Inclusive Early Childhood Education
An analysis of 32 European examples
EUROPEAN AGENCY
for Special Needs and Inclusive Education
INCLUSIVE EARLY
CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
An analysis of 32 European examples
European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education
Inclusive Early Childhood Education2
The European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education (the Agency) is an independent
and self-governing organisation, supported by Agency member countries and the European
Institutions (Commission and Parliament).
The European Commission support for the production of this
publication does not constitute an endorsement of the
contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the
Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which
may be made of the information contained therein.
The views expressed by any individual in this document do not necessarily represent the official
views of the Agency, its member countries or the Commission.
Editors: Paul Bartolo, Eva Björck-Åkesson, Climent Giné and Mary Kyriazopoulou
Extracts from the document are permitted provided that a clear reference to the source is given.
This report should be referenced as follows: European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive
Education, 2016. Inclusive Early Childhood Education: An analysis of 32 European examples.
(P. Bartolo, E. Björck-Åkesson, C. Giné and M. Kyriazopoulou, eds.). Odense, Denmark
With a view to greater accessibility, this report is available in electronic format on the Agency’s
website: www.european-agency.org
ISBN: 978-87-7110-626-8 (Electronic) ISBN: 978-87-7110-627-5 (Printed)
© European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education 2016
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An analysis of 32 European examples 3
CONTENTS
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS........................................................................................5
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...........................................................................................7
INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................10
RESULTS: AN ECOSYSTEM OF SUPPORT FOR INCLUSIVEEARLY CHILDHOOD
EDUCATION.........................................................................................................13
The Ecosystem Model of Inclusive Early Childhood Education................................13
Diagrammatic representation of the Ecosystem Model of IECE..............................16
THEME 1: MAIN OUTCOMES:CHILD BELONGINGNESS, ENGAGEMENTAND
LEARNING ...........................................................................................................19
THEME 2: QUALITY PROCESSES IN IECE................................................................21
Enabling ‘positive social interaction’ and relationships for all children ...................21
Focus on inclusive teacher-child relationships....................................................21
Focus on inclusive peer relationships.................................................................22
Ensuring active child ‘involvement in daily activities’.............................................23
Engaging each child through a ‘child-centred approach’........................................24
Promoting children’s initiative...........................................................................24
Using ‘personalised, flexible and formative assessment for learning’.....................25
Making ‘accommodations and adaptations and providing supportas needed’
while removing barriers to participation...............................................................28
Providing additional support as a regular feature...............................................31
THEME 3: INCLUSIVE STRUCTURES WITHIN THE IECE SETTING .............................35
A warmwelcome for each child and family...........................................................35
Working in partnership with parents ....................................................................36
A holistic and personalised curriculum..................................................................38
Ensuring an inclusive pre-primary environment for all...........................................40
Employing qualified staff open to IECE..................................................................42
Using a culturally-responsive approach.................................................................43
Promoting diversity in staff composition............................................................44
Committed inclusive leadership and collaboration................................................45
Developing inclusive committed leadership........................................................45
Inclusive Early Childhood Education4
Developing collaboration and shared responsibility............................................46
THEME 4: INCLUSIVE STRUCTURES IN THE SETTING’S COMMUNITY.....................48
Promoting parents’ active engagement................................................................48
Providing support to families.............................................................................48
Providing staff with continuing in-service training.................................................49
Seeking the local community’s support.................................................................51
Seeking inter-disciplinary and inter-agency collaboration......................................51
Ensuring a smooth transition from home to ECE and from ECE to primary school...53
THEME 5: INCLUSIVE STRUCTURES AT REGIONAL AND NATIONAL LEVELS............54
Adopting a rights-based approach to inclusion......................................................54
Promoting an inclusive culture ..........................................................................55
Ensuring mainstream access for all children..........................................................55
National holistic curricula prescribed by legislation...............................................56
Development of pre-primary teacher education ...................................................57
Good governanceand funding: developing a coherent, adequately funded system
of IECE provision..................................................................................................58
Quality assurance through regular monitoring and evaluation...............................59
Promoting reflective practice ............................................................................59
Evaluating effectiveness....................................................................................60
Engaging in transformative processes ...............................................................63
CONCLUSION.......................................................................................................64
ANNEX 1: METHODOLOGY...................................................................................67
Identification of subthemes..................................................................................67
Evidence for each identified theme ......................................................................68
REFERENCES........................................................................................................69
An analysis of 32 European examples 5
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
Abbreviation Full version
Agency: European Agency for Special Needs and InclusiveEducation
ECCE: Early Childhood Care and Education
ECE: Early Childhood Education
ECERS-E: Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Extension
ECTS: European Credit Transfer System
EQF: European Qualifications Framework
EU: European Union
ICP: InclusiveClassroomProfile
ICT: Information and Communication Technology
IECE: InclusiveEarly Childhood Education
IEP: IndividualEducation Plan
OECD: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
PISA: Programmefor InternationalStudent Assessment
SCQF: Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework
SEN: Special Educational Needs
UEMA: Pre-Primary Education Unit for Children with Autism
(French: Unité d’EnseignementMaternelle Autisme)
UK: United Kingdom
UNCRPD: United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities
Findings from the analysis of 32 European inclusive ECE examples 7
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This reportis part of the three-year InclusiveEarly Childhood Education (IECE)
projectrun by the European Agency for Special Needs and InclusiveEducation (the
Agency) from2015 to 2017. Theprojectaims to identify, analyseand subsequently
promote the main characteristics of quality inclusive pre-primary education for all
children fromthree years of age to the start of primary education.
This reportpresents the results of a qualitative analysis of 32 descriptions of
examples of IECEprovisions across Europe. Thedescriptions weresubmitted to the
projectin August2015. Thefindings representEuropean practitioners’ perceptions
of and practices for IECE.
An inductive thematic data analysis method was used, in that themes or issues were
initially derived fromreading the descriptions. This inductive process was, however,
also intertwined with relevant theory, particularly the Agency’s ‘ultimate vision for
inclusive education systems’ that:
… ensure that all learnersof any age are provided with meaningful, high‐quality
educationalopportunitiesin their localcommunity, alongside their friendsand
peers(European Agency, 2015, p. 1).
In total, 25 subthemes were identified. These were organised into a new Ecosystem
Model of Inclusive Early ChildhoodEducation, which is also presented in a
comprehensivediagram(Figure1). Two major perspectives previously used in
describing the quality of ECE settings inspired this new model. These are the
Outcome-Process-Structuremodeland the Ecological Systems model. The
subthemes were subsequently grouped into five main themes:
• Theme 1: The firstmain and central theme is ‘Child belongingness, engagement
and learning’, often generally understood as active participation. This
participation is regarded as both the main outcome and process of IECE.
• Theme 2: Five major processes involving thechild’s direct experience in the IECE
setting enable this central outcome and process. Theseprocesses are:
− Positive interaction with adults and peers
− Involvementin play and other daily activities
− A child-centred approach
− Personalised assessmentfor learning
− Accommodations, adaptations and support.
• Theme 3: These processes arein turn supported by structural factors, consisting
of the physical, social, cultural and educational environment. These factors may
Inclusive Early Childhood Education8
operate at differentecological levels. Some operate withinthe ECEsetting and
include:
− A warmwelcome for every child and family
− Family involvement within the ECE setting.
− A holistic curriculumdesigned for all children’s needs
− An environmentdesigned for all children
− Staff who are appropriately qualified for IECE
− A culturally-responsivesocialand physicalenvironment
− Inclusiveleadership committed to respectand engagement for all
individuals
− Collaboration and shared responsibility among all stakeholders.
• Theme 4: Inclusiveprocesses experienced by the child are also influenced by
more distant structural factors inthe community surrounding theECE setting.
These include:
− Collaboration between the ECE setting and the children’s families
− Relevant in-servicetraining for ECE staff
− Wider community commitment and supportfor serving all children
− Inter-disciplinary and inter-agency co-operation of services fromoutside
the ECE setting that servethe children in the pre-school
− Organising smooth transitions between home and the ECE setting.
• Theme 5: Finally, the analysis found a number of structural factors operating at
the macro-systemlevel. Thesefactors werenotin direct contact with the ECE
setting. However, they still influenced inclusive processes in the setting. They
are:
− A rights-based approach to ECE
− Provision of mainstreamECE access for all
− Setting up regional/national standards for a holistic IECEcurriculum
− Availability of initial education for teachers and other staff for IECE
− Good governanceand funding systems for IECE
− Procedures for regular monitoring and evaluation.
This overview of the ecosystemof outcomes, processes and structures for IECEis
presented in the Results chapter. Five evidence-based chapters, dedicated to each
An analysis of 32 European examples 9
of the five main themes, follow this. Each chapter presents a brief description of
each of the outcome, process or structuralfactors within each main theme. These
are accompanied by one to five quotations fromeach of the 32 example
descriptions. The quotations illustrate and provide concrete evidence of what
constitutes quality outcomes, processes and structures thatare prevalent across
Europe.
The quotations werechosen both to reflect the different types of IECEconcepts and
practices, and to reflect the variety of countries and cultures wherethey occur. They
are intended to stimulate inclusive developments in research, policy and practice in
Europe and internationally.
Finally, the Conclusion highlights the added value that this analysis contributes to
IECEresearch, policy and practice. Four new insights areaddressed:
1. The development of the new EcosystemModel of IECE, inspired by two
previous major models, should clarify the understanding of the issues related
to quality ECE.
2. The analysis shows how, within an inclusiveperspective, IECE’s primary goalis
best conceived as that of ensuring quality outcomes for all children in terms of
participation. This is described here as belongingness, engagement and
learning.
3. The analysis shines a new light on the major processes in which children are
directly involved and which mostinfluence each child’s participation and
learning. These need to be a major focus of any intervention to improve ECE
quality.
4. The analysis clarifies the structuralfactors needed to supportthe development
of more inclusiveECE settings. Italso shows how thesefactors are related to
local and national policies and practices. Situating the structures atthe ECE
setting, community and regional/national levels is important in levering them
to bring about the changes needed to enable each child to participate and
learn.
Inclusive Early Childhood Education10
INTRODUCTION
This chapter describes the context within which the IECE examples fromall over
Europe werecollected and analysed.
This reportis part of the three-year InclusiveEarly Childhood Education (IECE)
projectrun by the Agency from2015 to 2017. Theprojectaims to identify, analyse
and subsequently promotethe main characteristics of quality inclusive pre-primary
education for all children fromthree years of age to the start of primary education.
The project focuses on the structures and processes thatcan ensurea systemic
approach to providing high-quality IECE. Such IECEeffectively meets the academic
and social learning needs of all the children fromthe pre-primary setting’s local
community.
The literature reviews by the European Commission (2014) and the OECD (2015)
informthe project. Itaims to study how the quality principles identified are
addressed in the current ECE provisions across Europe(pleaserefer to Bartolo et al.,
2016). Moreover, theprojectfocuses on inclusiveness as the main factor that
permeates the five quality principles identified by the European Commission. These
are:
• Access toquality ECE for all children. Fromthe project’s perspective, this
refers to facilitating access for all children in the community. In particular, it
concerns the most vulnerablechildren. This includes thosewith disabilities and
SEN, immigrants, newcomers and other at-risk children and their families.
• Workforce quality. This principle calls for appropriately trained staff with
access to continuing training and adequate working conditions. Italso calls for
appropriateleadership and supportstaff insideand outside the pre-primary
setting. Adequate resources, positiveparentcollaboration and positive interdisciplinary
and inter-agency collaboration are also necessary.
• Quality curriculum/content. This principleunderlines the need for a holistic
and flexible curriculumand for pedagogy that promotechild wellbeing. These
promote learning in all aspects of development – cognitive, social, language,
emotional, physical, aesthetic and spiritual. They meaningfully and actively
engage children in a safebut open and stimulating environment.
• Evaluationand monitoring. This refers to monitoring children’s development
and learning, and to evaluating the ECE provision’s effectiveness in meeting
established quality standards. Thesestandards ensurea quality learning
environmentfor all children.
An analysis of 32 European examples 11
• Governance and funding. This principle considers the accountable use of public
funding and leadership models to ensurethat quality ECE serviceis available to
all children. It focuses on enabling each child’s holistic growth and learning.
Over the three years, the projectwill produce:
• A literature and policy review presenting the projectconceptual framework,
including a review of international and European research literature and policy
papers on IECE
• Individualcountry reports on policy and practice in IECEfor all children at the
national level
• Detailed individual case study visitreports on eight IECE settings in eight
different countries
• A self-assessment/self-reflection toolfor IECEsettings as supportfor IECE
practitioners
• A projectsynthesis report, based on evidence fromall projectactivities. Itwill
highlight key issues and factors which facilitate quality IECE. The reportwill
describethe project’s added value for IECE research, policy and practice at
national and international levels.
This analysis of practitioners’ perceptions of and practices for IECEacross Europeis
an additional and unanticipated projectoutput. Itarosefromrecognition of the
value added to the projectby 32 descriptions of examples of IECEprovision in 28
European countries. These were submitted to the projectin responseto a call in
August2015 for examples of IECE. The projectteam studied them in detail during
2016. Agency member countries were asked to provide a clear description of the
provision they were recommending. They were asked to illustrate how the provision
meets the following criteria:
• Pre-primary provision including the age group fromthree years to the start of
primary schooling
• Accessiblefor all children in the locality
• An inclusivesetting that provides supportas part of the regular activities,
promoting each child’s participation and engagement
• Provision that is subjectto national pre-primary education
standards/regulations
• A holistic curriculumthat promotes all aspects of children’s development and
learning, including physical, cognitive, language, socialand emotional
development
Inclusive Early Childhood Education12
• A skilled workforcewith opportunities for continuing professionaldevelopment
• Provision that engages families as partners
• A working partnership with health, social and other agencies
• Leaders who promote inclusive education and care
• Active self-evaluation to informimprovement.
The project plan was to visit eight examples, but the responsewas overwhelming.
Twenty-eight countries submitted 32 proposals (four countries proposed two
examples each). These ranged in length fromaround 1,000 to 4,000 words.
