Stories like these caution against creating a .one size fits all' set of standards that either:
•perpetuates and elevates the cultural and social biases of a majority group; or •marginalizes the knowledge, languages, values and traditions of minority groups.
The history of colonization across the world raises many challenges for your practice of professionalism in the diversity of your community. New Zealand has recognized this and gone some way to addressing how early childhood curriculum quality standards and legislation represent narrow definitions of what professional practice looks like. Their bi-cultural early childhood curriculum document, Te Whariki (MoE 1996) acknowledges the cultural location of two groups: Maori and Pakeha. However, there always remain questions about how other minority groups in New Zealand are acknowledged by this curriculum document, and about the ethics of majority groups defining professional practice in a "one size fits all' set of standards.
Some international researchers and practitioners are also questioning the roles of early childhood professionals in creating quality learning programmes for children. In Sweden, for example, researchers and teachers highlight the importance of professionals "passing between the language of one's professional community (theories and practical wisdom) and one's personal passions, emotions, intuitions and experiences' (Dahlberg et al. 1999: 154). Reflecting on where you can go involves looking at the social policy frameworks for your practice, the challenges that face your community and how your knowledge helps you to understand and respond to these challenges.
Specialized knowledge and codes of practices can't always answer how we ensure "wise' and just practices
You may begin to find that when you take social justice seriously you are faced with many situations that are not easily answered by your specialized knowledge one teacher from a rural childcare centre in Australia shared an episode from her journal that highlights how action for equity cannot always be legislated for: