Leadership is an essential resource that informs day-to-day pedagogy and management of early childhood organisations. Based on the authors' professional development and research-based activities in a variety of locations including metropolitan, rural and remote regions in Australia, the book draws on established professional networks to capture diverse images and experiences of early childhood leaders. Leadership: Contexts and Complexities in Early Childhood Education is in two parts. The first provides an orientation to the various contextual dimensions of early childhood leadership. These chapters are focused on 'big picture' issues that give shape to early childhood leadership, and include discussion of early childhood policy, legislative frameworks, quality standards, advocacy, governance and pedagogy. Part two deals with the application of leadership within an early childhood setting. These chapters address perennial areas of importance including the development of sound relationships with families, engagement with community, and the creation of effective workplaces, as well as focus on other relatively new leadership dimensions: social entrepreneurialship, professional judgment and succession planning. Key features: Practitioner voices through out reflect diversity across gender, culture, age and expertise of those working in a range of early childhood contexts. Includes latest policy guidelines for early childhood education and features relevant discussion about social entrepreneurship. To actively involve the reader 'Reflections in practice' are presented throughout each chapter. These reflective points capture the duality of thinking and doing, an important learning and teaching strategy for readers of this book and will be useful to unpack with a peer and/or as a team. This title will also be available as an e-book in September 2012.

Manjula Waniganayake is an associate professor at the Institute of Early Childhood, Macquarie University. She is a specialist in early childhood leadership, quality assurance and policy analysis work.

Sandra Cheeseman is a lecturer in social policy, management and leadership at the Institute of Early Childhood, Macquarie University.l
Marianne Fenech is an Australian Research Council postdoctoral research fellow based at the Children and Families Research Centre, Macquarie University.

Fay Hadley is a lecturer at the Institute of Early Childhood, Macquarie University with a major focus on early childhood management and practicum studies.

Wendy Shepherd is the Director of the Mia Mia Child and Family Study Centre has more than twenty years of experience in leading early childhood programs. She has consistently contributed to early childhood policy reform as an invited member of key government advisory committees.