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An affordance network for engagement: increasing parent and family agency in an early childhood education setting

Research from the United Kingdom suggests that early childhood centres that operate from a multi or integrated service model, offering opportunities for parents to attend to a range of their needs and aspirations, increase the ability and the inclination of families to engage with their child's learning at the early childhood centre. Integrated service models of early childhood education are a relatively new concept in Aotearoa New Zealand and it is only within the last three years that the government has introduced initiatives based on integrated services in early childhood education. This article reports on one initiative at one early childhood centre involved in the implementation of integrated services: the establishment of a playgroup for parents and caregivers with babies and toddlers. The authors analysed the impact of one of these initiatives, applying the notion of an affordance network for engagement as opportunities that are available, inviting, and personalising: a framework that described affordances that progressively increased the possibilities of agency for the families.