"It's the beginning of everything": Perceptions of Compassion in Early Childhood Education

Compassion is fundamental to learning, development and well-being in early childhood. Yet little is known about how those working within early years settings in England perceive it. Forming part of a wider ethnographic project that explores how compassion is realised and what constitutes a compassion enabling environment, this paper reports on how compassion is perceived by members of staff working in two early childhood education (ECE) environments in the North of England. Thirteen members of staff engaged in one-to-one interviews. The interviews invited their descriptions of compassion and views regarding compassions purpose, place and role in ECE, what informs their perception, along with how they see compassion figuring in their settings. A reflexive thematic analysis of the data resulted in four main themes that highlight the perceived centrality of compassion in ECE and life beyond it, yet also the challenges presented by professional pressures which permeate the early years professional landscape. Whilst underscoring the valued role of compassion in ECE, the findings further bring to the fore the experiential nature of compassion’s embodiment and reflection as informing teachers’ perceptions of compassion in early childhood education, as opposed to learning about it through more formal modes of teacher education and training.