Diversity, Equality and inclusion in pre-primary Education and care: a gender perspective Erasmus Project

Project Title

Diversity, Equality and inclusion in pre-primary Education and care: a gender perspective

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Inclusion – equity; Pedagogy and didactics; Gender equality / equal opportunities

Project Summary

The DEE project was born with the aim to rise knowledge about gender and diversity and to propose actions, practices, methodologies for professionals to deal with these topics in the educational contexts of the pre-school age, in order to fight stereotypes and gender violence.
As we know, a large body of evidence from social science, psychology and neuroscience, demonstrates the importance of early years for later development. Quality of early childhood education is strictly connected with the ability of educators to promote the children’s personality and the full development of their potential. Create awareness to acquire knowledge and skills to spread a culture of equality and non-discrimination is the condition to create/develop an educational practice that can increase the quality standards of early childhood services and preschools in multiple directions.
Create awareness to acquire knowledge and skills to spread a culture of equality and non-discrimination is the condition to create/develop an educational practice that can increase the quality standards of early childhood services and preschools in multiple directions.
We also know that for an effective and lasting action it is necessary to involve not only crèche, kindergarten and educators, but also other key players in preschool age: parents / families and policy makers.
For this reason, the DEE project started from the analysis and sharing of best practices and previous partner’s experiences in gender and diversity education, and went on with the creation of an educators training model (IO1), the creation of information and action toolkit for parents in order to foster sensitivity and adequate competence in support to a stereotype-aware education for children (IO2), the definition of guidelines and recommendations for policy makers (IO3).
The main output of the IO1 is the training course model created and tested by 123 educator and teachers from 21 facilities of all the three countries involved.
The training course is aimed at educators (and other professional figures in the field of education) who work with children with an age range 0 to 6. The total number of participants for which this model can be used depends on the need and expectations of every institution or facility, but it is ideal to not exceed 20 participants per group. The range of total hours for the training course is 16 to 20.
The training course is designed to be divided into four thematic sections, each of which is composed of one or more units. Every unit description contains the methodological grid of topics, educational aims and techniques. In addition, there are proposals on teaching materials and some expected outcomes.
The main product of the IO2 is the information and action toolkit for parents. This product was created by a participatory approach, whereby the participants from the facilities were involved actively in all the processes under the guidance of gender and diversity expert trainers. This allowed for a theory-to-practice and back process which leads both to a high theoretical and pedagogical standard and a high operational usability of the toolkit. The tools and activities for parents work are intended to be used when parents and guardians are invited to the facility. Some activities involve the children together with parents and guardians, some are intended for settings in which only educators and parents and guardians are present.
More than 700 parents took part in the actions tested (informative corners and parents evenings). The activities undertaken by the partners in Bulgaria, Italy and Austria with regards to parent work aimed to engage parents/guardians through educators, to support educators to reflect on the influence of stereotypes in their work and in contact with parents/guardians, and to support educators to help parents/guardians to become aware of bias and prejudices.
The main product of the IO3 are the guidelines and recommendations for decision makers and stakeholders. They are based on a questionnaire (28 open and closed questions which aim to gather information of the participants’ perception on the presence of gender equality and diversity in general and related to education), a desk analysis of the national legislation of the partnering countries, statistical methods, including descriptive data analysis, graphical data analysis and analytical methods as well as a primary review and secondary analysis of data from existing studies and analysis of documents.
The project succeeded in its goals: to promote an exchange of best practices, to offer specific training for ECEC educators and information for parents, to arise awareness and involve the stakeholder with an operative tool (guidelines) to create an attentive and gender and diversity sensitive community.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 301865 Eur

Project Coordinator

PROVINCIA AUTONOMA DI TRENTO & Country: IT

Project Partners

• REGIONALEN INSPEKTORAT PO OBRAZOVANIETO SILISTRA
• VEREIN FUR MANNER- UND GESCHLECHTERTHEMEN STEIERMARK
• Rettet-das-Kind-Steiermark
• UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI TRENTO
• Alliance for regional and civil initiatives