Peer-reviewed article
Democratic Participation in Early Childhood Education and Care - Serving the Best Interests of the Child
Evelyn Eriksen ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examines what democratic participation means in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings, using the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child's General Comment No. 14 as its framework. The research explores how concepts like rights, equality, and influence connect to serving children's best interests. The study identifies that vulnerable children have a specific right to express their views and influence decisions in ECEC institutions. The authors argue that true democracy in ECEC must prioritize including children in vulnerable situations.
Key points
- Democratic participation in ECEC remains vague and difficult to implement in practice
- Key terms (rights, participation, unity, equality, influence, responsibility) are used to align with 'best interests of the child' concept
- Vulnerable children have explicit rights to express their views and influence decisions affecting them in ECEC
- Understanding democracy in ECEC requires focus on inclusion of vulnerable children
- General Comment No. 14 (2013) provides a framework for understanding children's participation rights
Limitations
This is a document analysis study that examines conceptual frameworks and policy guidance rather than empirical evaluation of how democratic participation is actually practiced or its effects on children's outcomes. The study does not measure children's experiences or well-being outcomes in ECEC settings.
Abstract
Abstract: The meaning of democratic participation in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) remainsvague and difficult to implement. Thus, the aim of this paper is to contribute to this gap of knowledge by shed light on the meaning of democratic participation in relation to the best interests of the child, by analysing General Comment No. 14 (2013). The research uses theories on democracy in ECEC to discuss the results (Biesta, 2014, 2015; Moss, 2007, 2011; Pettersvold, 2014; Einarsdottir, Purola, Johansson, Broström, &Emilson, 2015). The study investigates how key terms (rights, participation, unity/collective, equality, influence and responsibility) relate to democratic participation. Findings indicate that these terms are used to align with ideas about the “best interests of the child”. Furthermore, the study identified specific groups of children who can be in vulnerable situations and their explicit right to express their views and to influence decisions affecting them in ECEC institutions. I therefore argue that understanding democracy in ECEC must focus on inclusion of children who can be in vulnerable situations because this is in the best interests of the child. Keywords: Best Interests of the Child, Democratic Participation, Document Analysis, General Comments