FULL REFERENCE: Moloney, M. (2022). More than door talks: Insights into parental involvement in the Irish early childhood education and care context. NZ International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 24, 16 – 33.
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ABSTRACT: Abstract
International organisations including the OECD and UNICEF characterise parental involvement in young children’s care and education as a fundamental right and obligation. This is reflected in early childhood curricula internationally. None-the-less, while the principle of parental involvement permeates early childhood curricula, the nature of such involvement is obscure, and open to interpretation. Against the backdrop of a study with 146 families and 46 Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) settings in Germany, Cohen and Anders (2019) found that in some contexts, parental involvement consists of “door talks” – a fast and informal way of communicating with parents (p. 10). This paper argues that parental involvement is highly complex, and multi-faceted. As such, it involves much more than ‘door talks.’ Drawing upon Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, which underpins parental involvement, the paper discusses ECEC as a form of parental support vis a vis addressing poverty and educational disadvantage. Focussing on the concept of parental involvement in the Irish ECEC context, the paper interrogates, Síolta (seed), the National Quality Framework, and Aistear (journey), the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework. In conclusion, the paper looks to the future in Ireland, where in recent policy initiatives, ECEC is increasingly perceived as a form of integrated parenting support.
KEY WORDS: Parent involvement, parenting support, early childhood education and care, UNCRC, rights of parents.
