Needs and rights

The concept of needs is no longer part of the early childhood discourse. The EYLF (Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations, 2009) focuses on a strengths-based perspective, positioning children as active participants who are entitled to respect and agency. In the latest Every Child Julie Rutups (2015) argued that in building on children's strengths we collaborate with children and parents to identify appropriate learning opportunities. In contrast, in the same issue Pam Linke (2015) argues that we must address children's needs in order to lay the appropriate foundation for learning.