Attitudes of Israeli Early Childhood Educators Who Work in Kibbutz, Rural Villages and Cities Towards Their Community and Its Significance for Children

Abstract

The societal context of community is of critical importance in understanding its effect on pedagogic practice in ECEC, and yet, the role of community in ECEC is taken for granted by both scholars and practitioners. Little is known about the attitudes of ECEC educators towards their communities and how they affect children. This research examines the perspectives of Israeli ECEC educators from three ecologies: Urban, village and kibbutz and the way in which they are expressed in their practice. Semi-structured interviews with 24 educators were conducted and analysed thematically. Israeli educators from all three ecologies were characterised as viewing community focused on children yet moving beyond the kindergarten itself, standing in contrast to the commonplace among teachers elsewhere in the world, where community involvement is limited to parents helping their children with academic tasks. Other findings reveal two central themes: Family involvement and the overall conception of community which point to differences among educators in the three ecologies. Regarding family involvement, urban educators limited and controlled parent participation, while their village and kibbutz colleagues were more inclusive by integrating children into the life of the wider community. Regarding concepts of community, urban educators understood community in a utilitarian sense while village and kibbutz educators understood community as an essential building block of the kindergarten program for the benefit of children with mutual support and obligation between the ECEC setting and the surrounding community. The research findings shed light on the significance of the interplay between the wider community and ECEC and the importance of developing educational models that are sensitive to local cultural contexts.