Moreover, the descriptions in the proposals contained highly relevant data on how
the differentproponents perceived IECEprocesses. This was the project’s firstdata
frompractitioners and their advisers across Europe. Therefore, whileonly eight
examples could be visited, all the data in the 32 descriptions is seen as a valuable
resourcefor answering the projectquestion: How do European ECEpractitioners
perceive inclusion and how are they trying to make their provision more inclusive?
The next chapter presents an overview of all the themes identified. The evidence for
each of the main themes is then presented in the following five chapters. Within
each chapter, there are different sections for each subtheme with two or more
relevant quotations. Some subthemes are also broken down further into more
specific issues. Theseissues areoften indicated by bold type within the relevant
paragraphs. Researchers and others who requiremore detail about each theme and
subtheme can access all 32 examples on the projectwebsite:
www.european-agency.org/agency-projects/inclusive-early-childhood-education
An analysis of 32 European examples 13
RESULTS: AN ECOSYSTEM OF SUPPORT FOR INCLUSIVE EARLY CHILDHOOD
EDUCATION
This chapter presents an overview of the main themes and subthemes identified.
Twenty-fivesubthemes were identified. These were organised into five main themes
within the new EcosystemModel of IECE.
The EcosystemModel of Inclusive Early ChildhoodEducation
(Please refer to Figure1).
The Outcome-Process-Structureand EcologicalSystems perspectives haveinspired
the EcosystemModel of IECE.
The most widely-used model for describing quality in ECE is the Outcome-ProcessStructuremodel
(European Commission, 2014; OECD, 2015). In this model, the
outcomesare the visibleeffects on the child resulting from their interaction with the
ECE setting’s socialand physicalenvironments. The child’s direct interactions within
the ECE setting constitute the ECE processes (Pianta et al., 2009). Theseprocesses
are framed by the structureswithin and around the ECE setting.
Said model was combined with the other major relevant model on child
development: the Ecological Systems model. This considers the complex evolving
influences on children arising fromtheir interactions and interrelations between
themselves and all the surrounding systems –micro, meso, exo and macro – in
which they function and grow (Bronfenbrenner & Ceci, 1994).
Both of these perspectives inspired the model presented in this analysis (please
refer to Figure1). It thus enables a more complete understanding of what
constitutes quality in IECE. Itcan be described in the following five parts:
1. IECE’s main outcome or goal and the measureof quality is each child’s level of
participation in the setting’s social and learning experiences. Participation is
understood as ‘attendance’ and ‘involvement’ (‘experience of participation
while attending’) (Imms et al., 2016, p. 36). This is regarded as both an
outcome and a process of inclusive education. Both quality of life and learning
are presumably enhanced if each child’s optimal, positive participation is
ensured (Imms & Granlund, 2014).
Measures of achievement are often the main tools for evaluating education
systems (e.g. PISA). However, educators concerned with socialjustice and
equal opportunities point to active participation by all as the primary measure
of success (Booth & Ainscow, 2011). Recently, there has been emphasis on
ensuring that disadvantaged groups acquirethe necessary skills for lifelong
learning. This highlights that ‘Education and training systems across theEU
Inclusive Early Childhood Education14
need to ensureboth equity and excellence’ (Council of the European Union,
2010, p. 3) and that ‘Inclusion is about… presence, participation and
achievement’ (Ainscow, 2016, p. 147; pleasealso refer to Flecha, 2015).
However, thesereferences also underline that ‘achievement’ is not simply
about test scores. In the model, therefore, the term ‘learning’ is preferred to
‘achievement’. This is because ‘learning’ refers to the child’s personalprogress
in the different and wider domains of development.
2. The main processes areclosely linked to participation in the IECEsetting
(regarded here as the micro-system). Thechild can experience these processes
when attending the various subsystems of interaction. These include social
interaction with adults and peers, instruction, play and other activities and
everyday routines. Within the ecosystemperspective, these experiences of
engagement are part of ‘proximalprocesses’ (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006,
p. 819).
3. The child’s participation is enabled through the surrounding inclusive
structures thatconsistof the physical, social, cultural and educational
environment, such as the ECE staff’s qualifications. Thesesurrounding
structuralfactors may not directly affect the quality of children’s outcomes.
Instead, ‘structuralquality directly affected process quality, and process quality
in turn influenced children’s outcomes’ (Cassidy et al., 2005, p. 508; Pianta et
al., 2009). This third group of influences includes structures that operate at the
micro-systemlevel (within theIECEsetting).
4. What happens in the IECEsetting is also influenced by structural factors at the
meso-systemlevel, coming fromthecommunity wherethe IECEsetting is
located. An example is the supportservices provided fromoutside the school.
5. What happens in the IECEsetting is also influenced by more distant structural
factors at the macro-systemlevel (atwider regionalor national levels). These
include the development of national curriculumstandards for ECE.
An analysis of 32 European examples 15
Rights-based
approach
Welcome for
each child
Positive
social
interaction
Child
belongingness,
engagement
& learning
Accommodations
/
adaptations
& support
Involvement
in daily
activities
Personalised
assessment
for learning
Child-
centred
approach
Family
involvement
Inclusive
leadership
Environment for
all children
Appropriate
staff
qualification
Monitoring
&
evaluation
Smooth
transitions
Good governance
& funding
Community
commitment
National
curriculum
standards
Initial teacher education
for IECE
Cultural
responsiveness
Holistic
curriculum
for all
Relevant in-
service
training
Mainstream
access for all
Inter-
disciplinary/
inter-agency
co-operation
Collaboration
Figure 1. The Ecosystem Model of Inclusive Early Childhood Education
Inclusive Early Childhood Education16
Diagrammatic representationof the EcosystemModel of IECE
Figure1 shows the five parts of IECEin concentric rings that contain all the different
themes identified in the example descriptions:
• The first ring is the central circle, representing the outcomes for the child.
• The second ring is the chain of circles, with processes thatthe child engages in
directly.
• The third ring contains the supportivestructuralfactors within the IECEsetting.
• The fourth ring represents the structuralfactors that surround the school
within the community.
• The fifth ring (the outer one) encloses the structuralfactors at regional and
national level.
1. The central circle contains the first main theme, representing the main
outcomesof inclusion: ‘Child belongingness, engagement and learning’. The
examples often described these outcomes as the IECEsettings’ main goals,
particularly under the umbrella concept of child participation.
2. The chain of five circles surrounding thecentral circle contains the secondmain
theme. This consists of the processes that enable each child’s participation
through positive engagement and interaction within the IECEsetting, namely:
• Positive socialinteraction with adults and peers
• Involvementin play, other activities and daily routines
• A child-centred approach
• Personalised assessmentfor learning as part of the instructional
interaction process
• Accommodations, adaptations and supports as needed for each child’s
active engagement at any time.
3. The third ring represents the thirdmain theme, consisting of the supportive
structural factorswithinthe IECEenvironment. Theseareregarded as
enabling the inclusiveinteraction processes mentioned in the second ring. They
are:
• A warmwelcome for every child and family
• Family involvement (Note: This subtheme is placed half in the third ring
and half in the fourth ring. This is becauseparents were sometimes
involved in procedures within the IECEsetting, such as curricular planning,
An analysis of 32 European examples 17
implementation and assessment. However, thepre-schooloften
interacted with the parents as another agency in the community outside
the ECE setting. Itis therefore also part of the factors inside the fourth
ring).
• A curriculumdesigned for all children’s needs
• An environmentdesigned for all children
• Staff who are appropriately qualified for IECE
• Cultural responsiveness of thesetting
• Inclusiveleadership committed to respectand engagement for all
individuals
• Collaboration and shared responsibility among all stakeholders.
4. The fourth ring contains the fourth main theme, namely the additional
structural factors. They influencewhat happens within the IECEsetting, but
operate fromoutside it:
• Interaction between the IECEsetting and the families
• Continuing staff in-servicetraining
• Commitment by the community around the pre-schoolto the quality
education of all children
• Inter-agency and inter-disciplinary co-operation of services outside the ECE
setting that also servethe setting
• Organising smooth transitions between home and the ECE setting, and
between the ECE setting and compulsory education institutions.
5. Finally, the outermostring contains the fifthmain theme, representing
structural factorsthat alsoaffect the IECE setting. These, however, comefrom
national levels of policy and practice:
• A rights-based approach to ECE
• Provision of mainstreamaccess to ECE for all
• Setting up regional/national standards for a holistic IECEcurriculum
• Availability of initial education for teachers and other IECEstaff
• Good governanceand funding
• Procedures for regular monitoring and evaluation of IECEsettings.
Inclusive Early Childhood Education18
The next five chapters describe all these subthemes in more detail, with one main
theme per chapter. Within each chapter, there is a brief description of the main
theme and each of its subthemes. Theseare substantiated with a selection of
relevant quotations. The subthemes for each section are discussed in the order of
the abovelists. Somesubthemes are further expanded through moredetailed
descriptions and quotations that illustrate different aspects of that theme. These
use bold type to indicate the aspect being addressed.
An analysis of 32 European examples 19
THEME 1: MAIN OUTCOMES: CHILD BELONGINGNESS, ENGAGEMENT AND
LEARNING
Many examples stated that the long-termaim for all children – whatever their
characteristics – was their inclusion and participation in society as active citizens.
This entailed three long-term aims:
• to enable all children to belong to their peer group in the early years;
• to ensure children areactively engaged in social and learning activities;
• to enable all children to acquire the skills necessary to participate
constructively in education and society, with any supportrequired.
This idea of preparing children for citizenship was mostexplicitly described in the
German example. Here, the stated goal was to ensurechildren’s ‘involvementand
participation’ which was linked ‘to the right of people to be involved in decisions
concerning their own lives’:
Offering children a variety of possibilities to reach decisionsconcerning their
lives in the day-care centre isthus self-evident for us. This is reflected both in
the individual interaction with the child, butalso in the structuraldesign of the
kindergarten’sroutine. Opportunitiesare thus planned on a daily basis in which
the children can decide for themselves, what, with whom, for how long and
where they wantto play, or even with voting processes within the group. The
currentsituation is discussed within the framework of the daily meeting of the
individual groups. Suggestionsand complaintsare incorporated; jointplansare
made, voted on and decided. Over the course of their time in kindergarten, in
this way the children have the possibility to gain experience with democratic
processes. (Germany)
Within this kindergarten curriculum, for instance, the children decided on lunch
options. Three children made three possiblelunch choices which the whole group
then voted on for the final choice. The importanceof preparing children for wider
democratic citizenship was also explicitly explained:
Everyday activity and social interaction with other people, adultsand children,
the co-construction of life practice, language and knowledge are the central
elements of this educationalprocess. This in no way excludes the use of learning
programmes. Education and upbringing in our day-care facility are successful
when we are able to provide the children and their parentswith a solid
foundation from which they can face the challengesof the future with a spirit of
optimism and confidence. (Germany)
Inclusive Early Childhood Education20
Other examples expressed this wide conception of the goal of pre-primary
education as preparation for active participation in society:
Múlaborg’scurriculum hasfive main aims: … 5. to strengthen children’sgeneral
developmentand thus prepare them for life and the future in a responsible way.
… With the supportof parents, staff develop an environmentwhere all children
are active participants. (Iceland)
The presence of these new educationalagentsin schools hasalso broughtthem
closer to the concernsabouteducation which affectevery sector in our society
and allowed them to give more adequate and appropriate responsesto the
reality of our learners, giving priority to learning for life as a basic competence
in education and to lifelong learning for the adultsinvolved. (Spain)
Staff are aware thatchildren’slearning needsto be interconnected with life and
with ordinary situationsclose to children’sunderstanding. Understanding play
and interaction createsopportunitiesfor meaningfullearning for allchildren.
(Slovakia)
An analysis of 32 European examples 21
THEME 2: QUALITY PROCESSES IN IECE
While aiming towards futureactive citizenship, all the examples described processes
within the IECEsetting. These processes ensurethechildren’s senseof belonging in
the IECEsetting and enable their active engagement and learning. Five processes
were identified:
• Promoting social inclusion and belonging through staff-child and child-peer
interaction and relationships
• Promoting the child’s participation and active engagement in learning and daily
activities
• Engaging children through a child-centred approach
• Using personalised, flexible and formativeassessmentfor learning
• Providing relevant accommodations, adaptations and supportwherever
needed to ensureeach child can engage positively in learning and social
activities.
Enabling ‘positive social interaction’ andrelationships for all children
The examples show an endeavour to enable every child – whatever their
characteristics – to become full members of the learning community, pre-schooland
peer group. Inclusion was notmerely intended to enhance everyone’s cognitive
skills. Itwas also aimed at creating a supportivelearning community where
everyonebelonged and enjoyed relationships both with the staff and with peers.
Focus on inclusiveteacher-child relationships
One important way for children to feel they belong to the peer group and pre-school
is through the teacher’s recognition of each and every child. Inclusiveteachers seek
to build a positiveinterpersonal relationship and interaction with each child:
Security is another centralaspectof early childhood development. A good,
stable bond in turn formsthe basis for developing a sense of security. … We see
the establishment of a viable bond with the individualchildren in their group,
and then releasing them from this bond with a view to their developmentand
the change to school life, as one of the most importanttasksfor the
professionalsin our institution. (Germany)
An attempt is made … to introduce allchildren to each other and promote
friendshipsthrough gameswith simple rules, which can be demonstrated by the
teacher (so that language is less of a barrier). Gameslike football, which are
well known to all children, allow the developmentof strong relationships,
bonding and socialising. In addition, teachersalwaysparticipate in these games
Inclusive Early Childhood Education22
in an effortto minimise the distance between themselves and the children.
(Cyprus)
… all children, with their diverse supportneeds, receive an individual education
plan. The child’s supportmeasuresare planned to suit the group’sactivities so
that they are easy to implementwithin the group and highlightparticipation
and the child’s social inclusion. (Finland)
Focus on inclusivepeer relationships
Many more examples referred to attempts to enable all children to relate effectively
to their peers as a sign of inclusion:
Children have the moralright to grow up together, learn from each other and
with each other regardlessof their intellectual or physicalcondition … The
methodsand techniquesused in the pre-schoolaim to achieve this goal and to
enable all the children to learn academic and social skills with their peers.
