Ingrid Pramling Samuelsson

From research we know that there is no specific early childhood education programme that is superior to other approaches (National Research Council. 2001). At the same time, historically it looks like people think there is a specific programme that will solve all problems and guarantee a high quality in early years education, since different discourses keep appearing. Right now based on the UN Convention of the Right of the Child, children’s voices and perspectives are central to education for young children. In this theoretical article we will discuss what an early childhood education based on child perspectives and children’s perspective could be. The two perspectives will be defined. Central notions and features for a pedagogy that takes both of these perspectives into practice will be illustrated, but also aspects that link care and education. The important relation between children’s experiences in the family and in early childhood education call for a sensitivity and dialogue with children that presuppose adults’ skills to empathically and cognitively make sense of children’s worlds. This means that, instead of arguing for a certain programme to early years education, we try to focus attention to certain features and aspects that could be of importance for a child’s right to education.

The novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has moved rapidly across the world in 2020. This article reports on the recent consequences of the pandemic for early childhood education in Sweden, Norway, and the United States. The authors illustrate the effects of the pandemic on preschools in their countries, against a backdrop of frequent changes in infection and mortality rates, epidemiological understandings, government strategies, and mitigation strategies regarding preschool closures. Teachers report their experiences and actions in specific early childhood education settings, across the three national contexts. These experiential snapshots identify program priorities, parents’ and children’s reactions, and the commitment and concerns of teachers. The conversations reveal culturally situated similarities of early childhood educational practices but also differences across contexts. Teachers report on the challenges of their experiences but also benefits for their practice and how they engage with children and their families. Ideas about future preparedness for such pandemics are also discussed.