Relationships, reflexivity and renewal: Professional practice in action in an australian children’s centre

Accounts of early childhood professional practice provide important insights into issues being experienced by a field that is undergoing rapid change and receiving unprecedented policy attention. The findings from this snapshot of professional practice in context contribute to a developing evidence base of issues and challenges for professionalism in this rapidly changing field. The data keenly illustrate the relational dimension of an early childhood educator’s work, highlighting the ethical and moral purpose in her work with colleagues, parents and children. Understandings of professionalism that emerged in this study highlight: the interweaving of a personal and professional learning journey; the important role played by ongoing opportunities for professional learning in building leadership capability; and struggles encountered in building a shared sense of what it means to be professional within and across individual sites.