(Iceland)
The children work in groupsor pairsand are taughtto encourage each other
during their work, they share materialsand learn to appreciate one another’s
work. … At the end of the year there is an activity that aims to remind the
children of their experiencestogether throughoutthe year and a final party,
with the participation of parents, to consolidate the relationshipscreated
between children and adults. (Italy)
The aim of this pilot experience is to try a new form of inclusion for children
with special needsin a mainstream classroom, giving them the opportunity to
develop social skills through relationshipswith their peersand differentiated
and personalised teaching. (Switzerland)
It is very importantto recognise and develop a child’sstrengths and to show
these strengths to peers. Playing together and learning together enable … the
creation of mixed-age groupsasan optimalorganisationalformula to include
children with special educationalneedsin their peer groups. (Poland)
Before the opening of the UEMA, children in the other classes in the schoolwere
given information so they could understand the needs of their classmates. …
The implementation of the programme in mainstream schoolsalso allowsother
children to gradually adaptto the specific needs of their schoolmates, to get to
know them and to communicate and interactwith them. (France)
An analysis of 32 European examples 23
… the Frameworkfor ECEwhich includesfive educationalareas: …
• Interpersonal: the child and others, supporting interpersonalrelationships
between children and with adults, facilitating the acquisition, cultivation
and respectof the rules of living together;
• Socio-cultural: the child and society, with focuson learning aboutthe place
where they live, catering for the sense of belonging, learning about
culturaldiversity, the acquisition of cultural values and society norms.
(Czech Republic)
Ensuring active child‘involvement indaily activities’
Another major inclusiveprocess promoted by many examples was child
participation and active engagement in the ECE setting’s daily activities. This
inclusive endeavour was illustrated through descriptions of how staff soughteach
child’s active engagement in learning and social activities:
Children with SEN are included in daily activities, such as learning and play
activities, group mealsand outdoor activities. … [They] are included in all daily
activities. (Norway)
In the school, the active engagementof learnersin the teaching and learning
processis the order of the day. Hands-on activities stimulate the children’s
imaginationsand help them to learn by doing while having fun. If a child fails to
reach a desired goal, differentmethodsare devised by the class teacher to help
the child reach targets. (Malta)
The kindergarten isinclusive in the activities it performs, it welcomesdiversity
and providessupportthrough a collaborative teaching team (class teacher,
specialist teacher, all schoolstaff) which in turn encourageschild participation
and individual development. (Italy)
Participation was certainly seen as the main criterion for successfulteaching in at
least one particular example. Here, children’s engagement was assessed through
observation and scoring of relevant scales:
The following instrumentswere used to assess the quality of practicesused by
teachersto promote the inclusion of children with disabilities within daily
classroom processes:
• Inclusive Classroom Profile (ICP; Soukakou, 2012).
• The special needssubscale of the Early Childhood EnvironmentRating
Scale (ECERS-E; Sylva, Blatchford and Taggart, 2003). (Portugal)
Inclusive Early Childhood Education24
Engaging eachchild througha ‘child-centredapproach’
To make the curriculummeaningfulto each child, mostexamples referred to a childcentred
approach and ‘individualisation’ of learning. They did this by balancing the
standard curriculum’s targets with meeting each child’s individual strengths and
needs. The descriptions of individualisation are better represented by the concept
of ‘personalisation’, given the emphasis on following the child’s interests:
We acceptthe children in their individuality, with their strengthsand their
weaknesses, their dispositions and talents, at their particular stage of
development, acceptthem as a whole, with their individual, unique movements,
language, thoughts, expressions, perceptionsand abilities. (Austria)
Not doing ‘the same for everyone’ butinstead making ‘each to his own’ possible
is the goalof our educationalwork.Thisrequiresa high degree of internal
differentiation, which makesit possible to structure the everyday routine, as
well as the offersand projectsin such a way thatimpetuses and chancesfor
developmentare created for everyone. The starting points are alwaysprovided
by the children’sstrengths, interests and inclinations, in order to allow them to
have experiencesof self-efficacy. (Germany)
Kindergarten teachersare expected to know the provision’seducational
programme and use it as a basis from which to meet the children’sindividual
needs. (Hungary)
… educating in diversity meansadopting a model which facilitates the learning
processof each and every child from differentfamily, personaland social
situations. It is therefore necessary to find solutions for the organisation,
methodology, adaptation of the curriculum, etc., in order to give the most
adequate, diverse and creative response which facilitates the optimal
developmentof all the competencesin each and every one of the learnersat
the precise moment. (Spain)
Promoting children’sinitiative
Some examples made explicit referenceto the aim of developing children’s
initiative. This was mainly by focusing on each child’s strengths and offering them
opportunities to make choices:
We let the children act in a self-determined manner, aslong as they will not
endanger themselvesor others. Each child receives our maximum trust, for
example, to use certain roomswithoutdirect supervision. This way, the children
are supported in developing their own personality. (Austria)
The teacher in this pre-schoolis a guide, a ‘stage director’, co-authoring the
activities with the children, who are the main protagonistsin their growth
An analysis of 32 European examples 25
process. … The teachersfollow the Montessoristyle of teaching, the idea being
that children should be ‘free to act’ to allow holistic growth. (Italy)
Each teacher organisesthe programme based on the children’smotivation. The
programme isexperientialand multisensory, and aims to allow the children to
have optionson how they wantto participate. (Greece)
Some examples emphasised the importanceof giving children an opportunity to
express themselves:
In each classroom or schoolproject, children are offered the opportunity each
day to create, expressthemselves, make themselves heard and felt at school
and, most importantly, also outside school by meansof activities such as
exhibiting paintingsand sculptures, doing scientific experiments, etc., in the
library, culturalcentres, museums, etc. This enables the schoolto fulfil its goal:
to make today’schildren visible. (Spain)
At least two examples explicitly referred to involving children in planning and
assessing their own learning, as well as in planning the pre-schoolenvironment:
Children are involved in planning their own learning, through ‘plan-do-review’
and all have been involved in setting personallearning targetswhich are
reviewed regularly with children and parents. They have specialbooks
documenting their learning. Children undertake peer and self-assessmentand
identify personalachievementson a weekly basis. (UK – Scotland)
The kindergarten hasa naturally designed play area of approximately 2,000 m2
.
A redesign decisively influenced by the children took place several yearsago.
Many of the children’sideas were realised. For example, we now have a
permanentplay shop and a difficult climbing course. (Germany)
Using ‘personalised, flexibleandformative assessment for learning’
In these examples, it was striking that a holistic curriculumwas also matched with
formative assessment, morerecently termed ‘assessmentfor learning’. Several
examples underlined that they had a systemfor assessing thechild’s progress and
development. The systemwas initiated from the start of the child’s attendance, was
on-going and was used formatively. Indeed, in one example there was a
reformulation of assessmentas ‘planning’ rather than classification:
Teachersshould spend less time sorting children and more time helping them to
realise their innate talents and interests. (Iceland)
It could be said that the quality of a school can be measured, among other
variables, by the capacity to plan, provide and evaluate the optimalcurriculum
for each learner in the context of learner diversity. … Diversity alwayshasto be
Inclusive Early Childhood Education26
presentwhen planning educationalaction in pre-school… Every child will learn
if they have help. However, thishelp cannotbe the same for the whole group,
but will depend on the needs … of its members. From this approach, we may
talk aboutindividualisation of teaching, which is understood asthe processby
which, starting from the analysisof the individualcharacteristicsof the
learners, educationalaction is integrated from the conceptof the child as a
‘globaland unique person’. (Spain)
For example, the following reportdescribes how all children wereclosely observed
fromthe beginning and any need for additional supportwas noted:
Tremorfa Nursery use a variety of assessment tools to ensure that each child is
accessing a developmentally-appropriate curriculum, thatthe learning
environmentsupportstheir needs and thatall staff in the setting have a holistic
picture of each individualchild.
1. … Practitionersuse a ‘traffic light system’: Green – no concerns; Amber –
keep an eye (may attend a nurture group or adultsupport); Red –concerns,
discuss with family/other professionals.
2. Early yearson-entry tracking system which assesses all areasof
development.
3. I CAN stages of developmenttool to assess early speech and language used
at home and in the setting. (UK – Wales)
On-going formative, regular activity-basedassessment for learning was
emphasised:
Throughoutdaily regular activities, the pre-schoolteacherspromote
participation and engagementof each child and provide feedback and support.
(Portugal)
Each class section uses scientific educationalprojectassessmenttools and
evaluates children according to their individual developmentin differentareas.
Daily diaries are used to note down (by hand or with recordings, photographs,
video recordings) criticalevents in the children’sdevelopmentprocessand the
educationalprocessis observed by the psychologistand the teachers
themselves. Fortnightly teacher observationstake place with inter-disciplinary
staff, the psychologistand specialist teacher. (Greece)
Staff are skilled in observation and assessing children’sprogressand
achievementand moderate their professionaljudgementswithin the centre and
acrossother local settings. (UK – Scotland)
Children with additional needs are not merely identified at one point in time. There
are provisions for constantreadjustmentof understanding of the children’s
An analysis of 32 European examples 27
development and supportneeds. For instance, in one case the response to
interventionapproachwas used:
The children in need of additionalsupportbenefitfrom differentiated measures,
if necessary. These measuresare mostly of an educationalnature and are
developed in the context of the classroom and in collaboration with the family.
Also taking into accountthe additionalsupportneedsof children, the
Agrupamento de Escolasde Frazão created the Integrated SupportService for
Learning Improvement, which operatesaccording to the Response to
Intervention model, focusing on multi-level action and on collaborative,
preventive and early practice. (Portugal)
Class teachersand specialist teacherswork with children as a team. They
observe children with disabilities or with diverse and additionalneedsin three
differentcontexts: while the child is working alone, in a small group and with
the whole class. (Italy)
Some examples emphasised that assessmentwas done as part of daily activities.
This was in a flexible and individualised way to supporteach child’s development
and progress with the supportof special education teachers during regular daily
activities:
… through their special expertise, early childhood specialeducation teachers
bring a specialeducation perspective to the observation and assessment of
children, aswell as to planning and education. The modelalso highlights
flexibility. The demand for resourcesisnot assessed based on children’s
diagnoses, butinstead dependson the expertise of consultative early childhood
special education teachersand the early childhood specialeducation teachers
who work in the day-care groups. (Finland)
Children with specific needs have an IndividualEducation Plan: a working
documentwhich includesmeasurable targets. For example, children with
speech and language difficulties accessintense targeted intervention from the
setting’s highly-trained staff … Children’sdevelopmentis documented in the
form of learning stories. These include photographs, nextsteps, adults’ roles.
The learning stories documenta holistic picture of individual children’sskills, as
well as providing information for discussion with parents, families and other
professionals. (UK – Wales)
The organisation of the inclusive pedagogicalprocessisas follows: …
• Planned co-operation betweenthe child, family, teachersand support
team allowsthe fulfilment of tasks and the achievementof aims for the
child’s personaldevelopmentand education;
Inclusive Early Childhood Education28
• The child’s self-evaluation is a partof progressevaluation;
• The criteria for determining the tasks and aims are reached;
• Assessment of the processmakesit possible to change the plansif
necessary. (Latvia)
There was wide emphasis on the individualisationof assessment, focusing on each
child’s strengths and needs. There were frequent references to early identification
of strengths and needs and individual educationplans (IEPs):
In observing and assessing the children’slearning, the staff focuses on finding
and identifying the children’sdifferentneeds. There is good co-operation with
the special education departmentfor pre-schoolsin Reykjavík and other preschoolprofessionalswho
provide services to children with special needs.
Meetings are held regularly on how the child is developing, involving all
professionalswho are working with the child. The objectives of these meetings
are to get a good overview of the developmentprogressfrom all relevant
experts and to co-ordinate inputsand methodsused. An individual plan and
goals are prepared with the participation of parentsand in co-operation with
other professionalsinvolved in the work with the child. Reassessment of goals
takes place once a month. (Iceland)
To meet the special educationalneedsof children attending pre-school
education, Decree-Law3/2008 establisheseducationalmeasuresthataim … to
achieve educationalsuccessand to prepare learnersfor furtherstudies. These
measuresmust be set outin an IEP and are applied whenever a child is eligible
for specialised supportto carry outthe activities and experiencesincluded in the
common curriculum … of the child’sgroup. Such measuresalso include
adaptationsto the curriculum design thatdepartsignificantly from this
common framework so asto meet the needs of individual children. Itis
mandatory for the IEP to be prepared jointly by the pre-schoolteacher
responsible for the class, by the special education teacher, by the parents, and
by other professionalsthat may be involved in the child’seducationalprocess.
(Portugal)
In each of these settings, an initial individual assessment of need is undertaken
for each child. This is built upon by regular observationsto monitor social,
emotional, physicaland cognitive development. (UK – Northern Ireland)
Making ‘accommodations and adaptations and providing support as needed’ while
removing barriers toparticipation
To ensurethe participation and engagement of each child, particularly thosewith
additional needs, the examples underlined the strategies for removing any barriers
An analysis of 32 European examples 29
to participation. They also explain the provision of accommodations, adaptations
and regular additional supportwhereneeded. The examples firstaddressed
financial, accessibility andtransport barriers tothe child’s attendance:
Pre-primaryeducation in Cyprusismandatory and offered freely to children
aged 4 years8 monthsto 5 years8 monthswho attend public kindergartens.
Younger children aged 3 yearsto 4 years8 months take up vacantplaces in
public kindergartensand pay low fees– a fixed amountof €42. Fee reduction is
given to poor families with four children or more. Priority is given to children
with special educationalneeds, irrespective of age. For other children, selection
is made according to criteria concerning children atrisk and socio-economic
deprivation. (Cyprus)
Transportis provided where required due to additionalsupportneeds. (UK –
Scotland)
Because all the provision is free of charge, there is no financialbarrier; thisis
importantin the Larne community, which hasexperienced a significantrise in
unemploymentlevels in recentyears. (UK – Northern Ireland)
The schoolhas a buswhich can provide access for all children, even those who
live in remote areas. (Greece)
Examples list various adaptations for children’s different needs:
The Education Authority providesfunding for teaching assistantsto support
children with SEN in accessing their learning and to ensure they derive the
maximum benefit from the daily activities in the provision. (UK – Northern
Ireland)
Some examples of adjustmentsfor children with visual impairment:
• A constantassistant to overcome physicalbarriersand encourage
independence.
