Value | Professionalisation and collaboration for assisting and core professionals in ECEC

In ECEC centres in most European countries not only early childhood educators, teachers or pedagogues (the core practitioners) work with children and families. Many other practitioners are directly involved in the care and learning process, for example teaching assistants, childcare workers, Roma assistants and special needs assistants. Research shows that there is a need to improve collaboration among ECEC practitioners.

Need for professionalisation and collaboration

In particular, the collaboration between core and assisting practitioners is not always self-evident. Assisting practitioners are often not involved in planning and professional development initiatives. The result is that assisting practitioners lack opportunities to strengthen their professional role and identity. Assisting and core practitioners also lack opportunities to participate in common professional development initiatives. This is important because these initiatives provide mutual learning through dialogue and reflection on their own daily practice, roles and collaboration.

In search for shared professional development

In the VALUE project the following question is examined: how can continuous professional development (CPD) strengthen professional identity, holistic approaches to educational work (educare) and cooperation between core and assisting practitioners working within the field of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC)? This question is explored through pilot projects conducted by research groups located in four different countries (Belgium, Denmark, Slovenia and Portugal).

Partners

VBJK coordinates this Erasmus+ project. Partners are research and training organisations from Belgium (Flanders), Portugal, Slovenia and Denmark. For Flanders these are: Erasmus Brussels University of Applied Sciences and Arts and Karel de Grote University of Applied Sciences and Arts (Antwerp).  

The VALUE project is realised with the financial support of the Erasmus+ fund.

Publications and more information

• report_Country Report - Supporting the collaboration between ECEC core and assisting practitioners

• report_Literature review - Supporting the collaboration between ECEC core and assisting practitioners

• report_Value Roadmap

• report_Actions for Policy and Practice

• report_Endline Report - Supporting the collaboration between ECEC core and assisting practitioners

Visit the project website to found out more about the VALUE project and the VALUE publications.