ABSTRACT
This is a book for practitioners, and in order not to clutter our text with too many references to theoretical discussions and research findings, which might seem irrelevant to readers who are more interested in applying ideas in their own work contexts, we have generally allowed the theory to remain implicit. However, practice is strongly influenced by many different factors outside the immediate work setting, most strongly by the policy context within which the work is carried out and by the prevailing view of childhood. We start by briefly discussing some of these influences and then go on to outline the values and principles that underpin the approach to early childcare described in this book.
