Summary of keynote

“Are promises made for early childhood being realized in practice? A reflection on three decades, 1979-2009”

Abstract (provisional)

During the International Year of the Child 1979, the Council of Europe held a conference in Strasbourg to review early childhood education in Western Europe (Woodhead, 1979). EECERA is meeting in the same city, thirty years on, and in the anniversary year of the UNCRC, 1989.  My lecture will offer a personal reflection on progress made during three decades, in the development of policies and early childhood services, both within Europe and globally. My particular focus will be on the promises made for early childhood, as a critical period in young children’s lives, and as a strategy to improve social equity, while respecting diversities.  I will review the influence of some major theories and research, and the significance of adopting a rights-based strategy for early childhood.