The roles and responsibilities of child care centre personnel are becoming increasingly demanding and complex. Management and leadership are different dimensions of the work of centre directors. However, these roles are not limited to directors only and may be performed by other centre staff. This paper is based on structured interviews with directors, teachers, and assistants who reflect on leadership and its meaning and growth in everyday work within child care centres. This is an exploratory study, linked to an international project on leadership in early childhood. Discussion will include some major findings and their implications for reconceptualising leadership in early childhood.
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