Leadership in Irish Early Childhood Education and Care: In Pursuit of Purpose and Possibilities

In recent years, the Irish government has introduced several mandatory leadership roles for early childhood education and care (ECEC) services. This chapter outlines the development, delineation, and [un]intended consequences of such positions and the potential to pursue leadership beyond the prescribed roles. It draws from my research, a social feminism exploration of ECEC leadership, which questioned how leadership is conceptualised and practised in Irish ECEC services. The research involved individual interviews with 50 Irish ECEC participants. The participants argued that leadership was introduced to the sector without discussion, research, or adequate training, and was more concerned with economics and standardisation than with ECEC stakeholders’ welfare. This situation had created leadership confusion, and had marginalised practitioner knowledge and weakened their confidence in articulating their understanding of leadership and its purpose. Scholarship in the broader educational leadership field suggests that the purpose of leadership is seldom questioned and often remains ambiguous. While this chapter makes specific reference to the Irish context, the findings and research approach may be relevant for the wider ECEC community.