Politics in the Playground: the world of early childhood

Politics in the Playground by Helen May is a lively account of ECE and care in postwar NZ, following on from the author’s study Discovery of Early Childhood (1997), which traced the origins of institutional care for young children in Europe and NZ.

The provision of care and education for young NZ children expanded significantly after 1945: whereas some 2000 children were attending free kindergartens in 1944, there were 171,138 in ECE by 2007, representing about 96 per cent of children aged three and four.

For Maori, ECE institutions emerged in the 1960s, but evolved dramatically with Te Kohanga Reo in the 1980s.

The place of children in NZ’s social history also makes this book a remarkable record of social movements.

The postwar search for security, the radicalism of the 1960s and 1970s, the rise of feminism, the role of the state in social issues, increasing employment of women – all have impacted on ECE.

The language of the debate has shifted from ‘social progress’ in mid-century, to the economic terminology of the 1990s, and some cautious consideration of the young child citizen in the 2000s as reflected in political debates surrounding the 2008 general election.

An updated edition of a classic study, this is an account of critical issues for children that will interest parents along with policy makers, teachers, and students.