Quality provision is a phenomenon that is both confused and confusing for the ECEC workforce internationally. Curriculum policy, workforce reform, ‘governance’, compliance and perceptions of neoliberal ‘top-down’ accountability is shaping provision and pedagogy for very young children, often against the flow of the professional workforce and their autonomy.

This special issue will draw on a variety of contemporary research projects which demonstrate how the policy discourse of assessment, accountability and ‘professionalism’ influences pedagogy and consequently impacts on the quality of provision for very young children.

Aims and Scope: