Critique and sense-making in spite of early academics and standardized concepts for pedagogical work

Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Denmark draws on a long tradition emphasizing play, care, development, well-being, participation and democratic processes. However, in recent years there seem to have been a tendency to focus on the individual child and his or hers needs, rather than community building. This is further supported by municipalities’ promotion and adaptation to manual-based programs and a strong political focus on early academics. This panel presents and discuss critical analysis on this development drawing from three different projects and explore possibilities of sense-making and critique for the professionals.