We’re going on a bear hunt: Reconciling neoliberalism and postcolonialism in Pacific early childhood

Figures & data

Table 1. Average rank of the reasons we need early childhood services

Reason	Average rank
Children have the right to learn through play	3.18
Children need to be prepared for school	4.00
Children need a range of experiences	4.45
Children who have quality early childhood services are better prepared for employment in the future	4.59
Children who are disadvantaged need learning opportunities outside the home	4.75
Children have the right to participate in group contexts	4.84
Children need a range of interactions with adults and peers	5.27
Children need to be well cared for when their parents work	5.45

Table 2. Average rank of the risks perceived in pursuing professionalism in a neoliberal climate

Risk	Average rank
The risk of having curriculum developed and then imposed on EC professionals in a way that constrains their ability to respond flexibly to the unique needs of every child, family and community. This is the idea that a curriculum framework undermines professional ability to make decisions	2.93
The risk of handing over control of professional decisions to external people who may not be EC people	3.73
The risk of having to demonstrate your professionalism through documenting what you do, which potentially takes your time away from spending time with children	4.07
The risk that comes with needing to separate what EC professionals do from the work that mothers do, which results in the exclusion of childminders and nannies from the EC profession	4.15
The risk that we create a narrow definition of EC and exclude other groups who work with young children and their families	4.54
Less valued components of EC work, such as relationship building, nurturing and caring, are excluded from the profession	4.98
The risk that the professional need to keep children safe restricts their experiences	5.45
The risk that professional demands and input do not match the low salary which may lead to de-motivated, dispassionate and less caring people working in the sector	6.39
The risk that a profession defines what should be done in a way that limits the flexibility needed to work multiculturally	6.54