Home Matters: Notions of Home in Early Childhood Pre-K Curricula

• In Event: Curriculum and Teaching in Early Childhood

Abstract

This study examines how “home” would be conceptualized and addressed in the early childhood education curriculum through analyzing the state standards and relevant guidelines of pedagogical practices in the state of Georgia and New York for pre-K in the U.S. The study found that “home” is mainly conceptualized as a fixed, static, and measurable physical entity, which represents housing for the middle-class. By unfolding the current notions of “home” embedded in the curricula, this study will provide critical insight on the limited scope of notions of “home” in the curricula, which would be harmful to vulnerable and marginalized children who do not fit in the institutionalized and limited notions of “home.”

Author

• Jinhee Kim, Kennesaw State University