Reconceptualizing Early Childhood Educators as Champions for Children’s Rights: Introduction of the Children's Rights Advancement Framework

This article aims to further the representation of children's rights in literature and practice of Early Childhood Education (ECE) and introduces the Children's Rights Advancement Framework (CRAF). Despite theoretical alignment between the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and ECE policies, practical implementation and actualization remains elusive. During a conference presentation the authors of the article discovered through an anonymous survey that nearly 80% of the attendees, Early Childhood Educators, had little knowledge of UNCRC and its articles. Inspired by the work of the late Landon Pearson, an advocate for the rights of children, this paper critically reviews existing literature, identifies barriers to implementation in the Early Learning field, and introduces the CRAF as a transformative model. Drawing on a rights-based approach, the CRAF includes stages of conceptualization, implementation, application, and actualization of children's rights. The article emphasizes the need for awareness, education, and scaffolding knowledge of rights for both educators and children. The article highlights the transformative potential of the CRAF and offers practical implications and policy recommendations for advancing children's rights in ECE.