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Published on: 13/05/2020Updated on: 13/05/2020
The skills of childcare providers and childminders, whether from formal or informal learning, are central to parents' concerns and public policy. The European ValChild project, in which IPERIA is a partner, aims to enhance their visibility and recognition and promote quality support for children and their families at home.
A Key Role in Child Development
We now know that the first three years of life are crucial for child development and the overall health of the adult they will become. During this period, childcare providers and childminders are essential figures in a child's environment. Alongside parents, they play a key role in development, early learning, and fulfillment.Status of the Situation in Europe
Childcare varies significantly across Europe, whether provided by formally trained professionals or experienced but informal childminders. According to existing studies, an estimated 70-95% of an adult's total learning comes from informal learning (at work and in private life) and non-formal education (short training courses, workshops, e-learning, etc.). Childcare providers' and childminders' professional knowledge thus constitutes valuable but invisible capital.
Recognition of Prior Learning, an Effective System
Lack of transparency prevents worker skill identification, recognition, and qualification development. Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), a certification pathway, emerges as a solution adaptable across Europe. It provides means to diagnose and evaluate experience-gained skills, guiding people toward appropriate training.
ValChild, a Modern Project at the Heart of European Issues
Running for two and a half years, the ValChild project concluded on March 31, 2021. Since its launch in October 2018, it has brought together five partners from five EU countries, including early childhood associations, organizations promoting research and methodological development, experts in continuing education and recognition of prior learning (RPL), certifiers, and training institutions. It has six main objectives:
- Define skill validation conditions and criteria.
- Develop assessment and validation tools to facilitate experience recognition.
- Provide recommendations for implementing RPL systems
- Improve quality, availability, and accessibility of training for childcare providers and childminders
- Support personalized learning pathways
- Define validation mechanism for early childhood professionals
