Quality in Early Childhood Education Erasmus Project

Project Title

Quality in Early Childhood Education

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 : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

QUED project was born with the idea to enhance preschool´s level of digitalisation, both for staff and pupils. The collaboration with the other partners was established during an Erasmus+ seminar in Stockholm in December 9th 2019.
The representative of our preschool in Brålanda, Ms Sandra, met the representatives of the preschools of Finland, Kannistro & Niinipuu daycare center, and of the Slovak preschool of Ady Endre. During the seminar, we decided to start a collaboration regarding some common ideas and needs, like the one to provide preschools with the right level of digital competences, thus increasing the quality in the teaching and learning processes. We have also chosen to involve a preschool from the municipality of Daugavpils that we have good experience from, especially since they have an intresting approach regarding children´s wellbeing and rights.
The project activities will consist of five Learning Teaching and Training events. During each event, a special aspect of the digitalisation in the preschool will be developed and deepened. Each theme will represent the best practice of each preschool partner. The four best practices will be then collected in a digital handbook, composed by five chapter, that will be a useful tool for all teachers in practice. For the entire duration of the project, eTwinning will represent the connecting tool between the partners. As the eTwinning network gives the school staff the opportunity for both online competence development (discussion groups and online courses) and networking of various kinds, this can in long term lead to many new contacts and project partners for our preschools, both for new eTwinning projects but also for grant-funded Projects. In other words it will represent an important tool for the internationalisation process of our preschools.
All the partners involved in this project agree on the importance of improving the digital skills in the preschools, since this can bring to:
-be able to solve problems and put ideas into action in a creative way using digital technology
-be able to understand how digitalisation affects society and the individual
-be able to use and understand digital tools and media
-have a critical and responsible approach to digital technology, the schools should also increase equality and give all students the same conditions; and teach them how to become world citizens.

The importance of the use of digitalisation in preschools is already underlined in the Swedish National Curriculum: “Preschool teachers are responsible for ensuring that every child can use digital tools in a way that stimulates development and learning” and “they are responsible to create the conditions for the children to develop their ability to communicate, document and convey, experiences, ideas and thoughts using different forms of expression as well as digital tools” (Lpfö 18).
Even at Euroepan level emerges that education and training are the best investments in Europe´s future. Europe´s education system need to give people the forward-looking knowledge, skills and competences they need to innovate and prosper (European Commission 2018). Digital technology enriches learning in a variety of ways and offers learning opportunities, which must be accessible to all. We have to meet the challenges of a fast-moving, globalised and interconnected world. By exchanging knowledge, methods and experiences between the educators, it helps educators and pupils to gain a more in-depth experience with digital tools, to create social contacts, to have the opportunity to learn about cultures, languages ​​and digital work. This is the role and goal of the five mobilities abroad we have planned for our project.
Furthermore, education can benefit from different activities, like real life experiences, projects but even from online collaborations. This is the reason why we have chosen to use eTwinning during the entire duration of the project. In fact, the access to and the use of digital technologies can reduce the learning gap between pupils, depending on their socioeconomic backgrounds. In this perspective, the use of innovation in the education system can even help to improve learning outcomes.
“EU-wide cooperation through Exchange of best practices and evidence sharing is a proven way to support EU Member States´education and training systems. Common frameworks help identify effective solutions while shared Tools such as eTwinning increase efficiency and broaden impact” (European Commission 2017, on the Digital Education Action Plan).

Furthermore, the UN announced 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that should be the focus of all countries´work toward future sustainability from 2016 to 2030. The SDGs goal n.4 includes a focus on high-quality education: “Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning” (UN 2015). In this perspective, our project QUED could contribute to the achievement of the fourth SDGs goal.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 58980 Eur

Project Coordinator

Brålanda Förskola & Country: SE

Project Partners

• Daugavpils pilsetas 27.pirmsskolas izglitibas iestade
• Kannisto & Niinipuu daycare center
• Zakladna skola Endre Adyho s vyucovacim jazykom madarskym, Ady Endre Alapiskola