The need for early childhood care and education: why?

Transcription

1 The need for early childhood care and education: why? Michel Vandenbroeck, Department of Social, Welfare Studies, Ghent University, Belgium Ileana Seda Santana, División de Estudios de Posgrado, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Childcare Joint has Learning a future. International Initiative Children conference, and May Ethnic 30 division, June 1, Belfast, Interlaken, April Switzerland

2 ECCE as a place for early learning in EU The Lisbon strategy EU-25 Eurostat base scenario Total population - 2.1% + 1.2% + 1.1% - 4.3% 0-14 years % - 3.2% - 8.9% - 8.6% years % - 4.3% - 12% % years % - 4.1% % - 8.0% years % + 4.2% % % % + 9.6% % -14.1%

3 Diversity and Social Inclusion in ECCE ECCE as a place for early learning The Lisbon strategy The knowledge society The educational divide - The educational divide runs along SES & ethnic lines (PISA, ) - The educational divide starts at an early age - ECCE can make a difference - Provided it is of high quality - High quality is linked with staff qualifications - High quality is linked with respect for diversity - High quality is child centred and family centred

4 Latin America Official ECCE programmes targeting under-3s are more prevalent than in other regions, with 61% of countries reporting such programmes. However, ECCE programmes generally do not reach the poorest and most disadvantaged children, who stand to gain the most from them in terms of improved health, nutrition and cognitive development. (UNESCO, 2008)

5 UNESCO, 2008

6 Nearly 60% of countries in Latin America conducted national assessments between 2000 and 2006, four percentage points more than in Several countries (e.g. Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Uruguay) have also participated in at least one international assessment since 2000 (PISA). (UNESCO 2008)

7 The national assessments focus more on grades 4 to 6 and are predominantly curriculum based and subject oriented. International assessments focus on crosscurricular knowledge, skills or competencies. Mexico s national assessment includes last year of preschool, grade 3 & 6 of primary school grade 3 of middle school (9th grade). Strong disparities in favor of students from higher household incomes and better school provisions.

8 Bridges to Grow: Strengthening the Care Environment of Children From Birth Through Eight Years Of Age Mexican Education System faces great challenges to meet the educational and care needs of children under 8 years of age. Current enrollment is of 4.5 million in preschool and at least 14.5 million in primary school, 4 in first and second grade. Resources have been primarily geared towards coverage and very few have been directed to assuring quality of care and education. (SEP, )

9 The general objective is to strengthen the care environment of children 0 8 years of age through education in the following basic competences: personal and social competence competence in adapting to physical and social milieu representational and communicative competence

10 Structural inequities - Accessibility is an issue (also from an economic and educational point of view). - Children from low SES in lower quality care - Parental choice? - Research shows that free choice needs to be problematised - Environmental constraints mediate parental choice

11 Structural inequities Funding policies: - Liberal countries: market oriented ECCE + vouchers = residual approach (e.g. U.S.) - Effect of vouchers: - Limited on quality and availability - Bureaucracy for most underpriviledged - Placing ECE on the market has effects on curricula - Social democratic countries: ECCE as state responsibility = structural approach (e.g. Scandinavian countries) - Western EU countries: accessibility is problematic, e.g. Belgium - 20% wealthier population = 40% of child care population - 36% poor families = 20% of child care population - Different studies show problems of accessibility in EU countries

12 Structural inequities Funding policies: Unequal distribution of funded places 250 Ganshoren gesubsidieerde dekkingscoëfficiënt 200 Jette St Agatha B Oudergem Wat Bosv 150 Evere Brussel St L Wol Ukkel St Jans M Schaarbeek St Gillis St Joost Anderlecht Koekelberg Vorst Etterbeek Elsene St P Wol inkomenscoëfficiënt

13 Structural inequities Funding policies Unequal distribution of funded places Priorities set by management Bi-directional pathways between attitudes and behaviour (offer influences demand) Conclusion Accessibility, affordability and desirability should be quality criteria Enabling policies are more likely to have long term effects than coercive policies

14 The case of Mexico Programa Nacional de Educación Goal 2 Increase the educational opportunities in order to reduce inequalities among social groups, decrease gaps and promote equity. Greater equality (igualdad) in educational opportunities of gender, among regions and social groups like indigenous, immigrants, migrants, people with special needs.

15 Plan Nacional de Desarrollo Goal 1, increase the educational levels and welfare of the population. This goal requires to erradicate of the causes of poverty, provisions to satisfy basic needs, create opportunities for human development and provide the necessary infrastructure so that all mexicans can achieve levels of education and welfare above certain minimal thresholds.

16 Preschool : m Primary: m f f Preeschool: # of students 4,452,168 # of teachers 197,841 # of schools 84,337 Primary: # of students 1,454,8194 # of teachers 561,342 # of students 98,045 (SEP )

17 Not every ECCE matters in the same way - EPPE: diversity matters - Laevers: Wellbeing and involvement - DECET: ECCE as a place for Multiple Belongings

18 ECCE as a place for Multiple Belongings Identity construction - Identity is linked to past present AND future - Taking children s agency into account - Balancing between colour-blindness and tourism - Involving family cultures = involving parents Anti-bias Emerging prejudices, based on cognitive, emotional and social reasons Therefore we need curricula that make diversity visible

19 Examples of good practice: developing a curriculum for ECCE All children and adults have the right to evolve and to develop in a context where there is equity and respect for diversity. Children, parents and educators have the right to good quality in early childhood education services, free from any form of - overt and covert, individual and structural - discrimination due to their race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth or other status (in reference to Article 2, UN-Convention on the Rights of the Child).

20 Therefore the DECET Network will empower knowledge, skills and attitudes to enable children and adults to construct together early childhood education services and communities where everyone feels that he/she belongs is empowered to develop the diverse aspects of his/her identity can learn from each other across cultural and other boundaries can participate as active citizens actively addresses bias through open communication and willingness to grow work together to challenge institutional forms of prejudice and discrimination

21 2001, Forum on Indicators of Children s Well-being in Mexico Indicators of Child Development Ages General well-being index 2. Environmental conditioning factors index 3. Prenatal risk index 4. Growth index 5. Psychomotor development 6. Psychosocial development (unicef, 2001)

22 Ages Construction of personal and collective identity 2. Use of different language forms 3. Capability of interacting with the social and natural environment

23 Family and community contexts 1. Social marginality 2. Cultural origin (language and culture 3. Average income at the municipality level 4. Family characteristics 1. Familiar structure 2. Maternal educational level 3. Knowledge on development 4. Gender equity 5. Emotional status of the person who is taking care (care giver) Family violence

24 Some concluding remarks - Inequality of access - Cannot be resolved by only focusing on coverage - Terms such as diversity, quality, equality, equity etc. are becoming buzz words and lose meaning - The meaning making of these concepts needs to be contextualized - What priorities? - Invest in coverage without quality makes no sense - Invest in coverage first does make sense - It is usually more costly not to invest in ECE