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The Quality‐Defining Process in Early Years Services: A Case Study
Author(s) -
Tanner Emily,
Welsh Elaine,
Lewis Jane
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
children and society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.538
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1099-0860
pISSN - 0951-0605
DOI - 10.1002/chi.861
Subject(s) - variety (cybernetics) , quality (philosophy) , process (computing) , local authority , public relations , political science , sociology , business , process management , public administration , computer science , epistemology , philosophy , artificial intelligence , operating system
In this article we argue, through a case study in a large, urban local authority in England, that local stakeholders in early years provision express a variety of perspectives on quality but are constrained by a national framework which promotes an ‘official’ definition of quality. We offer a quality‐defining model that captures the role of both ‘official’ definitions and more pluralistic approaches to quality. Finally, we highlight mechanisms already in place in the structure of early years services that could offer social spaces for the quality‐defining process to take place.