Effective family partnerships in early childhood education and care: an investigation of the nature of interactions between educators and parents

This Doctoral dissertation presents findings of a research study exploring the nature of the interactions between early childhood educators and parents as they reflect a framework of partnership centred on mutuality, trust, reciprocity and shared decision making. Examining the nature of the relationships. In examining the interactions , the study found that while mutuality, trust and reciprocity were evident in the interactions between the parents and the educators, shared decision making, where parents were mutual partners in the decision making around their child, was not evident.