The role played by ECEC in promoting social inclusion of children of immigrant families: the outcomes of a research conducted in Italy, Spain, and Hungary

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a European survey, entitled “Multicultural Early Childhood Education”, carried out between 2017 and 2018 under the Erasmus Plus program, in three Countries: namely, Italy, Spain, and Hungary. The goal was to explore intercultural training needs of Early Childhood Education and Care professionals, in order to make them able to meet the needs of Children from Immigrant, Refugee, and Roma Families, and their families. It was a comparative study about the cultural background of educators, through the analysis of their competences and training needs, with respect to the issue of multiculturalism and interculturality, with a focus on the “good practices” promoted within the educational contexts of partner institutions. The survey was conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire, administered to a sample of educators and pedagogical coordinators working in ECEC services of Florence, Barcelona, and Budapest. The outcomes of the analysis of the data collected has shown that strengthening the relationship between ECEC services and immigrant families represents an important goal, in order to guarantee and promote the integration of children and their families.