Practices
Practices
Practices
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Chapter 3: Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC)<br />
Early childhood Education and Care services should provide a safe<br />
environment for children, giving them the emotional, physical, social and<br />
educational support they need to start a successful and full-filling life.<br />
Recognizing that early childhood education and care can lay the foundations for<br />
educational success, personal development, social integration and later<br />
employability, especially for those from disadvantaged backgrounds, there has been<br />
an increasing focus on this sector at the European level in recent years.<br />
Education and care systems for children below the compulsory school age vary in<br />
different countries; Member States are co-operating to develop ‘pre-primary’ or ‘preschool’<br />
provision across the EU. Education ministers from across the EU set a target<br />
that by 2020 at least 95% of children between four years old and the age for<br />
starting compulsory primary education should participate in early childhood<br />
education. It is also increasingly recognized that the quality of such services is<br />
paramount.<br />
In February 2011, the Commission set out the key issues for future European cooperation<br />
in early childhood education and care with the aim to improve access and<br />
quality of services from birth to the start of compulsory schooling: "Early Childhood<br />
Education and Care - providing all our children with the best start for the world of<br />
tomorrow " In May 2011 EU Education ministers endorsed these plans and launched<br />
a process of policy co-operation at European level in the : Council conclusions on<br />
early childhood education and care. The main aim of the policy cooperation between<br />
Member States' representatives is to develop a proposal for a European Quality<br />
Framework in ECEC based on evidence from research, policy and practice.<br />
At EU programme level, many of the Comenius projects presented here have<br />
contributed in different ways, to improving ECEC systems. Some of them have<br />
promoted the reinforcement of the staff competences through training and providing<br />
tools and strategies to improve their practices.<br />
Other projects have focused on the quality of ECEC by revising the pedagogical<br />
content, the curriculum, developing methodologies based on children's diverse needs<br />
and competences and involving and supporting parents. It is important to stress that<br />
many of the projects have been designed and implemented by taking into account<br />
the diversity of the different ECEC institutions and the special needs of some<br />
disadvantaged groups.<br />
A key element of success in these projects has been the involvement of staff training<br />
institutions as well as of the relevant authorities responsible for education in the<br />
area.<br />
The gathered examples of good projects show how supporting cooperation and<br />
exchange programs have had direct impact on improving ECEC and have delivered<br />
concrete results such as changes in the staff training curricula and training courses,<br />
assessment tools, manuals, good practices, etc.<br />
To learn more:<br />
http://ec.europa.eu/education/school-education/childhood_en.htm<br />
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