This highly topical book presents recent, significant research from eight nations where childcare markets are the norm.

In the absence of public provision, many governments rely on the market to meet childcare demand. But who are the actors shaping this market? What work do they do to marketize care? And what does it mean for how childcare is provided? Based on an innovative theoretical framework and an in-depth study of the New Zealand childcare market, Gallagher examines the problematic growth of private, for-profit childcare. Opening the 'black box' of childcare markets to closer scrutiny, this book brings to light the complex political, social and economic dynamics behind childcare provisioning.

This text brings together recent policy relevant research from seven nations operating childcare markets, allowing comparisons between privatisation and marketisation processes of early childcare education and care services.

The leading textbook on imperfect labor markets and the institutions that affect them—now completely updated and expanded Today's labor markets are witnessing seismic changes brought on by such factors as rising self-employment, temporary employment, zero-hour contracts, and the growth of the sharing economy. This fully updated and revised third edition of The Economics of Imperfect Labor Markets reflects these and other critical changes in imperfect labor markets, and it has been significantly expanded to discuss topics such as workplace safety, regulations on self-employment, and disability and absence from work. This new edition also features engaging case studies that illustrate key aspects of imperfect labor markets. Authoritative and accessible, this textbook examines the many institutions that affect the behavior of workers and employers in imperfect labor markets. These include minimum wages, employment protection legislation, unemployment benefits, family policies, equal opportunity legislation, collective bargaining, early retirement programs, and education and migration policies. Written for advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students, the book carefully defines and measures these institutions to accurately characterize their effects, and discusses how these institutions are being transformed today. Fully updated to reflect today's changing labor markets Significantly expanded to discuss a wealth of new topics, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic Features quantitative examples, new case studies, data sets that enable users to replicate results in the literature, technical appendixes, and end-of-chapter exercises Unique focus on institutions in imperfect labor markets Self-contained chapters cover each of the most important labor-market institutions Instructor's manual available to professors—now with new exercises and solutions

Is marketing appropriate for child care programs? National leaders in marketing management and child care discuss the growing trend toward marketing child care programs. As more agencies recognize the need to develop their own marketing programs, inherent obstacles--particularly negative public and professional attitudes--are revealed. Marketing Child Care Programs addresses the resistance and offers strategies for surmounting the problems. The contributors outline the value of marketing child care programs and document how different types of programs have successfully marketed their services through case studies and illustrations of various kinds of communication strategies. The study of this trend and the exposure to successful marketing programs will prove valuable to administrators of profit and non-profit child care agencies, centers for special needs children, and other church, hospital, and community related programs.

This book explores how young children and new families are located in the consumer world of affluent societies. The author assesses the way in which the value of infants and monetary value in markets are realized together, and examines how the meanings of childhood are enacted in the practices, narratives and materialities of contemporary markets. These meanings formulate what is important in the care of young children, creating moralities that impact not only on new parents, but also circumscribe the possibilities for monetary value creation. Three main understandings of early childhood - those of love, protection and purification - and their interrelationships are covered, and illustrated with examples including food, feeding tools, nappies, travel systems and toys. The book concludes by re-examining the relationship between adulthood and the cultural value of young children, and by discussing the implications of the ways markets address young children, also examines the realities of older children in consumer culture. Childhood and Markets will be of interest to students and scholars of sociology, childhood studies, anthropology, cultural studies, media studies, business studies and marketing.

Since 1997 when Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, a string of education reforms have been introduced to improve the quality of education and maintain Hong Kong’s economic competitiveness in the age of globalization. This book provides a comprehensive and critical analysis of major issues and challenges faced by the education system, ranging from pre-school to higher education. It analyses the prospects for educational development in Hong Kong. It further addresses how the Hong Kong government has responded to the perceived challenges of the external environment and internal forces and explains the rationales for the actions taken. Not only does it review how the reform initiative challenges have been dealt with, it also reviews how effective these initiatives are and its implications on future directions.

100 Ideas You Don't Have to Think Up... Between staff calling in sick and balancing the bank account, you don't have time to sit around dreaming up new ideas to promote your program and increase enrollment. In this follow-up publication to Program Full - Your Guide to Successful Childcare Marketing, the author takes the work out of brainstorming by offering a selection of ideas that inspire owners of preschools and early learning centers to create their own marketing campaigns. This book features 100 ideas that are easy for administrators of early learning programs and childcare centers to incorporate into their current marketing activities. Each of the 100 ideas in this book was selected to make marketing a childcare center or preschool a little bit easier. The ideas range from simple to complex, and vary in budget and knowledge requirements, making it a useful reference for both family childcare and center-based programs to customize them to fit unique situations. Whether you own a small in-home childcare business, administer several child care programs for a large corporation, or are the director at a single location, you'll certainly reference this book many times during your marketing planning. Celebrate your anniversary (Idea #3) Work with local employers (Idea #68) Call them by name (Idea #14) Telephone etiquette (Idea #62) Fundraiser promotion (Idea #32) Catch the eyes of passersby (Idea #94)

At a time when neoliberal and conservative politics are again in the ascendency and social democracy is waning, Australian public policy re-engages with the values and goals of progressive public policy in Australia and the difficulties faced in re-affirming them. It brings together leading authors to explore economic, environmental, social, cultural, political and Indigenous issues. It examines trends and current policy directions and outlines progressive alternatives that challenge and extend current thinking. While focused on Australia, the contributors offer valuable insights for people in other countries committed to social justice and those engaged in the ongoing contest between neoliberalism and social democracy. This is essential reading for policy practitioners, researchers and students as well as those with an interest in the future of public policy.

Built around the four pillars of marketing—metrics, market, message, and media—this comprehensive resource is filled with guidance and advice from an experienced child care business coach and marketing consultant. The Ultimate Child Care Marketing Guide helps child care center directors and family child care owners manage and grow their child care business, find and retain the best customers, and keep their program fully enrolled. Filled with tools, exercises, and case studies, this resource will help early childhood professionals create a marketing plan, analyze strategies, improve customer and staff retention, and more.