Is spirituality in ECEC a valued component or pushed aside? A discourse analysis

Contemporary discourses regarding children’s spirituality in ECECprofessional publication streams (academic and practitionerreadership) were analysed, with consideration of impacts of thesediscourses on practice in the early years sector. Many establishedtheoretical concepts regarding children’s spirituality were notevident in the early years texts analysed, suggesting that thosetheories are either not relevant, not accepted or simply not on theradar of early years specialists. Tacit acceptance of a young child’sspirituality was evident, alongside a focus on ensuring spiritualrights and wellbeing, rather than efforts to nurture or enhance achild’s spirituality. Whilst discourse analysis revealed that spirituality is viewed positively and as a valued component of a young child’s development and wellbeing, inclusion of spirituality in ECEC internet sources and academic literature is minimal, suggesting that in practice, spirituality is pushed aside in contemporary early years practice. More research is needed to understand how these discourses may impact upon early years practice, and to investigate the perspectives of practitioners and parents about spirituality in contemporary early childhood education and care.