• Spatialadjustment: permanentspace planning, tactile markingsfor
orientation on fences, doorsand floors. Adjustmentsto the playroom for
free passage.
• Marking pathsfor guidance, tactile markings, and differenttactile
structures(floor mark from the entrance of the kindergarten to the
playroom, the playroom entrance,bathroom and toilet; a permanentplace
in the group is established).
• All the children’snamesindicated in Braille in the dressing room.
• Toys thatdevelop all the senses and compensatory skills.
Inclusive Early Childhood Education30
• Application of specific naturalmaterials, designs and models.
• Allowing extra time for characterisation, demonstrationsand familiarising
themselves with new content, in facilities and movement, and integration
of verbaldescription with their own sensory-motor experience.
• Communication: verbalannouncing, concrete orientations, description of
events.
• Specific experience and active learning: allowing variousmulti-sensory
experiences, tactile guidance with verbalsupportand explanation.
• Additionaltraining of all professionalswho work with the visually impaired
child, best practice exchange, observation lessonsand regular visits to
Ljubljana’sInstitute for Blind and Partially Sighted Children. (Slovenia)
Many examples highlighted the use of ICT and other innovations for enhanced
participation:
The use of the interactivewhiteboard is common practice and both teachers
and learnersenjoy using it as an effective, efficient teaching/learning tool.
(Malta)
Equipment, Appliancesand Minor AlterationsCapital Grant… This level
recognisesthat some children require specialised equipment, appliances,
assistive technology and/or thatsome early yearssettings may require minor
structuralalterationsto ensure children with a disability can participate in
ECCE. (Ireland)
For over 20 years, the kindergarten hasbeen conducting integrated early
language learning for children age three and upwards, in an innovativeway. In
co-operation with the NationalEducation Institute it carriesout the following
innovation projects:
• Playing English (2009–2014)
• Therapy dog to visit children and supportfor early mathematicslearning
(2010 onwards)
• Emerging literacy (2013 onwards)
• Children’splay in a multilingualand multicultural environment(from 2015
onwards). (Slovenia)
… the Estonian Union for Child Welfare hasbeen leading a projectcalled
‘Kiusamisest vaba lasteaed ja kool’ (Kindergartensand SchoolsFree of
Bullying) since 2010. … As the prevention of bullying is directly related to
accepted social normsand the quality of social relationships, it is important
An analysis of 32 European examples 31
that these values are taught to children from an early age. … The ‘Free of
Bullying!’ methodology ischild-orientated and focuseson the group of children
or class as a whole. … In order to pass these behaviour modelsto children, a
specific methodology wasdeveloped and puttogether in a coloured suitcase
(green for kindergarten, blue for school) which includesdifferentmaterialsfor
… children and teachers… [and] parents. (Estonia)
The schoolis characterised by its continuoussearch for pedagogical
innovation, which isreflected in its key projectsconnected to art, science and
ICT integration in pre-school, itscontinuousteam training and documenting of
those experiencesand projectsthatidentify it as an educationalcommunity.
(Spain)
Providing additional support asa regular feature
In addition to removing barriers, the examples highlighted how they provided
additional support for childrenwhoneededit, while trying toavoid labelling and
classification into categories of disability. Supportwas made available to teachers to
meet the needs of all the children as part of the provision’s regular resources:
In Jyväskylä, a so-called three-step supportmodelis used. … All children receive
generalsupportaspartof quality ECE, which includesthe observation of
children, educationalenvironmentsand pedagogy asan integralpart. The
educator teamsconsist of ECE teachersand practicalnurses. Some day-care
centreshave additionalassisting staff. If a child is recognised asneeding more
support, observation of the child as well as related planning and pedagogyare
intensified, for instance, so that a consultative early childhood specialeducation
teacher also participatesin creating an individual education plan for the child. If
this intensified supportis not enough, the child will receive special support.
Specialsupportusually implies that, in addition to the planning stage, early
childhood specialeducation teachersare involved in implementing the child’s
education and guidance. The supportthe child receives is evaluated regularly,
and the child can return to generalsupportwhen sufficientdevelopmenthas
been achieved. (Finland)
The pre-schoolhead is responsible for ensuring each unitis based on
participation and inclusion. … supervision focusing on special needs is available
via seven centrally organised specialneedseducators/teachers. The goalof this
supportive function is to contribute to the achievementof an equaland
accessible pre-primaryeducation, where allchildren can be included and
participate. … Generally supportisnot given to individual children butto the
entire class. If required, the number of staff can be increased or the number of
children in the class decreased. Interventionsconcerningcommunication or
Inclusive Early Childhood Education32
interaction, for example, include the entire class. Also smaller groupscan be
created within the class to meet children’sdifferentneeds. … The revised preprimary
curriculum clearly statesthat education will be adjusted to fit the needs
of all children. (Sweden)
The rule that ‘the therapistgoes to the child’ not ‘the child goes to the
therapist’ meansthat children enter the therapists’ officesas little as possible.
The nursery therapistsalwaysprefer to work with the children in their natural
environment, especially when working on improving self-reliance and
developing social skills. (Poland)
For some children with disabilities, a notification from the MDPH (departmentbased
structuresfor disabled people) allows them to be supported full-time or
part-time in their education by a school aid (AVS), following an assessment of
their specific needs. … Their role within the school can vary considerably,
depending on the child’s specific needs. For some (with motor disability, for
instance), the schoolaid’s role will be mostly related to organisation, help with
the child’s movement, care, the child’s positioning in school assignmentsand
possibly assisting the child in building relationshipswith the other children. For
others(with intellectual or learning disabilities) the school aid will mostly
ensure the child understandsinstructionsgiven, and supportthe child’s efforts
when necessary. (France)
… class and specialist teachersare co-operating in an attempt to co-plan and
co-teach in order thatno children are left out. (Cyprus)
There were severalreferences to ‘special pedagogies’:
In one of our special education groupswe have implemented the ‘kindergarten
with 4 paws’ project. Working with a therapy/assistance dog meetsthe
requirementsof fostering a focuson the individual. The specially trained dog
perceives the child’semotions; it is flexible and easily adjuststo the child’s
needs, resourcesand currentemotionalstate. The dog joinsin as a sort of copedagogue
in everyday life … The St. Isidor integrative horse farm providesa
special experience for people with differentdisabilities. The encounter, aswell
as the movementwith the horse, is stimulating and relaxing at the same time
and conveysemotionalwarmth and closeness. (Austria)
Children with special needs are encouraged to develop their strengthsthrough
music and art, both of which can also serve as a meansof therapy and
communication. (Malta)
The centre takes very good accountof children’semotionalwellbeing and uses
the PATHS (Promoting Alternative THinking Strategies) approach to help
children develop self-regulation. When required, the staff use individualised
An analysis of 32 European examples 33
programmesof supportsuch asTacpac, a programme thatcombinestouch and
music to promote communication and socialinteraction, sensory, neurological
and emotionaldevelopmentfor children with autistic spectrum disorders. (UK –
Scotland)
‘Therapeutic intervention’ or rehabilitation with the child is not the focus of the
currentconcept of inclusive systems. Nevertheless, itwas still seen as serving the
child’s need to develop potential and skills that enable participation in society. In
one instance, such intervention was regarded as the sixth of seven levels of action
for inclusion. There werea few examples where the enabling of active citizenship
was indeed seen to occur through rehabilitation. This was particularly true for
children with hearing or language impairments:
Level 6: Therapeutic Intervention … This level providesfor access to therapeutic
services where they are critical to enable the child be enrolled, and fully
participate in ECCE. (Ireland)
The aim of these programmesisto prepare children for successfuleducational
and social inclusion or inclusion in mainstream education when the child is
psychologically and physically ready… The large majority of the clinic’s users
(more than 80%) are children with hearing and/or speech impairmentsand
children with difficulties in speech and language development. The basic aim of
verbotonalrehabilitation is to develop speech and to overcome hearing and
speech disabilities, which are significant factorsin children’sdevelopment. For
these children inclusion through speech is the best route to a full and equallife,
and SUVAG Polyclinic has been seeing significantresults for five decades. … All
children receiving care in the Section for Speech Disorder Therapyare in
mainstream education. (Croatia)
The above example was indeed a specialised service. Itserved as a national
resource centre for other mainstreamservices to ensurethe needs of children with
hearing impairments were met:
In addition, SUVAG Polyclinic’semployeescollaborate with the Education
Agency and provide a mobile supportservice. Mobile teams carry outexpert
lectures on working with children with hearing and/or language difficultiesat
the requestof the Education Agency or educationalinstitution. In 2014, the
mobile team carried out33 presentationsfor educatorsin ten locations across
Croatia. (Croatia)
Inclusive Early Childhood Education34
One important area of supportwas for managing difficult behaviour. Children were
not excluded for misbehaviour, butrather strategies were used to enable children to
regulate their behaviour:
The centre has a positive approach to challenging behaviour,with staff
recognising behaviour asan expression of feelings. Approachesfocuson
meeting the needsof the child, rather than focusing on the behaviour, and
through teamwork, improving wellbeing and reducing anxieties. (UK – Scotland)
These methods[songs, stories, manipulation activities, psycho-motor activities,
watercolours] were used in the late morning or afternoon, before the various
curricular activities in which the child often displayed unsuitable behaviour. A
song preceded the activity and wasused to calm the learners. It particularly
relaxed the specific child, which allowed the child to be integrated into the class
ready for the subsequentteaching. The watercolour wasboth cathartic and
motivational, awarded asa prize for good work. (Italy)
An analysis of 32 European examples 35
THEME 3: INCLUSIVE STRUCTURES WITHIN THE IECE SETTING
The example descriptions indicated that a variety of subsystemstructures facilitated
inclusive interactions for each child within the IECEsetting. Eight such structures
were identified, namely:
• Having procedures for ensuring a warmwelcome and a safeatmospherefor
children and families
• Building on-going closelinks with the child’s family
• Having a holistic and personalised curriculum
• Setting up the social and physicalenvironmentto make it accessible and
engaging for all children
• Employing qualified staff who were open to and skilled for inclusive approaches
• Providing staff with continuing professionaldevelopmentin IECE
• Adopting a culturally-responsiveapproach to respectthe diversity of learner
characteristics and backgrounds
• Building all these structures through strong leadership committed to IECEand
working through shared responsibility and collaboration among all.
A warm welcome for each childand family
Several examples described how pre-schools prepared for each child’s inclusive
engagement. The pre-schooloffered a warmwelcome and a caring environment for
all children and their families. This was both in the transitional phaseand during the
child’s attendance. They had explicit procedures (structures)for each child’s smooth
transition fromhome to the ECE setting:
When welcoming a new child to the setting, the staff take time to get to know
each child as an individual … the setting’s leader takestime to get to know the
parents/carersaswell as the child … Discussions and activities are in place, for
example ‘what’sin a name?’ where the family share the meaning behind their
child’s name, to supportand settle children and their families into the nursery.
(UK – Wales)
Our intensive exchange with parentsand sensitive, attentive accompanimentof
the child provide the basis for coping with the new situation, the transition to
the day-care centre and a group of children. Itof course goeswithoutsaying
that we offer parentsthe opportunity to directly accompanytheir child in the
day-care centre. (Germany)
Inclusive Early Childhood Education36
Children are greeted and their parentscan stay and play with them for 15
minutes. (Netherlands)
Transitions for childrenwithadditional needs wereseen as requiring more
intensive and individualised procedures to ensurethey quickly became full
participants within their peer group:
To supportthe transition of children with additionalneedsinto our service we
organise protocolmeetingswith parents/guardiansand the localearly
intervention team and all other relevant stakeholders. These meetings give
parentsand staff an opportunity to exchange key information abouta child’s
individual needsand how the service can effectively meet these. We discuss the
programme and experienceswe already provide and whatchanges, if any, we
need to make to ensure that every child can fully participate in all our daily
activities in an inclusive environment. (Ireland)
Some examples also explicitly described how they tried to providea constant safe
and caring environment –two examples mentioned ‘love’ for the children:
Love and respect: In our kindergarten we strive to create an atmosphere of
appreciation and mutualrespect(notonly towardsthe children, butalso
towardscolleaguesand parents) –that is, an atmosphere in which each child
feels at ease and accepted. (Austria)
… the schoolmanagementteam and all teaching staff do their very best to
make children feel safe and secure in a caring environment, where each and
every child is loved and cared for. (Malta)
Múlaborg’smottosare respect, trust and security and the pre-school
emphasises receiving every child with warmth and respectso that the child will
feel secure in the pre-school. (Iceland)
Working in partnershipwithparents
An essential supportiveand inclusive structuredescribed in all the examples was the
establishment of a collaborative relationship with parents. Parents were not merely
seen as an essential means for ensuring that children could attend the IECE, but also
as essential collaborators for the child’s development. They were also seen as
providing the context for teachers to understand the children and meet their needs.
Some examples indicated that parents were asked to participate in planning the
general and individual curricula for children, as well as in evaluating the ECE service:
Pre-schoolteacherscontemplate children’sneedsand interestsin their daily
practice, involving families in the processas much as possible. Moreover, preschoolteachershave
developed some specific projectsthatbring families and
the community to the pre-school. For example, the ‘Let’s read together’ project
An analysis of 32 European examples 37
aims to develop literacy activities with the families of children from 3 to 6 years.
(Portugal)
We believe that partnership with parentsis critical to children’soverall
developmentand enjoymentin pre-school. The stronger the relationship
between home and pre-school, the better the care children will receive in both
settings. This is clearly outlined in our Parentand Carer InvolvementPolicy.
There are a variety of opportunitiesfor parentsto be involved in activities
within the setting, taking into accountthe range of parents’ circumstances,
interests and availability. (Ireland)
The parentshad weekly meetingswith the multidisciplinary team and the
teachers…, discussing and evaluating the child’s developmentin schooland at
home. The parentshad time and space to express doubts, ideas and wishes.
