Men in the Lives of Young Children

This book presents an international perspective on the involvement of men in the lives of young children across a range of differing contexts and from a number of disciplinary perspectives. It takes as a starting point the importance of positive male engagement with young children so as to ensure their optimal development. Past research has revealed however the complexity of studying these relationships and the barriers that exist in families & society which impede the implementation of positive relationships. This book is developed to use new research and educational thinking in order to explore the lived experiences of both fathers and men in edu-care and in addition to considers what it is to be a man in the 21st century. As such this work is pertinent, timely and responsive to issues of concern to all those professionals, policy makers and practitioners within education and family services and also to the public in general. The central purpose of the book is to contribute to the debate around key issues connected to the ways in which men can develop secure professional and familial attachments to young children for whom they have a responsibility. This book was published as a special issue of Early Child Development and Care.

Deborah Jones is Reader in Education in the School of Sport and Education at Brunel University in West London. For many years she has co-ordinated teacher education programmes in the initial training of teachers for the early years and pre-secondary phase. She is currently researching the career narratives of men in head teacher roles in early years settings. Roy Evans is Professor of Education in the School of Sport and Education at Brunel University and previously Head of the Education Department. His research has focussed on the education of marginalised and special groups of children and those 'at risk' of educational underachievement due to environmental, familial and personal factors.

1. Introduction: Men in caring, parenting and teaching: exploring men's roles with young children Roy Evans and Deborah Jones 2. Supporting men as fathers, caregivers, and educators Alice Sterling Honig 3. Constructing identities: perceptions and experiences of male primary headteachers Deborah Jones 4. Gender and professionalism: a critical analysis of overt and covert curricula Michel Vandenbroeck and Jan Peeters 5. Entrances and exits: changing perceptions of primary teaching as a career for men Mary Thornton and Patricia Bricheno 6. New Zealand men's participation in early years work Sarah-Eve Farquhar 7. Father involvement in early childhood programs: review of the literature Glen Palm and Jay Fagan 8. 'Something in it for dads': getting fathers involved with Sure Start Carol Potter and John Carpenter 9. Why fathers are not attracted to family learning groups? Flora Macleod 10. Predicting preschoolers' attachment security from fathers' involvement, internal working models, and use of social support Lisa A. Newland, Diana D. Coyl and Harry Freeman 11. Father beliefs as a mediator between contextual barriers and father involvement Harry Freeman, Lisa A. Newland and Diana D. Coyl 12. Fathers: the 'invisible' parents Olivia N. Saracho and Bernard Spodek 13. Fathers' and young children's literacy experiences Olivia N. Saracho 14. Men and motors? Fathers' involvement in children's travel John Barker