Abstract
In light of recent political events in the United States, and with the urging to consider Noddings’ care ethics in early childhood education, this conceptual piece considers an often-overlooked question in political discourse: what are the rights of the child, and how might these be centered in discussions of pedagogy, curricula, and legislation? Through an examination of two influential documents, the United Nations’ Declaration on the Rights of the Child in 1989 and the Parental Rights in Education Act passed in Florida in 2022, the authors analyze the positioning of children in relation to parents and teachers and discuss the affordances and limitations of this positioning. In sum, authors find an overarching theme of growth in the former and a prominent theme of control in the latter. Implications for early childhood education are included.
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Notes
The impetus for this language is unclear, given that the Florida Department of Education has stated that gender identity and sexuality are not part of the state’s K-3rd grade curriculum (see Reyes, 2022)
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Masterson, J.E., Johnson, A.K. A Caring Ethic and the Rights of the Child: Challenges for Early Childhood Education. Early Childhood Educ J 52, 949–956 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-024-01627-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-024-01627-7