs and interests of young children?’ The author will draw from her own experience of working in the sector as a teacher and academic for many years – what she learnt about young children, their needs, interests and learning patterns along the way and how to create effective, responsive inclusive and engaging Early Years curricula that will give young children a really good start to their education. She will illustrate her narrative with short vignettes to exemplify important issues that arose for her and provided turning points in her own understanding of young children and their development.
Issues that will be discussed in this chapter are:
the importance of understanding learning and engagement from a child-focussed perspective;
the influence of the environment on shaping how children come to understand the world;
the principles that can be seen as fundamental to designing a creative, supportive, engaging and inclusive Early Years curriculum; and
what can be learnt about the Early Years from thoughtful, sensitive reflection on personal experience in context.
The author will conclude the chapter by comparing the current Early Years curriculum in England with her vision of what it could and should be and what it would take to put such a curriculum into place.