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Published on: 27/01/2021Updated on: 27/01/2021
School dropouts, loss of bearings, parental burnout... the health crisis is weakening families, intensifying social divides, and deepening inequalities from the earliest age. Moreover, international studies show gaps are often created in early childhood. When children enter first grade, there can be a 1,000-word difference in vocabulary mastery between those from different social backgrounds. The government has just launched the "Childhood Equality Ambition" training plan to combat these inequalities. It aims to train 600,000 early childhood professionals, with a total budget of 48 million euros over 3 years. But what does this plan promise? What training is eligible? For which audiences? How will it be implemented within the sector?
Training 600,000 Early Childhood Professionals...
The training plan for early childhood professionals, announced by Emmanuel Macron in September 2018 during the National Strategy for Preventing and Combating Poverty presentation, is also part of the reform of early childhood care. It relies mainly on the national framework for early childhood care, which came into effect in January 2021. The government intends to share a vision of child development with 600,000 early childhood professionals from all backgrounds.
Specifically, this involves training these professionals to address the social challenges of early childhood care and to enhance their ability to support the diverse needs of young children—emotional, social, cultural, artistic, cognitive, and sensory. Seven training priorities, approved by High Council for Family, Childhood, and Age (HCFEA), have been clearly defined:
- Language
- Arts and Culture
- Food and relationship with nature
- Occasional care
- Prevention of stereotypes
- Parent Reception
- Digital technology
...Including 88,456 Childcare Providers and Childminders
With its extensive experience, IPERIA, with the Skills Operators, is leading the implementation of the national training plan for individual and domestic employees. Its role is to promote training participation for 88,456 childcare providers and childminders by December 2022. This represents nearly 15% of the professionals targeted by the plan.
About thirty modules, already present in the priority training offering of childcare providers' professional branches and domestic employees, have been identified. Indeed, the question of competence in service of professional recognition and quality childcare has been at the heart of IPERIA's concerns for more than 25 years. This is evidenced by the existing professionalization offering, which includes modules that support children with disabilities, family communication, and interculturality.
To encourage training participation, a comprehensive promotional plan will be implemented with the support of the network of accredited training providers: communication campaigns targeting childcare providers and childminders, mobilization of institutional prescribers and partners, etc.While the challenges of the "Childhood Equality Ambition" training plan are significant, the benefits will be equally substantial. Through the care and support of today's young children, we are shaping tomorrow's society. Training and qualifying childcare providers and childminders means giving them the necessary skills to support these future adults, thus contributing to equal opportunities. IPERIA will be present to meet this challenge.
