Cultural diversity in the Australian early childhood education workforce: What do we know, what don't we know and why is it important?

This paper reviews current literature and research relevant to the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Early Childhood Education (ECE) workforce in Australia, including data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Australia is a highly multicultural society, with one out of every th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Australasian journal of early childhood 2022-03, Vol.47 (1), p.48-61
Main Authors: Gide, Sene, Wong, Sandie, Press, Frances, Davis, Belinda
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Census Figures
Child Caregivers
Cultural Pluralism
Early Childhood Education
Education
Evaluation
Foreign Countries
Immigrants
Inclusion
Labor Force
Learning
Methodology
Multicultural education
Preschool Teachers
Quality control
Social Integration
Teacher Characteristics
Teacher Persistence
Teacher Qualifications
Well Being
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Summary:This paper reviews current literature and research relevant to the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Early Childhood Education (ECE) workforce in Australia, including data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Australia is a highly multicultural society, with one out of every three people born overseas. Anecdotally, the Australian early childhood sector is reported to have a highly multicultural workforce. Yet there is a noticeable lack of data and research concerning cultural diversity in the Australian ECE workforce. This paper reports on the data from the ABSCensus of Population and Housing (ABS-Census), the small body of literature on the CALD ECE workforce and literature pertaining to CALD in other Australian workforces to argue that more data and research is needed. Developing a richer understanding of the status, experience and contributions of CALD educators would enable the sector to recognise and support the potential benefits of such a workforce for children and families and social cohesion in Australia.
ISSN:1836-9391
1839-5961
DOI:10.1177/18369391211057292