Belgium
Podcast Naar een slimme inzet van kinderverzorgers in de kleuterklas
This podcast (Dutch) talks about the current situation and problems in relation to the position of assisting practitioners and the education and care divide in the pre-primary school in Flanders. The podcast tells the story of two assisting practitioners and the pilotschool in Antwerp (Maria Boodschap): what are the challenges the assisting practitioners currently experience? Why an integrated approach of care and learning is needed? And how to realize a collaborative approach? What was the impact of the VALUE CPD path on their pedagogical practice? What actions are needed on a policy level to facilitate a collaborative approach and strengthen the position of assisting practitioners?
Click here to listen to the podcast.
VALUE-recommendations for policy and practice: media campaign
In February 2021 a media campaign was done (making use of the podcast) in order to launch the public debate about the professionalisation of assisting practitioners in ECEC and the need for a collaborative model based on educare in ECEC in Flanders. Six recommended actions for policy and practice to enhance professionalisation and collaboration in ECEC were launched, with the support of various key stakeholders. The media campaign was very successful: the VALUE-recommendations were widely shared and a newspaper article on the VALUE project was published in De Standaard (one of the leading newspapers in Flanders). As a result, on 4 march 2021 the Commission for Education (Commissie voor Onderwijs) of the Flemish Parliament discussed the VALUE-recommendations with the Flemish Minister for Education.
Workshop on VALUE ROADMAP for trainers
On 6 May 2021 VBJK and EhB did an online workshop on the VALUE ROADMAP and the six anchor points to enhance professionalisation of childcare workers in preschool education. 20 trainers working in preservice and in-service training institutes for (future) ECEC professionals participated in the workshop.
Denmark
Podcast Demokrati og læringsfællesskaber i dagtilbud: at give praksis en stemme
This podcast (Danish) gives practice a voice and inspires practitioners, educational institutions and policy to improve continuous professional development in the Danish ECEC context based on the results of the VALUE project. Two managers, one core practitioner and one assisting practitioner talk with podcast host Jens Renner about their work and experiences with VALUE in terms of enhanced professional identity, the work with a holistic educare approach and collaboration among all participants. Besides, Bente Jensen (DPU/AU) talks about the projects’ background and findings.
Click here to listen to the podcast.
Articles on the VALUE project
Plechinger, D. (2020, 18 May). Samarbejdet styrker arbejdet med diversitet. Retrieved from: https://nvl.org/content/samarbejde-styrker-arbejdet-med-diversitet.
Schmidt, M. (2020). Diversitet i dagtilbud. Faglbadet FOA, 3, 24 – 39. Article on the VALUE project with interview of Bente Jenssen, see http://www.e-pages.dk/foa/657/
Nørby, J. (2020). Hvem tager børnene, når jeg er på efter-uddannelse? Fag Bladet Børn og Unge, 5, 15-23. Article on professional development for ECEC staff with interview of Bente Jensen on the VALUE project, see https://www.epaper.dk/buplforbund/boernogunge/2020/052020/
Van der Mespel, S. (2021). Meer kinderbegeleiders in de kleuterklas, hoera? 6 ankerpunten voor een doordachte inzet van kinderbegeleiders op school . KIDDO, 3, 31-33.
Portugal
Discussing VALUE’s Roadmap
PORTUGUESE
Com o intuito de criar um novo encontro entre os participantes dos dois projetos-piloto portugueses, a Fundação Aga Khan (AKF) e a Escola Superior de Santarém (ESES) dinamizaram um evento online no próximo dia 08 maio, às 10h30. Após a conclusão do projeto VALUE – Valorizar a diversidade nos cuidados e na educação, em agosto de 2020, será agora o momento de apresentar o trabalho desenvolvido no contínuo, numa perspetiva de consolidação e sustentabilidade, pelos dois grupos de assistentes e respetivas lideranças da APISAL – Associação Pró-Infância Santo António de Lisboa e da Escola Básica São Domingos – Agrupamento de Escolas Alexandre Herculano, em Santarém. Na sessão houve ainda um momento de partilha dos materiais construídos, nomeadamente o Roteiro VALUE. Este documento pretende inspirar os leitores a fortalecerem a colaboração entre os educadores de infância e os assistentes que trabalham em instituições de educação de infância, e assenta na conceção de que a diversidade e as múltiplas perspetivas que existem numa equipa tornam-se um recurso que potencia uma abordagem integrada de educação e cuidados (educare).
ENGLISH
With the purpose of creating a new encounter between the participants of the two Portuguese pilot projects, the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) and the Superior School of Education of Santarém (ESES) is promoting an online event next May 8, at 10:30 am. After concluding the VALUE Project – Valuing diversity in care and education in August 2020, it is now time to present the continuous work aiming at consolidation and sustainability of CPD processes, developed by the two pilot groups of core and assisting practitioners and respective leaders of APISAL (Santo António de Lisboa Pro-Childhood Association), in Lisbon, and São Domingos Primary School of Alexandre Herculano’s Cluster, in Santarém. The event is also to share the resources built within the scope of the VALUE project, namely the VALUE Roadmap. This document aims to inspire its readers to strengthen collaboration between assisting and core practitioners in ECEC, through the creation of journeys of continuous professional development based on the assumption that diversity and the multiple perspectives within the team are a resource to be used as a way to enhancing an educare approach.
Slovenia
Train the trainer on VALUE ROADMAP
This two-day meeting (8-9 October 2020) was aimed at leaders of professional learning communities within the Network for Changing Quality Step by Step. The meeting was attended by more than 50 professionals from kindergartens and primary schools. At the meeting, the Educational Research Institute (ERI) presented the results of the VALUE project, focusing on the conditions for maintaining professional learning communities in institutions and changing the institutional culture in the direction of lifelong learning. Meeting was followed by concrete facilitation techniques that can help leaders to work with the group.
Online VALUE-conference
This on-line conference was held on 26th of November 2020. The conference was attended by 130 participants from kindergartens, some representatives of primary schools, the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports, the Ministry of Labor, social work centers and other stakeholders working in the ECEC field. We talked about current issues related to the work of kindergartens during the COVID-19 pandemic, among other themes, we presented the results of the VALUE project with all developed materials. In the workshop we presented the VALUE ROADMAP, and participants had the opportunity to present their contributions.
https://www.facebook.com/events/2437851403176921
https://www.korakzakorakom.si/po-izvedenem-strokovnem-posvetu-korona-in-vrtec
Presentation of the VALUE project at the 5th ERI Scientific Conference
On 20th of October 2020 the professional learning communities involving assisting and core practitioners in the pilot kindergartens were presented during the Scientific Conference of the Education Research Institute.
https://www.pei.si/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/zbornik_povzetkov_2020.pdf
