Abstract
This chapter provides a review of the historical accomplishments and the current challenges for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Early Childhood in the UK. Specific references are made to progress, being made with regard to environmental education, economic education and education for social equity. The chapter also reports on the research trials carried out using the Environmental Rating Scale for Sustainable Development in Early Childhood (ERS-SDEC) instrument that was developed by the authors in collaboration with international colleagues in the World Organisation for Early Childhood Education (OMEP).
The chapter identifies inequality as a major barrier to the achievement of sustainable development in the UK context, and it argues that early childhood education for sustainable development has a significant contribution to make in meeting this challenge. It is argued that one barrier to this contribution being realised in practice may stem from the rejection of notions of quality and effectiveness that are mistakenly promoted in some academic circles. The chapter also reports on progress with the OMEP UK-Kenya preschool partnership (see also Chap. 5).
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Siraj-Blatchford, J. (2016). Early Childhood Education for Sustainable Development in the UK. In: Siraj-Blatchford, J., Mogharreban, C., Park, E. (eds) International Research on Education for Sustainable Development in Early Childhood. International Perspectives on Early Childhood Education and Development, vol 14. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-42208-4_11
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