Young Children as Active Citizens: Principles, Policies and Pedagogies

Young children as citizens explores how young children (birth to 12 years of age) can and should participate in civic life. It reflects new images of young children as social actors, together with the increased interest in children's rights in the public sphere. The contributors are early childhood researchers, pedagogues, children and policy makers from Australia and Europe. They present a rich diversity of research-based case studies in which policy-makers and educators have listened to young children¹s views on public issues and responded in respectful and ethical ways. Young children as citizens is a unique resource for policy-makers, those working in children's services and child advocates. It shows how best to consult young children and it presents a range of arguments that consulting young children about policies and decisions that affect them supports and enhances a vigorous democratic society. Students (undergraduate and postgraduate), teachers and researchers in early childhood studies can use individual chapters of Young children as citizens selectively to explore issues of increasing complexity in different courses. The book would be a good set text for Honours and Master's programs that address issues of children¹s rights.