How an initial training for educators places great emphasis on acknowledging diversity ?

1. The profession Educator of young children,a profession with an issue to welcome children in respect for diversity

2. How an initial training for educators places great emphasis on acknowledging diversity ? An experience in initial training center for educators of young children : ESSSE Lyon, France

3. 1 - Early childhood education and care in France : what professions ? Early childhood education and care in France is divided between two phases: • a childcare sector of “creches” and family day care services for children under 3 years and • An education sector of nursery schools (écoles maternelles) for children from 3 (and sometimes 2) to 6 years.

4. Three professional categories : - Primary school teachers (instituteurs) are trained to teach children from 2 to 10 years, including at nursery school. - Nursery nurses and childcare assistants (puéricultrices and auxiliaires de puériculture) are trained in the care of children in crèches and specialist facilities (such as hospitals). - Early childhood educators : Its roots are in the childcare sector issue from an active pedagogical movement but was recognised by state in France in 1973.

5. Early childhood educators : three moments in story of the profession • First established in 1973, and initially worked in all early years services, this profession was reconceptualised since 1975-1985, which brought together educational and social goals. This development marked a fundamental transition.

6. In 1993, the qualification for educators was reformed : profession was brought into the field of social work, it keeps its pedagogic roots. Indeed, in 1999, working with parents was acknowledged to be essential to work with children. A decree in August 2000 about day care services for children placed early childhood educators at the heart of welfare services for young children and their families. • Most recently, in 2005, the training of this key profession has been further reformed.

7. 2 - The training ’s caracteristicssince 2005 changes Three post academic years courses with state diploma, divided into four main areas of competences: • Caring welcome and educative guiding and support for the child and their family : 400h • Pedagogical and educative activities and projects, caring health for children; socialisation perspectives : 600h • Professional communication in organisations with families, partners and networks : 250h • Institutional, inter-institutional and partnership projects in social context. Links between education and social work : 250h

8. Theory and practical training is undertaken in conjunction with 60 weeks of practical placements. • All along the training students have a process to support their knowledge with their own written documents presented for final exam.

9. They have also to improve subjective position and feelings of all professionals situations that they experiment in their care centers and elaborate a professional individual position. • This reformed training has enhanced the position of the early childhood educator from being qualified to work only within a childcare service to being competent to work holistically with children in many situations and in every service.

10. 3 - The perspective of the profession • Work with families. • Social work at the boundary between social intervention and prevention. • Support differences and encourage everyone to find their own place, within the collectivity. • Respect for Diversity and social inclusion for children and families

11. 4 - Training with respect for diversity • Ecole Santé Social Sud-Est (School of social services of the south east - ESSSE) in Lyon is a training center for early childhood educators. • Each training center has its own specific projects. ESSSE places strong emphasis on recognition and respect for diversity; • Acknowledging diversity in this way means that a difference can be seen as a resource to be developed, rather than a deficit to be corrected.

12. This leads us to pay particular attention to the following points : • Recognising attachments and thus the culture of each child. • Creating conditions for supporting children and parents which are different in each case. • Accepting the uniqueness of each child as it is expresses within the collectivity.  

13. Supporting socialisation. • Working as part of a team and welfare projects in local communities (district, town etc.). • Creating conditions of accessibility to services for all. • Knowing how to link education with social welfare.

14. Pedagogic process in training • Different courses and practical experiences are used to tackle the theme of respecting diversity. • The approach is based on learning to work with families and children. • Systemic approach and anthropology help to understand issues such as ‘double belonging ’, how a child belongs both to and in both his family and the service he attends?

15. Skills learning are for example, the participation in photo-language activity about family package (DECET ‘s partners support). • Learning practice in professional settings provide experience and support a research process. • Research work based on a comprehensive approach in childcare center experience in link with families from practice situations.

16. Development of knowledge through research with contributors involved at various levels in promoting diversity (DECET partners , children in Europe network ,Furet Network and so on …) • This training process about diversity is a work of one year for the students. they formalize it by a written document they present to their exam.

17. DECET network and projects, supported by the Bernard Van Leer Foundation, has helped us to drive this project with points of view, pedagogical tools and research from other contexts. • In France we have to combine this respect for diversity approach in a context where secularity values opened more to reduce inequalities by equality than to struggle again discriminations.

18. Myriam MONY (mony@essse.fr)Director of training department of educators of young children (initial and in service training) ESSSE Lyon FRANCE www.essse.frDECET memberwww.decet.org