Moreover, the schoolprovided individual parentcounselling with the
psychologistat no cost. … Parentalcounselling … aims to encourage familiesto
participate in the educationalprocess. (Greece)
On some occasions, inputfrom the family is required to prepare the child from
home and working with the family is very important. For thisreason an opendoor
policy is in place, where parentscan come to school whenever they have a
query. (Malta)
The broad spectrum of our parentalwork … Parentscan sit in on classes: open
parentalwork can also mean that the parentsparticipate in the kindergarten’s
daily routines. … They can experience our pedagogicalstyle and recognise the
value of play. Sitting in on classes, as well as joint activities, bring family life and
kindergarten life closer together. (Austria)
The municipality offersparentaltraining for parentsof children of all ages, as a
generalprevention technique. (Sweden)
In severalexamples, parents had a say in planning the curriculum, with one instance
working through a parents’ council. The administration’s consultation with parents’
councils is mentioned in a few examples, while one example talked about ‘parental
rights’:
Active communication and discussion with the parentsof the children entrusted
to us, is a centralelement of successful educationalwork … The parents’ council
is elected to representparents’ interestsand is an importantinstrumentfor
ensuring the appropriate degree of parentparticipation in the contextof the
upbringing partnership. Ithasthe rightto be informed and heard with regard to
all importantmatters of education, upbringing and care. (Germany)
Inclusive Early Childhood Education38
In short, including families is a key objective for Zaleo, essential for
understanding the new proposalsfor the learning process, where collaboration
between the family, the schooland the surroundingsintroducespositive
changesto the educationalcontextsand generatesnew challengesand
educationalopportunitiesfor the family, the schooland society … All the
activities in the school… show us how the classroom and schooleducational
projectcontinue to be built with full collaboration from families, from daily
classroom activities to more specific workshops, after-schoolactivities, etc.
(Spain)
For childrenwithadditional needs, co-operation with parents was more intensive:
SUVAG Polyclinic kindergarten also putsa greatemphasison parent
collaboration, and alleducationaland rehabilitation activities are conducted in
collaboration with and with advice from parents. Methodsof working with
parentsinclude individual counselling, parentmeetings, workshopsand
parentalparticipation in activities with children. (Croatia)
• Parentsparticipate in the creation of individual educationaland therapeutic
programmesand are partnersin consulting, developing and evaluating
educationaland therapeutic results.
• Parentsare involved in their child’s individualclasses at the nursery.
• The nursery givesparentsan opportunity to contacteach other through
supportgroups, parentsocieties, integration meetings, celebrating
children’sbirthdaysatthe nursery.
• The nursery offershome visits for children in therapy atthe parents’
request. (Poland)
A holistic andpersonalisedcurriculum
Many examples described the adoption of a holistic and personalised approach to
education as a structurefor facilitating the child’s engagement. Such IECEprovisions
put the child at the centre of their policies and practices. These aimed to develop
each child’s potential through a holistic and individualised curriculumand pedagogy.
All children wereoffered an opportunity to succeed. Moreover, the children were
seen as active agents in their own learning.
Each child’s engagement in learning was made possiblein the firstplace in all
examples through a holistic curriculum. This wentbeyond the cognitive dimension
and included physical, social, emotional, ethical and spiritual dimensions. This
holistic curriculumalso included expression and communication, language,
aesthetics, knowledgeabout the environment and the world, mathematics and new
An analysis of 32 European examples 39
technologies. Emphasis was placed on curriculumflexibility in order to adjustto all
children. A holistic curriculumwas seen as related to ‘life in society’:
The curriculum in each class is inter-disciplinary, approachesknowledge asa
whole, uses numerousdidactic toolsto meet needsand gives opportunity for
child participation, therefore aiming for constantand all-round development.
(Greece)
The kindergarten aimsfor the harmonic, multi-faceted developmentof the
enrolled 3–6 year old children, their differentiated and individually-focused
improvement, and assistance to allow them to reach socialmaturity. (Hungary)
The Framework Plan isbased on a holistic approach to both care and education
and on the basic respect for the value of childhood itself. The Framework Plan:
• … focuseson four basic elements: play, learning, care and formation;
• focuseson inclusion and children’sparticipation. (Norway)
Some examples emphasised the importanceof helping children to develop a sense
of responsibility –a more positivedescription of discipline:
All children are supported to develop as successful learners, confident
individuals, effective contributorsand responsible citizens. (UK – Scotland)
Only children who learn to take responsibility for their actionsand to make their
own decisions can become self-determined and independentadults. When
defining limits, the following pointsare importantto us:
• There should be consistent rules and limits to provide continuity and
stability for the children. However, the limits and rules shall never be
applied rigidly. …
• The limits alwayshave to be directly connected to the situation, so that the
children experience them as a logical consequence.
• We rejectthe withdrawalof affection for the setting of limits.
• The children experience thatthere are limits and rules for adultsas well.
We are equally involved in the existing framework of regulationsand
structures. (Austria)
Some examples underlined the importanceof ‘play’ as a way to promote the child’s
holistic development. Itserves to actively engage all children by enabling them to
follow their interests, and to put them in touch with the world they could explore:
The most naturalactivity for children is play, which is viewed in this provision as
a medium for holistic development. The staff in the kindergarten understand
play as a facility for a child’s own self-creation … Teachersintentionally
Inclusive Early Childhood Education40
implement differenttypesof didactic games, using a lot of drama activities and
structuralplay in the educationalprocess. (Slovakia)
… play is an importantway to promote the child’s whole development. (Iceland)
Tremorfa Nursery haslong been a beacon of good practice with regard to
outdoor learning and play. Ithasworked hard to create a free-flow
indoor/outdoorenvironment, developing featuressuch asa small ForestSchool
and an innovative pond within the groundsto encourage the children to engage
with the naturalworld. (UK – Wales)
A creative and open environmentis produced and independentplay helpsto
develop the child’s imagination, fantasy and understanding of the world around
them. (Latvia)
Play allows each child to experimentwith differentobjects, learn aboutthe
outside world and understand it. Children can create and confirm their own
theoriesabouta wide range of objectsand phenomena through experimental
play. The kindergarten staff carefully plan playfulactivities, integrating them
into thematic projects. (Slovakia)
Sometimes, the link between the kindergarten play activities and the children’s
everyday life experience wasmoreexplicit:
Even more so than in later stages of life, living and learning in the elementary
area are directly and indivisibly linked with one another. Everyday activity and
social interaction with other people, adultsand children, the co-construction of
life practice, language and knowledge are the centralelements of this
educationalprocess. (Germany)
Many referred to extra-curricular activities to enhanceand extend children’s
learning experiences and strengthen community relations (please also refer to the
section on ‘External recognition’):
[The staff] overcomeslimitations in an innovative way, asthere are garden
plots in all kindergarten units, and the children are taken on trips and are
actively connected to the wider environment. … In co-operation with the
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food of the Republic of Slovenia and the
Slovenian BeekeepersAssociation, the kindergarten participatesin the annual
pan-Slovenian campaign‘TraditionalSlovenian Breakfast’. (Slovenia)
Ensuring an inclusive pre-primary environment for all
The examples showed concern for arranging the social and physicalenvironmentin
a way that enables each child’s engagement. There were references to assessing the
adequacy of the ‘inclusive environment’ to see to what extent it suited the child’s
An analysis of 32 European examples 41
strengths and needs. At the sametime, examples noted that adapting the
environmentwas beneficial for the whole class:
In order to give an adequate educationalresponse, the schoolstartsout by
analysing the context of its own diversity and the resourcespresentinside and
outside the school. Educating in diversity and attending to individuality requires
the adoption of modelsof schoolorganisation and curriculum development
which facilitate learning in each and every one of the learners(with their
differences). Thatis why the schoolapplies measuresfor globalschool
functioning, the use of spaces and times, and child grouping. School
organisation is an element that determinesthe educationalresponse, affecting
the developmentof activities and the attainmentof objectives. (Spain)
From these [specific inclusive education training] sessions the teachershave
developed a horizontalcurriculum for alllearners. An IEP was developed, of
which the pilot projectfor inclusive education naturally became a part, in
addition to the observations, techniques, inputsand the use of TEACCH
(Treatmentand Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped
Children) to improve the child’senvironment. The doorsof learning were
opened, and through the PAPEC (Plan para la Aplicación de la Prosocialidad en
Escuelas de Catalunya) methodology softskills and peer emotionshave
improved, thusestablishing an inclusive environment. (Italy)
All children with special needshave adaptationsaccording to their individual
programmesin the following ways:
• A reduced number of children in the group. …
• Adaptation of the site and facilities in accordance with the instructions
tailored to programme implementation and in accordance with special
educationalneeds.
• Space adjustment: ensure adequate space (intimate playing corners) for
individual work, specialequipment(e.g. a special chair for children with
physicaldisabilities, variousorthopaedic aids, accessoriesfor feeding,
communicator, wheelchairs, etc.).
• ... Enabling the corresponding transitionsbetween differentactivities,
constantroutine. Checking a child’s understanding. (Slovenia)
Each child has individualdevelopmentaland other needs and a flexible
environmentfavourslearning and ensuresquality of attendance in the
educationalinstitution. (Croatia)
It is mainly the organisation of the class of spaces in various‘corners’ or
‘workshops’ of discovery, experimentation, etc., which giveseveryone the
Inclusive Early Childhood Education42
opportunity to learn, to socialise, and to build, at their own pace and according
to their needs. (Belgium – French speaking community)
Regular reviewsof the learning environment. For instance, the setting is
currently workingon becoming an autism-friendlysetting so, for example,
displaysare neutralwith no brightoverwhelming colours. Visualpromptsare
used for all children attending the setting. (UK – Wales)
Employing qualifiedstaff open to IECE
Three main features werefound that ensured quality in the examples’ staff
composition. Firstly, teaching staff was generally trained to bachelor’s degree level.
Secondly, teaching staff had the supportof some formof teaching assistance.
Thirdly, regular staff included supportstaff trained in special education as well as
other child supportprofessionals, such as speech therapists. Theexamples showed a
variety of staff compositions and organisation:
At the Agrupamento de Escolasde Frazão, each group hasa teacher with a
bachelor’s/master’sdegree in pre-schooleducation, who isresponsible for
planning, organising and implementing educationalactivities with the group.
(Portugal)
Both the teachers(mainstream and specialist) have a first degree in preprimary
education, hence they are aware of the available waysin which a
teaching plan can be taught, the variety of optionsavailable and the aids
needed to facilitate learning according to age and possible difficulties. (Cyprus)
Finnish ECE teachershave completed a bachelor’sdegree, and other ECEstaff
also have adequate training. In addition to the bachelor’sdegree, early
childhood specialeducation teachershave completed a minimum of 60
European CreditTransfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) creditsin special
education. (Finland)
The schoolstaff consists of teacherswho hold a higher education degree in
early childhood education, a psychologist, a specialist teacher and a speech
therapist. It also co-operateswith specialists such as doctorsand occupational
therapists. (Greece)
The head, deputy and teachersare qualified to SCQF level 9 (EQF level 6);
practitionersare generally qualified to SCQF level 7 (EQF level 5), although in
this setting up to 80% of staff have undertaken additionalqualificationsup to
SCQF level 8 (also EQF level 5). (UK – Scotland)
An analysis of 32 European examples 43
Support educators also received some level of training in ECE:
Assistant pre-schoolteachershave secondary education obtained through the
educationalprogramme for pre-schooleducation or have completed the fourth
year of gymnasium and a professionalcourse for work with pre-schoolchildren.
Advisory workersmusthave a university degree in an appropriate field and
pedagogicalqualifications. (Slovenia)
The team involved in the projectconsists of the curriculum faculty and support
staff. In the Italian schoolsystem supportteachershave a degree in primary
education specialising in supportactivities (specialist education, developmental
psychopathology, neuropsychiatry, psychologyof disability and rehabilitation,
specialist teaching methodsand learning), which supportsthe teaching
curriculum and keepsup to date with developmentsin special education. (Italy)
In France, there isno specific pre-primary teacher training. Teachersgetthe
same training (Baccalaureate plusfive yearsof higher education) for both preprimary
and primaryschooleducation. … Since September 2014new
institutions, ESPEs (Écoles supérieuresdu professoratetde l’éducation, or
higher-learning schoolsof professorship and education), have been set up to
dispense this training. Each ESPE enjoyssome autonomy butmustoffer a
curriculum thatwill match the specifications drawn up for teacher training.
(France)
Using a culturally-responsiveapproach
Having qualified teaching staff made it more possiblefor them to be inclusive in
another way: they could be empathic towards the families’ and children’s cultural
backgrounds when thesewere differentfrom their own. Many examples mentioned
adopting a culturally-responsiveapproach through an appreciation of and respect
for the children’s and families’ background cultures. This was to ensure they felt at
home in the pre-school.
Numerous settings mentioned that, as well as having a diversity of children with
additional needs, the childrencame from very diverse ethnic backgrounds:
The schooldeals with issues of diversity related to religion, ethnicity, language
and special needs on a daily basis. The children enrolled the currentschoolyear
come from five differentethnic backgroundsand seven differentreligionsand
languages… (Cyprus)
The kindergarten also includesother children who have differentdifficultiesand
the need for individual programme adjustments, such aschildren of
immigrants, socially disadvantaged children and children from foster families
and safe houses. (Slovenia)
Inclusive Early Childhood Education44
The kindergarten enrolschildren from diverse ethnic, social and cultural
backgrounds… Among them, many children do nothave the language of
instruction as their mother tongue. The pre-schoolregularly welcomeschildren
with disabilities and/or SEN. (Belgium – French speaking community)
Botkyrka isa municipality in the suburban area of Stockholm with almost
90,000 inhabitants. Of these, 56% were either born outside Sweden (39.8%) or
have two parentsthat were born outside Sweden. … About100 different
languagesare represented within the municipality. … Botkyrka hasalso a fairly
large number of socio-economically disadvantaged inhabitants. (Sweden)
Recognition of diversefamily and child backgrounds was accompanied by accounts
of ensuring that childrenandfamilies fromminority or disadvantagedgroups were
enabledto feel like full members of the setting:
The setting workshard to reflect the community’sculturaldiversity within its
events and to identify and celebrate special culturalaspects. (UK – Wales)
The setting takes accountof culturaldiversity, and recently staff and parents
have been supported to learn British Sign Language to ensure thatfamilies with
hearing impairmentcan be fully included not only in the centre but also in the
wider community … Families are encouraged to share their culture and
language within the centre, celebrating diversity and enriching the curriculum.
