We are starting a new project, called DIVERSITY+ which aims at making Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) more inclusive for all children, regardless of their origin, ethnicity, race, religion, physical or mental condition and other specific needs.
The initiative is coordinated by CIAPE – Italian Permanent Learning Centre and involves the Business Foundation for Education/Фондация на бизнеса за образованието in Bulgaria, Aspire-international in the UK, ISSA – International Step by Step Association in the Netherlands, Link Campus University in Italy, Škola dokorán n.o. in Slovakia and Schola Empirica in the Czech Republic. The kick-off meeting took place online on 21.10.2020.
The partners already started a research which will help identify the current challenges and needs related to diversity inclusion in ECEC. In the next 3 years we will produce a Diversity Charter with standards, an online benchmarking tool, a set of game tools for teachers and we will launch the role of Diversity ambassador in early childhood education and care.
As an impact, the project looks to help ECEC providers:
- develop an institutional culture which better understands the range of diversity identities found in contemporary society;
- learn how to improve services and facilities to meet the needs of these groups;
- improve the inclusion of diversity groups who currently feel excluded from many mainstream ECEC offers.
Find more information on the project website http://diversity-plus.eu/ and on its Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Diversityplusproject.
The Diversity+ project is funded by the Erasmus+ programme, No: 2020-1-IT01-KA201-078997.