Program Overview

EEP417 Rights of the Child

This subject will provide an understanding of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, with particular reference to its implications for early childhood education and care. The subject will critically examine children's rights to provision, protection, and participation in early childhood settings, local communities, and national policies. Images of children and childhood, current practices in the early childhood education field, and relevant policies are explored through the lens of children's rights. The role of early childhood educators as advocates for children as independent bearers of rights is examined.

Availability

• Session 1 (30): On Campus at Northern Sydney Institute, Online at Bathurst Campus
• Session 2 (60): Online at Bathurst Campus
• Session 3 (90): Online at Bathurst Campus

Subject Information

Grading System

HD/FL

Duration

One session

School

School of Teacher Education

Enrolment Restrictions

This subject is restricted to students enrolled in the Bachelor of Education (Birth to Five Years) or as approved by the respective Course Coordinators or Course Director.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this subject, students should:

• understand the content and scope of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and implications for and of public policy related to early childhood;
• reflect upon contemporary images of children and childhood and evaluate how these support or hinder the enactment of children's rights;
• critically reflect upon the content and scope of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the implications for the experiences of children in early childhood settings;
• gain a critical awareness of the various factors that contribute to the violation of children's rights, including political, cultural, and economic discrimination and/or marginalisation;
• discern the interrelationship between the legal responsibilities and ethical stances of educators and recognition of children's rights; and
• use the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as a reference point for advocacy and decision making to ensure the rights of the child are acknowledged and respected in their settings and in their communities.

Syllabus

This subject will cover the following topics:

• Children's provision, protection, and participation rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
• Contemporary images of children and childhood and the construction of children's agency.
• Laws and policies relevant to the enactment of children's rights.
• Conditions which threaten and facilitate the recognition of children's rights within early childhood education and care settings and their communities.
• The ethical and legal dimensions of early childhood educators' work with regard to children's rights.
• Educators as advocates for children's rights.

Special Resources

For this subject, students require a laptop computer and/or appropriate mobile device.