In this issue we bring together a rich collection of practitioner reflections, research informed perspectives, professional conversations and critical reviews that collectively advance our sector’s ongoing commitment to inclusion, equity and social justice in early childhood education. The articles highlight not only the complexity of teaching in diverse settings but also the deep ethical responsibility kaiako hold as advocates for the rights, belonging and flourishing of all tamariki.

Many contemporary understandings of inclusion have their roots in Lev Vygotsky’s early twentieth-century research with children who experienced disability. Although the field he called defectology reflects the deficit-oriented language of its time, Vygotsky’s work presented a profoundly social and emancipatory view of human development. Emerging from the collectivist ethos of post-revolutionary Soviet society, his theory reframed disability as a sociocultural rather than biological phenomenon. His idea that difference generates new developmental pathways prefigures the social model of disability and continues to inform inclusive pedagogy. This article revisits Vygotsky’s defectology within its historical context and explores its influence on inclusive education, with reference to the New Zealand early childhood curriculum framework Te Whāriki. It argues that inclusive practice is grounded in Vygotsky’s vision of education as social reconstruction, where inclusion involves transforming the social world to accommodate diverse ways of learning. The article concludes that Vygotsky’s relational humanism continues to shape contemporary frameworks that emphasise equity, relational pedagogy, and mana-enhancing participation for all learners.

As a heart-led kaiako, I view all children the same: as unique individuals. I believe it is the role of the kaiako to support and guide them to achieve at their own pace, regardless of ability, strength, or needs. It takes patience and a willingness to really get to know tamariki as their unique selves and adapt teaching strategies to provide appropriate support to achieve, as well as affirming children as capable and competent. As with any intentional learning plan, collaborating with whānau is even more essential when working with tamariki with disabilities. In this article, I examine Te Whāriki (Ministry of Education [MoE], 2017), New Zealand’s early childhood curriculum, as the guide for supporting a strengths-based perspective to teaching. I will provide examples of how to foster and create a quality environment of belonging, participation, and equitable learning opportunities for all children with a range of abilities and needs. This examination and examples can demonstrate how inclusive pedagogy is achievable.

The image is a powerful tool in nurturing a child’s identity as a capable and confident learner, as upheld in the New Zealand early childhood curriculum (Ministry of Education, [MoE], 2017). Guided by this vision of the child, teachers work to make valued learning visible through formative assessment practices intended to support ongoing learning. With the high uptake of digital communications used in formative assessment there is room to explore how images of the child might influence inclusion of the child’s views in assessment. In this article I examine the concept of the image, defined as a photo taken of the child for pedagogical purposes, and discuss ways the image may enable the child’s voice in their learning. The potential tensions involved in the utility of the image are explored. Lastly, I reflect on my ongoing learning as an infant toddler teacher sharing examples of experiences using the image to elicit the child’s voice in their learning and development.

To be included in the early childcare and education centre’s curriculum is a basic right for all children and their parents (Ministry of Education, 2021; United Nations, 1989, 2006, 2016). In Te Whāriki Aotearoa New Zealand’s early childhood curriculum, the child is seen as “inherently competent, capable and rich, complete and gifted no matter what their age or ability” (MoE, 2017, p. 12). In this article I explore social justice as an important aspect of inclusive practice for children who have a disability as well as for their parents. I will discuss why social justice is especially important for children who have a disability and what social justice might look like in early childhood education. This article draws on my doctoral research at the University of Auckland, which is now in its final year, exploring the wellbeing and belonging of parents who care for a disabled child in early childhood education.

In this article, we explore generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) as a tool to support early childhood education (ECE) student kaiako (teachers) and kaiako with learning disabilities during their training and teaching careers. Although early childhood teaching is highly rewarding, the focus and commitment needed to qualify as an ECE kaiako can be stressful. Early childhood teaching is also demanding. Kaiako must have not only the range of knowledge and skills needed to provide positive, responsive and inclusive learning environments for all children but also the ability to manage numerous teaching and administrative tasks. These demands, as our own research, detailed in this article, shows, can be particularly challenging for ECE student kaiako and kaiako with learning disabilities. AI, with its capacity to assist with study, teaching and administrative tasks, offers potential in addressing these difficulties. We conclude our article with the provocation that the benefits of AI for ECE student kaiako and kaiako with learning disabilities far outweigh the challenges.

Te Whāriki is a curriculum for all children without exception and sets out expectations for inclusive teaching practice in early learning environments that recognise, affirm and enhance the rights and mana of all tamariki. However, not all tamariki get to realise the sort of inclusive early childhood education that Te Whāriki promises them, and neurodivergent tamariki are frequently amongst this number. The disempowerment, marginalisation and exclusion that neurodivergent tamariki and their whānau regularly experience can often be attributed to early childhood kaiako being uncertain about what neurodivergence is, and a lack of knowledge and confidence in differentiating teaching practices - and learning environments - to best suit the needs of neurodivergent tamariki and their whānau. In this article, we explore what neurodiversity is and offer some approaches to support the inclusive teaching practice of kaiako in their work with neurodivergent tamariki. As we do this we also review the barriers to inclusion and citizenship that neurodivergent tamariki and their whānau often encounter. Over time kaiako should become more confident in adopting neuro-affirming teaching practices to better ensure the learning potentials, rights and mana of neurodivergent tamariki and their whānau are established, enhanced and celebrated in the way that Te Whāriki intends.

The Teaching Council of Aotearoa defines inclusion as recognising the open-ended potential of all ākonga and the implementation of practices that create learning environments free of racism, ableism, and discrimination. This definition provides the foundation for the Council’s current work to promote inclusion in practice. The Inclusive Teaching Practice Guidance [Draft] (ITPG) document, recently released by the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand in 2025 has been developed as a tool to support the development of inclusive teaching practices within early childhood, primary and secondary education. Furthermore, it is expected that the guide will provide an inclusive lens to how The Standards for the Teaching Profession (Education Council, 2017) are to be met in practice. The document is a call to action that aims to remove barriers to active participation across the education sector, and support kaiako in developing practices that “foster community and belonging, spark joy for learning and achieving, and are attuned and responsive to the needs of ākonga” (Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand, 2025, p. 7).

Murphy frames the book as a provocation, intended to challenge the thinking of early childhood educators to consider whether their practices and the education system itself is truly inclusive of neurodiverse children. Whilst the reader may initually associate the term neurodiverse with neurotypes such as autism or ADHD, Murphy, from the outset, addresses this ‘neuromyth’ to emphasise that neurodiversity is in fact the norm. The term, she explains, refers to the wide range of variables that influence the ways we think and learn. It is different that constitutes the commonality itself. Languaging is an important aspect of this book, used to challenge ableist thinking and provide practice-focused strategies to better support neurodiverse children.