SAVE THE DATE: A series of webinars on 'Challenging the split system in early childhood care and education'

Published on

July 19, 2022

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International webinars

Challenging the split system in early childhood care and education
Emerging pathways: Experiences from Belgium, France, Italy and the Netherlands

Informations en français

Informazioni in italiano

Many European countries have separate education and care services that cater to the needs of children below school age and the needs of their families in what is referred to as a split early childhood education and care (ECEC) system. The services that cater for the needs of children up to four years of age and their families are labelled as “childcare” — stressing a caring role while underestimating their pedagogical dimensions. The services dedicated to the needs of older children and their families are often called “preschool”, implying a narrow focus on school readiness which obscures the necessary element of care.

In 2019, the Council Recommendation on the High-Quality ECEC Systems (2019), challenged the conceptual and institutional split between services for younger children (up to 2-3 years old) and older children (from 2-3 years to primary school age), suggesting that early years services are more beneficial when they address the entire age group (birth to primary school age) in a consistent and holistic way.

Interest in investigating the consequences of sustaining the split ECEC system for children, families, and professionals has led to more in-depth research in four countries: Belgium, Italy, France, and the Netherlands. Researchers and civil servants from the four countries investigated challenges at system level (macro), local level (meso) and pedagogical level for staff, children and parents (micro), as well as innovative practices and/or emerging policies that can inspire other countries. The research also highlighted several critical issues that emerge from split systems, such as increased inequalities; failing transitions; inconsistent presence of pedagogy; and distinct and distant professional and institutional cultures that lack (political) dialogue.

The InTrans consortium organized two webinars on this topic.

Webinar 1

Why challenge the split early childhood education and care systems?

Date: November 15^th, 2022

Time: 15:30 - 17:30 CET

Languages: English, French and Italian

During the first webinar, the challenges that persist in split systems in many European countries —where childcare for the youngest children is organized distinctly from preschool for the children up to compulsory school age — will be shared. Findings from the research in Belgium, France, Italy, and the Netherlands, on the experiences of children, parents, and professionals, as well as policy-makers, will focus on the inequalities that are (re)produced by the split system and how this may be related (and questioned) by the implementation of the European Child Guarantee Council Recommendation.

Topics and speakers:

Host: Zorica Trikic, International Step by Step Association, the Netherlands

Access the recordings in English, French, and Italian here.

Access the slides here.

Webinar 2

What are alternative pathways to address critical issues raised by maintaining split ECEC systems?