(UK – Scotland)
To include the children from Chinese-speaking families, for the first month their
parentscome and take an active part in the pedagogicalprocesswith them,
spending time together with their children and teachers. Gradually the children
are left with Latvian-speaking children for more and more time. (Latvia)
The Education Act and the revised pre-primary curriculum state thatpreprimary
education should offer childrenthe opportunity to develop both their
Swedish and their first language, butin reality only around four outof ten
children with a first language other than Swedish are given this chance.
(Sweden)
Promoting diversity in staff composition
Moreover, at least three centres addressed the aim of valuing learners equally
through deliberate attempts to havegender, ethnic and linguistic diversity among
staff. This was a way of increasing the understanding and empowerment of diverse
children and families:
The pre-schoolhasexceptionally diverse staff composition compared to other
pre-schoolsin Iceland. … Both men and women are employed, aswell as
An analysis of 32 European examples 45
teachersfrom ethnic minority backgrounds. The staff membersspeak a wealth
of languages. (Iceland)
Nursery schoolsin Poland are female-dominated. In thisnursery schooleach
group hastwo tutors, a man and a woman. A diverse group of peersand tutors
providesmore opportunitiesfor children to seek out a person they trust to
establish a safe relationship with, particularly during the adaptation stage.
(Poland)
… our day-care centre iscompletely open to all children. However, diversity
does notonly refer to the children. We also welcome differencesin the staff
team and the enrichmentthatit bringsto our education work. (Germany)
Committedinclusive leadershipandcollaboration
The examples suggestanother important structuralquality of ECE settings that are
engaged in developing more inclusive services. They deliberately promote
collaborative endeavour among all their members. This is described as requiring
committed inclusiveleadership. Such leadership can develop a senseof shared
responsibility among staff and the whole learning community, and enable interdisciplinary
co-operation:
The keysto the programme’ssuccessto date have been … open communication
and active collaboration on the part of all involved. (UK – Northern Ireland)
Developing inclusivecommitted leadership
Collaboration is best achieved when the leadership promotes it. Severalexamples
mentioned committedleadershipthatbuilt strong teamwork within the setting, but
also created positive networks with sources of funding and expertise fromoutside
the provision:
The schoolleadership team comprisesthe headmistressand a secretary. This
team believes thateducation is an instrumentfor personaland social
development. … The leadership team has been the promoter, motivator and
facilitator in inclusive projects. Ithas been directly involved in their
developmentand launch, being the guarantorof their inclusion in the school’s
educationalprojectsand their continuity over time. (Spain)
The setting’s leader has worked atthe nursery for over a decade, first as a
teacher and now as a head teacher. She is passionate aboutearly yearsand
providing the best possible education and experiencesfor all children and their
families. This passion is reflected in her team, which is committed to working
together, sharing and developing knowledge and expertise to provide the best
Inclusive Early Childhood Education46
possible care and education for children, whatever their background or need.
(UK – Wales)
The head of centre is partof the localauthority ‘away team’, engaging with
othersfrom acrossScotland to improve practice with the centre and across
agencies. (UK – Scotland)
The head teacher promotesand drivesthe processesof inclusion by coordinating
the teaching staff (teachersand supportteachers) and non-teaching
staff (administrative staff, other schoolstaff, municipalteaching assistant),
facilitating contactwith the Ministry of Education (Ministry of Education,
University and Research), localgovernmentagenciesand private institutions
and meeting teachers’ training needsto ensure they are professionaland up to
date. The head teacher also implements the planslaid out in the new ‘Good
School’ reform approved in July 2015. (Italy)
Developing collaboration and shared responsibility
These IECEleaders worked deliberately to develop sharedresponsibility and a
commitment to common goals among staff:
Teamwork asa key factor to unite the group when assuming common goals.
(Spain)
One of the employees’ goals is to develop early childhood education based on
professionalco-operationand promote shared responsibility among all
employeesin the care and education of all children. Many professionalswork
together …, such as pre-schoolteachers, primaryschoolteachers,
educationalistsand assistants … The workforce hasplanning days, staff
meetings, departmentmeetingsand daily information meetings. All
departmentshave a weekly planning meeting to divide responsibility for all of
the children. (Iceland)
There were severalexamples of setting up deliberate structures for ensuring
collaborationand the sharing of expertiseby teachers and other staff:
Their [teachers’] work emphasisescollaboration with parents, the educatorsof
day-care centre groups, superiors, children’stherapists, and future teachers.
(Finland)
The organisation of the inclusive pedagogicalprocess: … Planned co-operation
between the child, family, teachersand supportteam allows the fulfilment of
tasks and the achievementof aims for the child’s personaldevelopmentand
education. (Latvia)
An analysis of 32 European examples 47
… a Learning SupportAssistant (LSA) … workshand-in-hand with the play leader
or class teacher to ensure that these children are participating in all class
activities and integrating with their peers. All play leaders, class teachersand
LSAs meet for a weekly planning session, in which they review and evaluate the
activities carried outin the previous week and plan for the following week.
(Malta)
The nursery isaware of the significance of local collaboration, and has
therefore been creating a network of collaboration for severalyears. The
nursery triesto promote good practicesand develop interesting solutions,
implement new initiatives and search for new partnersand allies. (Poland)
Inclusive Early Childhood Education48
THEME 4: INCLUSIVE STRUCTURES IN THE SETTING’S COMMUNITY
Inclusivestructures insidethe pre-primary setting were further supported by
inclusive structures in the surrounding community. Fivesuch structures were
identified:
• The IECE setting’s search for collaboration with the families
• Opportunities for in-servicetraining for IECE staff
• Various other supportfromthe surrounding community which was committed
to providing a quality ECE to all its children
• The co-operation of inter-disciplinary and inter-agency supportservices from
outside the pre-school
• Arrangements for the smooth transition of the children from the IECEsetting to
compulsory education settings.
Promoting parents’ active engagement
Because ECE is non-compulsory, ensuring children’s access to ECEprovision was
usually tied to a proactive searchfor parental engagement. Thepre-schoolsought
this even before the child was dueto be enrolled. Pre-schoolstaff reached out to
the community to encourage parents to send their children to pre-school:
The centre is well-known within the localcommunity and encourages
engagementwith families from first contact. Those making applicationsare
encouraged to join outreach and community/parentalinvolvement
programmesprior to taking up placement. Thissupportsa smooth home to
early learning and childcare transition, and ensuresfamilieshave support
during this interim period. (UK – Scotland)
Co-operation with the family begins even before a child begins to attend a daycare
centre. At first, the educatorsmeetthe family at the child’s home … If
necessary, an early childhood specialeducation teacher isincluded in the
meeting. The inclusiveness of early childhood specialeducation from the family
perspective is demonstrated by the feedback received from these families. For
example, they have said that their child’searly childhood specialeducation is
the only thing in their lives that hasbeen organised in a ‘normal’ way. (Finland)
Providing support to families
Some centres went beyond directly engaging families in their child’s education and
provided different forms of support for adequate family functioning. Such support
included arrangements for different hours of service, as well as extending childcare
to allow parents to manage work and family commitments.
An analysis of 32 European examples 49
Parentalinvolvement and engagementisa priority … the centre worksclosely
with families through a range of interesting and innovative services including
infantmassage, Bookbug Rhymetime sessions, stay and play sessions, and a
fortnightly health visitor clinic. (UK – Scotland)
The educationalistsin this partnership link also with health professionals. For
example, the partnership’sParentSupportProgramme for Autumn 2015
includes sessions on: ‘Healthy Mealson a Budget’, ‘Setting up Routines with
Toddlers’, ‘Developing Language’ and ‘Positive Behaviour for Starting School’.
(UK – Northern Ireland)
In over 50% of families, either both parentswork or they are single-parent
families. Since the kindergarten isfree of charge, childcare during lunch hour
and in the afternoonsis increasingly in demand … Upon advance registration,
parentsare invited to have a look at the kindergarten, to ask questionsand to
find out more aboutour institution. (Austria)
The Departmentfor the MedicalRehabilitation of Pre-primary Age Children
carriesout early rehabilitation of hearing-impaired children and parent
counselling. One goalis to help the parentsof hearing-impaired children accept
that their child has difficulties and, as much as possible, to help them become
competentrehabilitators. (Croatia)
Our understanding of ourselvesas service providerssupplementing the family is
also reflected in the design of the daily schedule. The objective here is to
maintain the balance between the educationaland upbringingmission and the
differing needsof individual families. … We therefore offer a variety of care
times, which families can select according to their needs. (Germany)
Providing staff withcontinuing in-service training
Continuing training for staff, particularly in inclusive education attitudes and skills,
was linked to the development of inclusive environments. Staff development
activities included determining what training was required by which staff,
encouraging them to take up offers, providing relevanttraining within the service,
visiting other settings and establishing links with universities and other training
networks.
Continuing professionaldevelopmentis a real strength of the setting. Not only
do practitionersshare their expertise within the team, but they also access a
wide range of specific early yearstraining. For example, allstaff are trained in
developing young children’scommunication skills, in Philosophy for Children
and many staff are Forest Schoolaccredited. More qualified membersof staff
often take on mentor roles to develop other staff members. (UK – Wales)
Inclusive Early Childhood Education50
TFC is a learning organisation with staff developmentat its core. … Staff are
encouraged to attend training coursesaspartof their work time and are
facilitated to undertake training. Staff are supported to engage in training at all
levels up to doctoraldegree within the centre and are encouraged to use the
centre as a site for on-going research and development. (Ireland)
A significant partof the work of … early childhood specialeducation teachers
consists of their own continuing education and the training they offer to other
staff based on it. Our early childhood specialeducation teachershave received
continuing education on such themes as multiculturalism, collaboration with
families, the autism spectrum, and encountering violence. (Finland)
To us it is essential that our staff avail of up-skilling … According to official
regulationsand to the system of remuneration, certain daysare defined for
further education, depending on the extent of employment. The employeesalso
get monetary support. Staff developmentis an integralpartof our
managementwork. (Austria)
The involvement of all the adults in the schoolin the projectconstitutes a
fundamentalassetfor its implementation and for the evolution of
representation. The entire schoolstaff is trained in therapeutic educational
approachesand adapted teaching, which constitutesa significant qualitative
factor. (France)
In SUVAG Polyclinic specialattention is given to the professionaltraining and
scientific educationalactivities of employeeswhich is accomplished through
professionaland scientific projects, participation in domestic and international
conferences, scientific publishing activity, education in colleges and universities,
mentorshipsand work with graduate students. (Croatia)
Qualification upgrading and re-training isfunded by the nationalor municipal
budget. This allows teachersto acquire the necessary knowledge of methods
and approachesfor planning and organising everydaypedagogicalprocesses
for children with special needs. (Latvia)
Support staff also received continuing training:
One of the consultative early childhood specialeducation teachersco-ordinates
the ECE of immigrantchildren and one trainsspecial needs assistants. (Finland)
The staff that supportand educate the children with SEN receive guidance and
have completed variousrelevantcourses. Some of the guidance and coursesare
given by the municipality. (Norway)
An analysis of 32 European examples 51
Seeking the local community’s support
Many of the examples soughtand drew strength fromthe supportof the many local
community resources and spaces, in addition to parental collaboration:
The premises in St. Isidor are ideal, since we are embedded in a village. Our
children/groupsmake regular use of the numerousgreen spaces, playgrounds,
forestareas, fun court, tobogganing hilland outdoor swimming pool. (Austria)
To guarantee integration in our environmentthrough co-operation with the
other institutions in the neighbourhood. … The spaces and surroundingsof all
the educationalcommunitiesparticipating in this projectwillenrich the learning
experience of all the participantsin the educationalcommunity. Moreover, the
schools, through this projectand others, are opening their doorseven more
than before and promoting learning environmentsthatgo beyond their
borders, the bordersof their cities and the bordersof their countries. (Spain)
… the setting workshard to engage the local community. A designated member
of staff is building her skills and expertise in successfully engaging
parents/carersin a very deprived area of a large city. Also, the setting often
runsevents and trips to enrich all children’sexperiencesand to engage
parents/carersin their children’slearning and development. (UK – Wales)
Múlaborg pre-school… is close to the centre of Reykjavík and the children come
from all areasof Reykjavík. Múlaborgco-operatesclosely with organisationsin
the neighbourhood,such asprimary and upper-secondary schools, aswellas
non-profitorganisationsand companieswhich provide servicesto people with
disabilities in Iceland. (Iceland)
Seeking inter-disciplinary andinter-agency collaboration
Most example descriptions strongly emphasised their collaboration with interdisciplinary
and inter-agency supportservices fromoutsidethe setting. This was
particularly seen as necessary for children with additional needs. Such co-operation
took place both within the setting, as well as with external services in the
community and through inter-sectoral co-operation:
Teacherscollaborate with families, the localhealth centre, the local
municipality and the schoolhead teacher to write a personalised education plan
for children with diverse needs and an individual teaching plan which favours
children with disabilities. (Italy)
Jyväskylä’sIECEmodel is implemented according to the nationalguidelines in
the entire city, and thus with the supportof authoritiesand political decisionmakers.
The co-operation partnersinclude the University of Jyväskylä and the
Niilo MäkiInstitute in Jyväskylä, which focuseson research into learning
Inclusive Early Childhood Education52
difficulties. Co-operation isalso carried outwith the Valteri Centre for Learning
and Consulting, which operatesin Jyväskylä under the Finnish NationalBoard of
Education, particularly when childrenhave supportneedsrelated to vision,
hearing, language and interaction.(Finland)
Once established in a nursery school, the UEMA programme associatesteachers
with health and social welfare professionals. Itis run under a contractual
agreementbetween the educationalestablishmentand a supportservice
specialising in invasive developmentdisorders. The success of this programme is
assured through a combination of severalprinciples:
• … the diversity and collaboration of variousprofessionals(teachersalong
with health and social welfare professionals) taking partin the
programme, which practically ensuresa 1:1 ratio of adults to children.
