Abstract
Most people involved with early childhood education would claim that they are working towards social justice, especially for the children. In this chapter, the concept of social justice is explored, in general, and in early childhood, in particular. The chapter then moves to consider the process of transition to school and how it can provide both opportunities and challenges in terms of social justice. Using a rights-based and strengths-based methodological approach, the tensions created when the notion of social justice for all involved is enacted during transition to school processes are considered. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the accompanying General Comment 7, which emphasises the relevance of the CRC for young children, has declared that every child has a right to an education from birth through primary school. However, declaring something and enacting it are often different things. In both developed and developing countries, there are many young children who do not have access to such quality education and for whom transition to school serves mainly to reinforce their position, and that of their families, at the bottom of the social and economic ladders.
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Perry, B. (2014). Social Justice Dimensions of Starting School. In: Perry, B., Dockett, S., Petriwskyj, A. (eds) Transitions to School - International Research, Policy and Practice. International perspectives on early childhood education and development, vol 9. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7350-9_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7350-9_13
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