Honoring family diversity: Challenges of leading pedagogy in multi-ethnic societies- perspectives from South Africa

Early childhood education has been built on a platform of achieving collaborative partnerships with families. Although the achievement of collaboration with families as the cornerstone of effective pedagogy is reflected in national policy, its implementation is difficult to assess in everyday practices of early childhood settings. Empirical research on parent–educator collaborations on pedagogical work within early childhood settings is difficult to find. In this chapter, the South African National Curriculum Framework (Department of Education, 2015), aimed at children from birth to four years, is used as a case study to share perspectives on the expectations of practitioners working with families in early childhood settings. Multiple configurations of families and the continuing dominance of the conventional nuclear family are challenges encountered every day by early childhood practitioners. Based on our findings, we consider parental engagement in the context of challenges of leading pedagogy in multi-ethnic countries and conclude with implications for teacher preparation.