Equity Challenges for the Early Childhood Curriculum

Curriculum documents from the USA, UK and Australia show remarkable harmony on the need for a developmentally-based curriculum in producing quality early childhood programmes. This paper uses a detailed discussion of a grass roots level research project in Australia to explore the contention that a curriculum built solely on these principles and the practices that develop from them is likely to be sexist. Several aspects of the curriculum that need rethinking in relation to gender equity goals are identified.