Caring to Educate and Educating to Care in Early Childhood Education in Spain

Abstract

[Abstract] Teachers of young children are guided and supported in their care practices by the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) adopted by the United Nations (UN 1989). The care we show towards the youngest members of society is a form of education and, as such, should be treated as a global ecological imperative with agreed collective commitments and goals among all countries. The 1989 Convention created a comprehensive legal framework for government actions and regulations aimed at protecting and promoting child welfare and the recognition of childhood as a crucial stage of human existence. This chapter is based on an analysis of data collected from a series of cases studies carried out with children from different age groups within the early childhood education system in Spain. The aim of the research was to identify and assess the primary needs of young children and the care practices of their teachers. Early childhood care is not just a question of health but also of education, which should be integral and inclusive, and guarantee that children are listened to and their needs, personalities and identities respected, as is their right under the UNCRC. This requires a comprehensive reflection on the values that inform primary care practices towards young children at preschool, in order to root out the biases and stereotypes that may stunt and distort their physical, mental, social and personal growth and development.