Leadership and the educators’ role in fostering affirming practices and policies for same-sex parented families in Australian early childhood settings

Limited research, especially in the Australian context, explores early childhood (EC) practitioners’ perspectives on including same-sex parented families in their services. The legalisation of same-sex marriage in Australia marked a significant policy shift towards recognising diverse family structures. The revision of Australia’s national framework for EC education, the Early Years Learning Framework V2.0, to explicitly affirm gender and diverse family structures, places renewed focus on the role of EC practitioners in creating environments inclusive of same-sex parented families. Therefore, it is timely to capture practitioners’ voices to understand how they interpret and implement expectations to affirm and educate about same-sex parented families. Further gaps exist in research methods that triangulate perspectives from children, families, and practitioners in various positions within the same settings to provide a holistic understanding of inclusion for same-sex parented families.

This paper reports on a case study across three EC settings in New South Wales, selected for their diverse governance models (two council-operated, one privately owned) and varying capacity sizes (from fewer than 30 to over 100 children). All three centres are located in metropolitan areas and recognised for their commitment to quality, with two rated as exceeding the National Quality Standard, demonstrating practice that surpasses regulatory benchmarks, and one awarded an Excellent rating, which reflects sector-leading practice, innovation, and advocacy.

Focusing on the perspectives of EC practitioners in various positions, this study draws on semi-structured interviews, observational fieldwork, and policy/document analysis. A total of 19 practitioners participated in face-to-face interviews, including centre directors, educational leaders, and educators with different qualifications and at various career stages. Among them, four identified as gender and/or sexuality diverse. Data were analysed using an interactive theoretical framework. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory informs the analysis of how educators’ practices are influenced not only by their personal beliefs and professional training but also by setting culture, policy environments, and broader societal discourses. Intersectionality supports a nuanced understanding of how educators’ identities intersect in complex ways that affect attitudes and decision-making. Queer theory provides a critical lens to question taken-for-granted assumptions about family and gender norms in EC education.

Preliminary findings highlight key themes around educators’ conceptualisations of affirming and educating about same-sex parented families with children, families and colleagues, their confidence and preparedness to do so, and the influence of leadership on shaping affirming setting cultures. The findings also reveal practitioners’ personal and professional experiences, both individual and collaborative, and how these inform their practices and approaches to working with diverse families. This research highlights both policy and practice-based opportunities including the need for leadership-driven, whole-of-service approaches, sustained professional learning and critical reflection to build practitioner confidence and competence in creating inclusive EC education for diverse gender, sexuality and family structures.