Education and care: Revisiting the dichotomy

Abstract

This paper examines the claimed goals and outcomes of early childhood and child care programmes. The discussion of outcomes uses a functional perspective in which actual outcomes are analysed as functions. Child care is presented as having a multifunctional nature whereas early childhood education is shown to focus on a smaller group of functions. Following this comparison of outcomes a discussion of ideology follows. Education and care programmes evolved from quite different historical bases and the different ideologies associated with these are still evident today. Having analysed the major issue, an examination of the positive and negative aspects of amalgamating early childhood care and education programmes follows. In New Zealand and South Australia services are already amalgamated but in Western Australia services remain separate. Some of the benefits and problems experienced in these different models are discussed. Finally some of the required parameters for successful amalgamation are presented.