Includes bibliographical references and index.

pt. 1. Contexts of leadership. 1. Contexts of early childhood leadership ; What do we know about early childhood leadership? ; Theorising early childhood leadership ; Elements of leadership activity ; Intentional leadership ; Pivotal role of leadership in early childhood settings ; Leadership and ethics -- 2. The Australian policy context : Why do I need to know about politics? ; What is policy? ; The Australian context ; Government in Australia ; Creating policy from legislation ; Policy in the early childhood context ; Early childhood settings ; Why are governments involved in early childhood? ; Australian government involvement in early childhood provision ; The Australian government's reform agenda for early childhood -- 3. Leading for quality : Quality early childhood education ; Overview of legal, regulatory and professional accountabilities for early childhood settings ; The national quality framework ; Quality from whose perspective? ; Professional judgment and professional autonomy: essential tools in an intentional leader's repertoire -- 4. Governance and management structures : What is governance? ; Global contexts of governance ; Early childhood management structures ; Governance roles and responsibilities in early childhood ; Style of governance ; Role of local government in early childhood settings ; Governance and human rights ; Bringing together management structures and governance -- 5. Strategic planning and development : The many faces of organisational planning ; The leader's role in organisational planning and development ; Strategic organisational development ; Getting started: guiding beliefs and values ; Developing an organisational vision ; Evaluation ; Gathering data ; Including the voices of children ; Collating and analysing the data ; Identifying the goals, outcomes or key result areas ; Developing strategies: getting everyone on board ; Keeping the plan alive ; Making mistakes and changing direction -- 6. Pedogogical leadership : Now is the time ; The importance of philosophy in pedagogical leadership ; Creating a vision ; How can I lead a team to facilitate better learning outcomes for children? ; Getting started ; What else can I do? -- 7. Leading intentionally through advocacy and activism : The case for advocacy and activism ; Exploring advocacy and activism: two types of influence ; Starting points for advocacy and activism ; Levels of advocacy and activism ; Leading intentionally through advocacy and activism ; A final word --

pt. 2. Leadership in context. 8. Power, professional judgment and ethical practice ; Introduction ; Intentional leadership as credible and ethical ; Power and relationships with children ; Power and relationships with families ; Power and staff relationships ; Power and relationship with the governing body and regulatory authorities -- 9. Effective workplaces : Creating an ethical workplace ; Approaches to working with staff ; Building a centre team ; Mentoring as a leadership strategy ; Staff policies and procedures ; Recruitment, retention and professional learning ; Building the organisational culture and ethos -- 10. Relationships with families : Introduction ; What does building relationships mean? ; Respectful, authentic and professional relationships ; Diversity within relationships ; Collaboration and decision-making processes ; Professional boundaries ; Online communication -- 11. Community engagement : What is community engagement? ; Involving families, staff and the community ; Working with families and agencies in integrated ways ; Networking within the sector ; Networking beyond the sector ; Working with the media ; The leader's role in building connections with the community -- 12. Money matters : The early childhood organisation as a small business enterprise ; Basic accounting language, principles and processes ; Linking legislative and financial accountabilities ; Understanding income and expenditure cycles ; Maintaining a healthy bottom line ; Avoiding pitfalls and managing risks ; Windows of opportunities -- 13. Social entrepreneurship and marketing : What is social entrepreneurship? ; Why do early childhood leaders need marketing skills? ; What is marketing and how does the leader use social entrepreneurship as a framework? ; Relationships ; Public relations ; Funding proposals -- 14. Professional growth and career planning : Being and becoming leaders ; Understanding continuing professional growth ; Why is professional learning necessary? ; Professional learning and support strategies ; Career pathways in the early childhood sector ; Leadership specialisations ; Novice educators and induction to the profession ; Succession planning.

'Leadership' is an essential resource that informs day-to-day pedagogy and management of early childhood organisations. The book is enriched through the incorporation of practitioner voices reflecting diversity across gender, culture, age and expertise of those working in a range of early childhood contexts.