A Trinity of Saviours—Parent, Teacher and Child: Human Capital Theory and Early Childhood Education in New Zealand

Abstract

THERE IS A CONTEMPORARY trinity, of mother, child and teacher, who together ‘grow’ both the present and future workers of the national economy. Economic truths assert that mothers can best meet their young child's needs by being in the workplace, while entrusting her child to a skilled educator. Human Capital Theory discourse has penetrated the lives of our youngest citizens. Human Capital theorists maintain that state investments in early childhood education will be cost effective; will pay long-term economic dividends.

Early childhood education and CARE: Won’t somebody think of the children?

“…Piaget’s (1932) theory of cognitive development, in particular, was influential and was considered to be based on universal and scientific truths. However, this has been constantly questioned (Campbell-Barr and Nygård, 2014; Cannella, 1997; Penn, 2011; Stuart, 2013; Urban, 2010; Woodhead, 1996). Diverse economic, political, cultural and social influences, along with race, gender and class, have since been regarded as essential elements to consider in the sociology of childhood, and postmodernists have argued that a single universal concept of the child or childhood does not exist (Cagliari et al., 2016; Dahlberg et al., 2007).…”

“…Heckman issued a cautionary note that ‘this research needs to be deepened and broadened in order to create effective policy’ (Heckman, 2011: 2). Nevertheless, the Heckmanization of early years (Van Laere, 2017) has migrated from the USA and his ideology can be observed in the many early years policies and economic discourses throughout the world (Stuart, 2013) including Irish policy documents such as Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures (DCYA, 2014). Research in Ireland and internationally is increasingly pointing to the returns that can accrue from investing in the early years – from supporting children’s early cognitive, social and emotional development, to enhancing school readiness generating long term returns to the State and society (DCYA, 2014: xi).The alliance of cognitive development and economic success has placed the child as ‘becoming in relation to the skills they will gain rather than valuing those that they already have’ (Campbell-Barr and Nygård, 2014: 351).…”

Potential liabilities: Social investment policy as biopolitics in New Zealand – An examination of the National Coalition government’s welfare policies

“…An Early Childhood Education (ECE) Taskforce chaired by professor of public policy, Michael Mintrom (2011) was commissioned by Education Minister Anne Tolley early in the first parliamentary term. The report framed ECE in econometric terms as an ‘investment’ to address the ‘vulnerability’ of disadvantaged children, utilizing ideas from econometricians such as James Heckman (Stuart, 2013). By the end of the third term, however, few of the Taskforce’s recommendations had been implemented.…”

Generating visionary policy for early childhood education and care: Politicians’ and early childhood sector advocate/activists’ perspectives

“…In Australia in recent years, the ECEC sector has undergone significant policy change as part of a broad suite of national reforms implemented by the previous Labor federal government (2007–2013) under prime ministers Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard. For the most part, these national reforms were driven by productivity and human capital agendas – a dominant justification for investment in ECEC in many nations (Adamson and Brennan, 2014; Formen and Nuttall, 2014; Stuart, 2013; Tayler, 2011). Nevertheless, the reforms in Australia at that time can be considered visionary, given the challenges of reforming the Australian federated political context (Sumsion and Grieshaber, 2012).…”