(France)
There were often references to using external expertiseto servethe needs of all
learners, particularly those with a disability:
Active and continuouscollaboration also takesplace with the following
institutions:
• PedagogicalInstitute: Step-by-step programme … staff training …
• Faculty of Ljubljana and Koper: Departmentof Pre-schoolEducation …
Departmentof SpecialEducation and Rehabilitation.
• Pre-schoolEducation Schooland Gymnasium of Ljubljana, Koper, Jesenice
and Kamnik, with teaching practice placements, practicalperformances
and practice of students:
− intergenerationalco-operation
− performancesand workshopsfor children
− therapy dog visiting kindergarten in conjunctionwith mathematics
innovation project…
• SecondarySchoolof Nursing: carrying outvoluntary work.
• Primary schoolssurrounding the kindergarten through variousformsof
work with a view to a smooth transition to school and a single coordinated
operation of:
− the use of the gym in Bevk Elementary Schooland Sava village
− children’svisits
− performancesfor children. (Slovenia)
An analysis of 32 European examples 53
Off-site support: Specialneedsspecialists, paediatrician, psychologist, social
worker. On-site support: Regular visits to speech therapy, music therapy …
psychologist. Co-operation with primary school. (Czech Republic)
Ensuring a smooth transitionfromhome to ECE and from ECE to primary school
Many examples highlighted another important structurein the community around
the pre-school: linking the ECE setting to the compulsory schools which would
receive the children. Indeed, this has been mentioned in someearlier quotations.
This was rather less intensive than their efforts for a smooth transition fromhome
to the ECE setting (pleaserefer to Theme 3). Nonetheless, many examples described
working towards a smooth transition to compulsory education for the children:
Throughoutthe schoolyear, pre-schoolteachersplan activities to facilitate the
transition of pre-schoolchildren to first grade (e.g. by carrying outjoint
activities between pre-schoolchildren and primary schoolchildren). In addition,
pre-schoolteachersco-operate with the first grade teachersin jointmeetings
for preparation of cycle transitions. (Portugal)
The child is expected to continue the training from kindergarten to primary
school, through the active exchange of information between teachersand the
participation of children in primary schoolworkshopswith exchangesof
activities and materials. (Italy)
Inclusive Early Childhood Education54
THEME 5: INCLUSIVE STRUCTURES AT REGIONAL AND NATIONAL LEVELS
All the descriptions began with a reference to the regional or national policies and
legislation for ECE. Six subthemes of inclusive structures wereidentified at this level:
• A rights-based approach to IECE
• The provision of mainstreamaccess to ECE for all
• The development of a regional/national holistic curriculum and standards
• The availability of pre-serviceeducation for teachers and staff in IECE
• Good governanceand funding for IECE
• Procedures for monitoring, evaluation and quality assurance.
Adopting a rights-basedapproachtoinclusion
This subthemecaptures the inclusive attitude that appeared to give meaning to
these practitioners’ inclusive endeavours. This attitude reflects international
developments in inclusive education, including the UNCRPD (United Nations, 2006),
which was also officially adopted as EU legislation. This attitude was evident in how
they welcomed each child and parent with unconditional positive regard (please
also refer to Theme 3). However, someexamples specifically referred to this
approach as constituting the application of international human rights conventions,
related national policies and the principles of equality and social justice:
The principaldescribesher vision as being an equality- and human rights-based
approach and the pre-schoolasbeing a learning community where both staff
and children learn from each other. … The work is based on … the rightof
children to grow up together and to learn from each other and with each other.
Children’srightsare supported in the internationalconventionsto which Iceland
is a member and in Icelandic laws and regulations. (Iceland)
The aim of this kindergarten isreflected in its motto: ‘The sun shines equally for
all’. (Slovakia)
The implementation of the anti-bias approach isbased on our belief that all
children have the right to participate equally in our service. (Ireland)
An analysis of 32 European examples 55
Promoting an inclusiveculture
The human rights approach was evident in descriptions of how some services tried
to create an inclusiveculture by educating staff and children about the values of
equality and inclusion and also, interestingly, about respect for nature:
The values and principlesthat guide their educationalwork are, among others:
• … to educate children aboutequality of rights, overcoming any type of
discrimination;
• to respectdiversity, based on acceptance of the differentraces, cultures
and ethnic groups;
• … to educate aboutvalues: education for life, peace, health, as well as
respectand appreciation for the naturalenvironment. (Spain)
… [A] high level inter-departmentalworking group … recommendsa multi-level
and multi-layered response in supportof the following objectives:
Level 1: An Inclusive Culture
This level is the critical foundation for the model. This sets out that a strong
culture of inclusion must be fostered and embedded to supportall children’s
maximum participation in ECCE. (Ireland)
Ensuring mainstreamaccess for all children
The human rights approach was also evident in the endeavours to make mainstream
IECEprovision an entitlement and possibility for all children in the community.
These examples translated this rights-based attitude into a determination to ensure
the ECE provision was truly open and accessibleto all children in the locality:
The schoolis open to all children and by definition doesnot exclude any
demographic. (Greece)
Tremorfa Nursery isproud of its inclusive ethos and hasnever turned a child
away. (UK – Wales)
All children … have the chance to attend the pre-school, to be involved in the
educationalprocessand prepare for the nexteducationallevel, primary school.
(Latvia)
In Estonia, local governmentsare obliged to provide all permanently resident
children aged from 1.5 to 7 yearswith the opportunity to attend a pre-primary
childcare institution in their catchmentarea if the parentsso wish. … Currently
93.5% of 4- to 7-year-old children are in pre-primary education, with 77% of
1.5- to 3-year-old children in pre-primary education and 10% in childcare. …
Inclusive Early Childhood Education56
At the end of 2015 the Ministry of Education and Research adopted a new
conceptof early childhood education and care. … The planned changeswill give
local governmentsmore flexibility in organising the provision of early childhood
education and care opportunities, based on the needs of children and families.
With the help of ESF (European SocialFund) and ERF (European Refugee Fund)
funds, localgovernmentshave the chance to create around 3,200 new
kindergarten or childcare places. About47 million euroswill be invested during
the years2014–2020. (Estonia)
There were indications that one of the main ways of enabling all families to send
their children to ECE was through the provision of free or subsidised ECE services:
Localgovernmentfunds[the] pre-primaryeducation curriculum. … In
appropriate cases, localauthoritiesensure financialand social supportfor the
children and their families. (Latvia)
Norwegian kindergartensare owned by the municipalities(47%) and by private
owners(53%). The feesare statutory and set by the authorities. Municipalities
and private ownersreceive financialgrantsfrom the authorities that cover
most of the costs, which meansthat fees are relatively low. The same actand
nationalframeworkregulate both public and private kindergartens. (Norway)
Pre-primaryschoolisfree of charge for all children and is compulsory from the
age of four. (Switzerland)
National holistic curriculaprescribedby legislation
Another macro structuresupporting inclusion processes was thedevelopment of
regional and national curricula. These established standards for both ECE
environments and ECE holistic curricula:
All the ECE settings in the Czech Republic follow the obligatory Framework for
ECE which includes five educationalareas:
• Biological: the child and their body, with focuson the overall physical
developmentof the child …;
• Psychological: the child and their psyche, with focus on the psychological
developmentof the child and their brain …;
• Interpersonal: the child and others, supporting interpersonalrelationships
between children and with adults …;
• Socio-cultural: the child and society, with focuson learning aboutthe place
where they live …;
An analysis of 32 European examples 57
• Environmental: the child and the world, with focuson respectfor life,
nature …
This ensures a holistic approach to early yearseducation. (Czech Republic)
The 2007 Decree … establishes the school’smissions, especially in kindergarten.
These are to: (1) develop and promote awarenessof the child’sown potential
through creative activities and self-expression; (2) develop social skills;
(3) develop cognitive learning, social, affective and psychomotor skills. (Belgium
– French speaking community)
Another sourcefor ensuring high-quality inclusive curricula was the use of wellknown
models of pre-primary education, namely Montessoriand Fröbel. Two
examples referred to these:
The teachersfollow the Montessoristyle of teaching, the idea being that
children should be ‘free to act’ to allow holistic growth … The curriculum
coversall aspects of a child’s personality, keeping in mind not only the
cognitive dimension, butalso the emotional-affective, physical, socialrelational,
aesthetic, ethical and spiritual dimensions. The contents chosen
by the staff relate to a holistic vision of child development. (Italy)
Zīlīte uses Fröbel’sprinciple … ‘children are born with the need to learn
aboutthe world around them through perception and senses’. The child
develops perception and observation skills, and makes decisionsbased on
existing strong links in the world around. The pedagogicalprocessallows
every child the opportunity to experience positive emotionsfrom different
activities, including everyday sports, active learning through playing and
games, listening, speaking, singing and dancing. During these activities
children develop their bodies, minds, emotions and social skills. Yoga for 5to
6-year-oldshelpsto develop concentration skillsand self-confidence.
(Latvia)
Development of pre-primary teacher education
There were indications that progress towards high-quality IECErequires the
development of more appropriateteacher education programmes in the country or
region. Two examples referred to collaboration with teacher-education institutions:
Espira Solknatten is also a kindergarten thatco-operateswith the University
College connected to kindergarten teachereducation. (Norway)
Teacher education (for early childhoodeducation teachers, primaryschool
teachers, and special education teachers) isone of the mainstays of the
University of Jyväskylä. (Finland)
Inclusive Early Childhood Education58
Good governance and funding: developing acoherent, adequately fundedsystem
of IECE provision
There was evidence of national policy and legislation being developed to ensure
equal opportunities for all to attend ECE and benefit fromquality provision.
Emphasis was put on the need for the availability of free services and indeed of
additional funding and provisions for vulnerablegroups:
Scottish Governmentlegislation and policy has a strong emphasison ‘Getting it
Right for Every Child’ (GIRFEC). The GIRFEC wellbeing indicators(safe, healthy,
active, nurtured, achieving, respected, responsible and included) are used and
understood by allpublic services to supportjoined-up and co-ordinated services
for families. They underpin the approach to additionalsupport, which includesa
single ‘child’s plan’ acrossall agencies. Staff at Kilwinning Early YearsCentre
work very closely with a range of specialist and universal services, including
educationalpsychologists, speech and language therapistsand occupational
therapists. Within this framework, the staff operate a staged intervention
processfor all children requiring additionalsupport(including additional
challenge). (UK – Scotland)
Decree-Law 281/2009 … established a NationalEarly Childhood Intervention
System (NECIS), as a shared responsibility of the Ministries of Health, of
Education, and of Labour, Solidarity and SocialSecurity, with the collaboration
of Private SocialSolidarity Institutions, and in close co-operation with families.
The NECIS aims to provide early childhood intervention to children between 0
and 6 years, who are atrisk of developmentaldelay or have established
conditions, and to their families. (Portugal)
In 2011 new legislation for special schoolswas approved in Ticino. In the New
Legislation for SpecialPedagogy (2012), the inclusion of children with special
needs in regular classesis explicitly indicated as an available option. The … case
study was started within this new regulatory framework. (Switzerland)
Since 2010, the Irish Governmenthas funded a universalfree pre-schoolyear in
an early childhood care and education (ECCE) programme, whichprovidesevery
child aged between 3 years2 monthsand 4 years7 monthsthe opportunity to
receive one year of pre-schooleducation in the year before they commence
primary school. Under the ECCEprogramme, the State paysa capitation fee to
participating services. Almost every pre-schoolservice (more than 4,300) in the
State is participating, with up to 68,000 children, or 95% of the eligible age
cohort, expected to avail of the programme in 2015. … Until recently there was
no nationally co-ordinated approach to supporting early yearsserviceswith the
challengesof inclusive early education practice. Thiswas recently addressed by
An analysis of 32 European examples 59
a high level inter-departmentalworking group which hasresulted in the
developmentof a strategic proposalfor supportto commence in 2016. (Ireland)
Quality assurance throughregular monitoring andevaluation
All the examples referred to a search for effectiveness and the useof monitoring
and evaluation procedures. They mentioned the application of national quality
standards and evaluations. They also highlighted the use of reflective practice that
was often incorporated into collaborative practices.
Promoting reflectivepractice
An important way of ensuring that staff rendered a quality serviceto children was
through constantreflective practice aimed at meeting the children’s needs.
Significantly, one example even used the writing of their proposalfor this projectas
an opportunity for a collective and reflective endeavour that could help to improve
their services:
We first presented the [IECE] projectto the school pedagogicalboard and to the
pre-schooleducation department. Alltwelve pre-schoolteachersaswell as
leadership membersof the schoolwere informed and collaborated in the first
partof data collection. We did interviewswith four pre-schoolteachersand
completed observationsin three pre-schoolclassrooms. … The schooland its
workforce understood thiscase study as an opportunity for organisational
improvementand professionaldevelopment. Based on the collected data, the
schoolcommunity is developing effortsto improve some aspects and to
implement some adjustments. (Portugal)
These inclusive examples regarded themselves as learning organisations engaged in
continuous improvement:
We also see ourselves as a learning organisation, in which informalprocesses
are of centralimportance for the quality of continuing development. Of primary
importance here is everyday exchange with our users, the children and their
families. Beyond this, we work intensively on the networking of our institution,
so that participation in various committees … co-operation with primary,
special needsand professionalschools… and co-operation with early childhood
intervention service, therapists, continuing training measuresfor the staff, etc.,
providesimportantimpetuses for development. These impetuses for
developmentare continuously reflected upon and adapted where appropriate.
