Book Review of The Early Advantage: Early Childhood Systems That Lead by Example by Sharon Lynn Kagan (Ed.)

Leslie Blome

doi:10.20355/jcie29406

Abstract

This review critiques Sharon Lynn Kagan’s The Early Advantage: Early Childhood Systems That Lead by Example (2018). Kagan posits that early childhood education and care (ECEC) systems throughout the world are complex and fragmented. Burgeoning neuroscientific research and shifting political ideologies acknowledge the economic and social value of investing in ECEC and beg re-examination of outdated narratives (Kagan 2018). Responding with a timely analysis, The Early Advantage details the results of a comparative international research project designed to analyze six strategically chosen jurisdictions with successful ECEC systems. A thorough account of each country’s structural, fiscal, and ideological components provides context for systemic challenges and triumphs. Kagan’s concluding synthesis connects ideas for the reader and reveals emerging narratives to guide ECEC leaders in moulding high-quality delivery systems that are equitable, efficient, and context specific.

Highlights

As a leading scholar in the ECEC field worldwide, Kagan was invited by the National Center on Education and the Economy to assemble a global team of professional scholars to complete this study
Since the 1990s, English ECEC policy has demonstrated a strong commitment to providing an equitable chance for all children through the integration of education and care services
In 2017, increasing economic uncertainty prompted the government to shift its primary ECEC policy goal away from child development and toward the provision of affordable childcare – an example of the global tension between education and care that is ubiquitous in ECEC

Summary

Introduction

As a leading scholar in the ECEC field worldwide, Kagan was invited by the National Center on Education and the Economy to assemble a global team of professional scholars to complete this study. High quality services are promoted and maintained with a national play-based, child-centered curriculum that allows programs the latitude to implement context-specific adaptations. Since the 1990s, English ECEC policy has demonstrated a strong commitment to providing an equitable chance for all children through the integration of education and care services.

Results

Conclusion