Network on Early Childhood Education and Care

1
Encouraging Quality In Early Childhood Education
and Care
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• Are The Proposed Analytical Questions Most
  Relevant To Answer The Overarching Policy
  Question Of The Project?
• The five questions are useful
• A special focus on
• - parental involvement
• - flexible integration of child care
  and early childhood education curriculum and
  services
• - defining competencies of the two
  ministries involved (education and labour and
  social solidarity), municipalities and directors
  of school clusters

3

• FOCUS POLICIES
• Projects and instruments to improve the quality
  of Early Childhood Education and Care
• Investment in the quality and expansion of care
  services
• New competencies for municipalities and
  responsibility to support ECEC services
• External evaluation of kindergartens and schools
• Reorganization of higher education courses,
  according to Bolonha
• Continuous training of pre-school teachers is
  mandatory (25 hours per school year) and
  contributes to career progress.
• Articulation of National pre-school education
  guidelines / National curriculum of basic
  education
• Strategies for improving teaching practice -
  support guides for implementing curriculum
  guidelines
• Participation of parents and stakeholders

4

• Policy Tool Box
• The four dimensions presented are useful
• Importance of presenting how countries put in
  place policies that raise quality in ECEC
• Examples of best practices
• Country specific policy profile
• Identification and Selection of specific
  features
• International comparisons
• Definition of a policy agenda for implementation
• Facilitating consensus and preview results

5

• Policy forum(s)
• Support the implementation of the policy agenda
• Informing the general public
• Involving national experts
• Facilitating the engagement of stakeholders
• Sharing international experiences

6

• Some Questions
• What are the strategies to ensure an integrate
  and flexible approach of child care and early
  childhood education curriculum and services?
• What strategies can be used to share
  responsibilities of central government,
  municipalities and directors of school clusters?
• Please describe means or strategies to ensure
  universal free access for ECEC.
• Please describe the national evaluation programme
  to measure child outcomes at the end of ECEC.
• Does your country have national curriculum
  guidelines for early childhood care? Is
  transition from 0-3 to 3-6 considered? Please map
  what is available in your country.
• Please share case studies as best practices for
  parental involvement in ECEC.

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Encouraging Quality In Early Childhood Education
and Care
luisa.ucha_at_dgidc.min-edu.pt liliana.marques_at_dgid
c.min-edu.pt