Early education and childcare: The developing professional

Abstract

SUMMARY The focus of this paper is on the education and training of staff who work in the early education and childcare sector but who are not members of established professions like teaching, social work and health. The paper provides an analysis of the extent to which this group of early education and childcare staff can be considered as a developing professional group. An initial analysis of what it means to be a professional in early education and childcare in Scotland is set within the broader European context and is followed by a discussion of a number of critical contextual factors at work in Scotland. In particular the potential role of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) to act as an enabling mechanism for a training and qualifications framework for this group is considered as is the move towards more integrated services. Finally a number of unresolved questions are posed and next steps identified.