Leading Australian early childhood education and care through crises and complexity

This qualitative study investigated how leadership in early childhood education and care (ECEC) is enacted during times of crisis and complexity including the COVID-19 pandemic, climate disasters, and community tragedies. Sixteen Australian ECEC leaders participated in the study that comprised twelve Dialogic Café sessions over six months. The participant-driven inquiry foregrounded their experience of leading through crises. Using complexity leadership theory as an analytical lens, the study revealed adaptive, enabling, and administrative leadership practices that foster resilience, innovation, and community care. An important finding was the identification of the depth of the emotional labour performed by leaders, often invisible, yet critical to sustaining services and community wellbeing. The study findings signal the need for leadership preparation that reflects the realities of complexity, and for systemic support including policy co-design and emotional wellbeing initiatives. Although this study has an Australian context, findings and implications hold relevance internationally where escalating climate and political crises imply growing complexity for ECEC leaders. This study is foundational for future research into complexity leadership, emotional labour, and crisis-responsive policy in ECEC.