Abstract:
Statements on human rights need to be understood in terms of their source and mandate. Five different sources of such statements can be identified, each providing a different authorising capability to statements emanating from them. Statements on the rights of children arising from each of these sources provide possible guidelines for early childhood care and education in Australia. The Reggio Emilia approach to the rights of children, which arises from the source of common sense, is to be preferred to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which is an international declaration.