(Germany)
Inclusive Early Childhood Education60
The educationalcommitmentstaken on by the team in recentyearshave been
and are key. They came from a processof reflection and internal participative
consensus, which they soughtout and planned, and self-evaluation and
reflection processescarried outin the past years. … Withouta doubt, prior
reflection in teams and individually must be the starting pointfor each teaching
team, and for European exchange environmentsor fora. (Spain)
Evaluating effectiveness
Most of the examples also ensured quality by engaging in formal evaluation of the
service. Several examples referred to national evaluation processes linked to
standards for ECE provision:
The curriculum contents, together with the quantity and quality of teaching
staff, learning aids and the facility settings, are organised into licensed
programmesdetermined by state regulation. (Latvia)
Kindergarten Centrum hasstarted its journey towardsinclusive education, but
progressive changesin the educationalprocessand quality improvements
cannotbe achieved withoutthe presence of evaluation … This includesinternal
and externalevaluation of the educationalprocess, the schooleducational
programme or curriculum and children’sachievementsin relation to their
personaldevelopment. (Slovakia)
All the work islinked to Síolta, the National Quality Framework for Early
Childhood Education and the nationalDiversity and Equality Guidelines for
Childcare Providers(2006) to critically reflecton practice. CuriousMinds
completed the Síolta Quality Assurance Programme in 2014 and wasexternally
validated at the highest possible level of quality in practice. (Ireland)
Some examples included parents’ opinions inthe service evaluation:
A ministry evaluation reportfrom 2011 (Elíasdóttir and Jóhannsdóttir, 2011)
states that parentsare generally very pleased with the pre-schooland confirms
that there is good collaboration between the parents, staff and principal.
Parentsare particularly satisfied with the individual curricula for each child,
which are developed in co-operation by parentsand the pre-school. (Iceland)
Parentshave praised the managementfor employing a highly educated
workforce and promoting teamwork, continuousprofessionaltraining,
exchange of experiencesand transfer of excellent practice. (Slovenia)
An analysis of 32 European examples 61
One example referred to the long-termsuccessof its previous childrenas proof of
its effectiveness:
Of the children that left SUVAG Polyclinic’skindergarten in 2014, 63%are
enrolled in mainstream education (kindergarten or school) and 31%attend
SUVAG Polyclinic’sprimary school. Continuoustracking of the Polyclinic’s
rehabilitantsshowsthat 85% of hearing- and speech-impaired children that
have completed the rehabilitation and education programme move on to
education in mainstream schools(primary and secondary) and 11% continue on
to universities and higher education. (Croatia)
ParticipationinEuropeanprojects was also seen as a good way to improvepractice:
In recentyears, the schoolhas looked for good practicesoutside its immediate
surroundingsasan associate in European projects, aswellas co-ordinator of a
multilateral Comeniusprojectbetween 2010 and 2012 … Ithas worked in
collaboration with other European schools, established ties with schoolsfrom
other European countriesand hashad the opportunity to exchange experiences
and learn aboutmany other educationalprojects. Thishashad a clear impact
on incorporating new methodologiesand improvementsto its project. (Spain)
The Tree of Life Project… is a European Union (EU) funded projectrun by
Kreattiv initiative which left a huge legacy at the Happy School. The tree itself
transformed a cold and uninspiring space into a fun, brightand creative area,
which keepsexpanding with new projectsthat develop over time. (Malta)
Since 2001, Kindergarten Jelka hasbeen actively involved in international
projectsand partnerships:
• 2001–2004: Co-ordinating Socrates-Comenius-Schooldevelopmentproject:
‘Young learners– Integrating second language atearly age’ in partnership
with Bulgaria, Italy, Germany, Poland, Romania, Spain (Palma de
Majorca), Spain (Canary Islands), Finland and Malta. (Slovenia)
The proposals also referred to external recognitionof the quality of their service:
The pre-schoolis a pioneer in the inclusion of children with and without
disabilities. It also providesconsultancy for other pre-schoolson inclusive
practicesand has received awardsfor its inclusive work. (Iceland)
Externalrecognition: Family Prize of Upper Austria for the children’shotel.
(Austria)
Inclusive Early Childhood Education62
In recognition of the centre’soutstanding practice, it has been featured on the
Education Scotland website and in the Early Years Matters publication to share
its highly effective practice. The head of centre has also been asked to
contribute to a nationalworking group to supportthe professional
developmentof staff on GIRFEC. Her skills were also recognised by the local
authority, which asked her to lead the recentexpansion of high-quality early
yearsservices. (UK – Scotland)
Some proposals described how their provision served as a training centre for ECE
educators:
Kindergarten Centrum isoften visited by teachersfrom other kindergartens, or
by pre-primaryteaching studentswho are interested in acquainting themselves
with the operation and organisation of the school. Kindergarten Centrum cooperateswith
the University of Matej Bel in Banska Bystica and regularly
providesteacher training for students. (Slovakia)
SUVAG Polyclinic is a unique health institution in the Republic of Croatia, and
also a world centre for the improvement, interpretation and promotion of the
verbotonaltheory and its application. The verbotonalmethod is used in
education on every continent, and verbotonaltraining for expertsfrom around
the world is carried outhere. (Croatia)
Links to researchinstitutions or other institutions with quality provisions were
another way of enhancing quality:
The schoolcollaboratesperiodically with the National University of Athens in
research to promote literacy, the social and emotionaldevelopmentof children
and the training of educatorsin aspects of the educationalprocess. (Greece)
Some universities have considered the Agrupamento de Escolasde Frazão asa
partner in projectsaboutlearning and development. Thispartnership is viewed
as an importantexternalrecognition. For example, the schoolparticipatesin
the University of Minho’s ‘I’m still learning …’ project, which aimsto develop an
online platform for assessmentand intervention in reading disabilities.
(Portugal)
The provision described workspositively with the university in Rome and
receives teacher training students. The schoolalso collaboratesin certain
university research projectson the application of metacognition in education in
order to preventlearning disabilities in early childhood education. Asit uses
Montessorimaterials for learning, the schoolis also recognised by the Italian
MontessoriAssociation, which sendsfuture specialist Montessoriteaching
students to the school. (Italy)
An analysis of 32 European examples 63
Engaging in transformativeprocesses
Some examples referred to transformative processes they wentthrough in their
search for more inclusive provisions. This was trueof both those already deeply
engaged in the inclusivejourney and thosestruggling against prevailing systems of
segregation:
Nationallegislation is gradually adjusting the platform and conditionsfor
inclusive education in kindergartens. In Slovakia these adjustmentsdevelop
gradually, asshown in Kindergarten Centrum where the processis in
movement. Therefore, although Kindergarten Centrum isin some aspects closer
to and in some aspects further from true inclusive education, change of thought
has begun there in the recognition of the need to ensure qualified and highly
professionalstaff (inclusive team) that can recognise and respond to the
individual needsof each child. (Slovakia)
All the elements of the UEMA prepare children with autism and their school
peersto be educated together. … Mobilising nationaleducation in conjunction
with the medicaland educationalfields createsthe necessary partnership from
early childhood. Thispartnership requiresorganising collaboration between all
professionalsin order to ensure the coherentimplementation of the
project. … Meetings with the teaching and extra-curricular staff were organised
prior to the start of the programme. Asthe children have only very recently
started the programme, the team has focused on their welcome and getting to
know one another. The school’steacher takespartin teacher, course and school
meetings. For now, the children are in partialinclusion in the pre-school
lunchroom (there isa specific table for the UEMA children, who are in the
lunchroom atthe same time as the other children). There is complete inclusion
during recessand nap time for some of them. Inclusion plans in other classes as
well as the inclusion of other schoolchildren in the UEMA classroom are already
underway. (France)
Inclusive Early Childhood Education64
CONCLUSION
This analysis forms partof the findings of the three-year IECEproject(2015–2017).
The project aims to foster a wide understanding among policy-makers, practitioners
and researchers thatquality IECEis essential for every child’s development. Itis
particularly important for children who are at risk of exclusion. Itis an attempt to
startanswering the IECE projectquestion: How do European ECEpractitioners
perceive inclusion and how are they trying to make their provision more inclusive?
The findings arose fromthe qualitative thematic analysis of 32 descriptions of IECE
in 28 European countries. These descriptions weresubmitted to the Agency’s IECE
projectin 2015. Theanalysis identified 25 subthemes on quality IECEthat were
presented within the new EcosystemModel of IECE. A combination of two major
perspectives on quality ECE inspired this new model: the Outcome-ProcessStructuremodel
and the Ecological Systems model. The new model is founded on
the example descriptions by practitioners and their advisors on IECE. Itaims to
promote a deeper and wider understanding of IECEissues. Itis also expected to
contribute to IECEresearch, policy and practice in Europe and internationally.
Firstly, the development of the new EcosystemModel of IECE, inspired by two
previous major models, should clarify the understanding of the issues related to
quality ECE. The IECEprojectitself will continue to refine this model in its wider and
deeper reaches. This will ensure it does indeed represent issues that are important
for improving quality in ECE and particularly in IECE.
Secondly, the analysis strongly suggests that, froman inclusion point of view, the
most importantoutcome of quality ECE is to enable each child to attend ECE
regularly (‘to be there’). While being there, each child should experience being a full
member of the teacher’s group and the peer group. Each child should enhance their
learning and be actively engaged in the ECE setting’s socialand learning activities
(please refer to Imms & Granlund, 2014; Imms etal., 2015). Theprimary emphasis is
the child’s participation and holistic development as the main outcomes, rather than
the attainment of age-appropriatecurriculumtargets. This creates a more equitable
goal of ECE than that emphasised to date in international policy documents (please
refer to European Commission, 2014; OECD, 2015) and international assessments
(e.g. OECD, 2014).
At the same time, the importance of participation raised in this analysis is in line
with both national and international conventions on human rights (e.g. UNCRPD,
2006). Itsupports thefocus on ‘studentengagement’ as a way of improving learning
for all learners and across all levels of education (Alford et al., 2016; GreatSchools
Partnership, 2016). Froman inclusion point of view, the focus on participation is
An analysis of 32 European examples 65
even more important. It allows all children, whatever their level of achievement, to
be valued equally as active participants and learners with their peer group.
Thirdly, the analysis shines a new light on the major processes in which children are
directly involved and which mostinfluence each child’s participation and learning
(please refer to Pianta et al., 2009). Thefocus on processes of participation, holistic
development and learning highlights the importance of interpersonalteacher-child
and child-child relationships. Italso emphasises the use of a personalised, childcentred
approach and assessmentfor learning in any efforts to improvethe quality
of ECE. In order to promote this perspective, one of the products of this Agency IECE
projectwill be a self-reflection tool for practitioners in ECE settings. This tool would
be used to try and improve the inclusiveness of their social and physical
environments.
Finally, the analysis clarifies the structuralfactors needed to supportthe
development of more inclusiveECE settings. Italso shows how they are related to
local and national policies and practices. Situating the structures atthe ECE setting,
community and regional/national levels is importantin levering them to bring about
the changes needed to enable each child to participate and learn. For instance, the
analysis highlights how, within the setting, importantstructuralfactors include:
• Adopting an inclusive, welcoming ethos
• Strong partnership with parents
• A holistic, accessibleand flexible curriculumand environment
• Employing qualified staff
• Supportfroma committed leadership that has worked towards and promoted
collaboration and shared responsibility among all stakeholders.
The model also helps to clarify the overlap of local and national responsibilities. For
instance, initial teacher education for IECEmay be primarily a regional/national
responsibility. On the other hand, the employment of qualified staff and their
continuing up-skilling is more closely linked to the responsibilities of ECE settings.
Similarly, legislation and funding which entitle all learners to access to mainstream
provision aremainly the responsibility of regional/national policy-makers. Ensuring
that all children and families can actually access the local provision is a concern of
the leadership in the local setting.
Inclusive Early Childhood Education66
The project team wishes to thank the practitioners and researchers who invested
time and energy to describe and submitthe examples of IECEsettings. We hope
they feel that the analysis does justiceto their efforts. Readers should also note that
the full example descriptions areavailable on the project website:
www.european-agency.org/agency-projects/inclusive-early-childhood-education
The issues raised in this reportwill be further explored through an analysis of the
detailed case study visits. They will also be analysed in light of the country
questionnaires on national structures for IECEfromthe 28 European countries.
Furthermore, the issues will be discussed in relation to the relevant literature.
In this way, the projectexpects to continue to contribute to a better understanding
of the IECEsuccess factors that researchers, policy-makersand practitioners can use
in their endeavours to improve the quality of ECE for all children.
An analysis of 32 European examples 67
ANNEX 1: METHODOLOGY
This chapter describes the method for analysing the data for the identification of
themes related to IECE.
All the data from the 32 proposals was subjected to thematic qualitative analysis.
Using ATLAS.ti computer-aided qualitative data analysis software, all the text from
each example was firstsegmented according to the topics addressed in each
paragraph or sentence. These segments were then placed in different relevant
categories, such as curriculum, staff training, etc. The collection of quotations for
each topic category was then reread to identify which IECEstructures and processes
were being put forward in the data. This led to the identification of 25 subthemes.
These were then organised into five main themes within an eco-systemic model of
IECE.
Identificationof subthemes
An inductive data analysis method was used. Each theme was initially derived from
the text of the example descriptions. However, as is often the casein qualitative
analysis, this inductive process was still intertwined with the project’s theoretical
knowledgein two ways.
Firstly, themes wereidentified because an issuethat was raised was regarded as
significant for inclusive education and not simply becauseit was mentioned in all or
most proposals. Thus, currentIECEtheory influenced the analysis.
Secondly, there is some indication of the prevalence of each theme across
examples. However, it should be said that some subthemes were raised in only a
few examples. For instance, only three examples mentioned promoting staff
diversity. On the other hand, there were themes which every example mentioned,
such as seeking family engagement.
Itis clear how all the themes identified in this analysis are in line with the inclusive
vision adopted by the Agency:
The ultimate vision for inclusive education systems is to ensure that all learners
of any age are provided with meaningful, high‐quality educational
opportunitiesin their local community, alongside their friendsand peers
(European Agency, 2015, p. 1).
Itshould be noted that the analysis follows the project’s focus on good practice.
Thus, the initial call was for examples of good IECEsettings. Similarly, this
subsequentanalysis searched for examples of possiblesuccessfulinclusive
arrangements rather than for problematic, unresolved issues.
Inclusive Early Childhood Education68
Using the above criteria, 25 subthemes wereidentified. These were then further
interpreted and reorganised into five main themes withina model inspiredby the
Outcome-Process-StructureandEcological Systems perspectivesfor understanding
inclusion and child development.
Evidence for each identifiedtheme
This document is intended to provide ECE policy-makers, administrators,
practitioners and researchers with insight into and evidence of currentIECE
developments in Europe. Ittherefore provides a concisedescription of each main
theme and subthemewith a few relevant quotations from the data to illustrate the
inclusive outcomes, processes and structures thathave been identified.
An analysis of 32 European examples 69
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