Project name: DEE – Diversity, Equality and inclusion in pre-primary education and care: a gender perspective

Funded by: The European Commission under Erasmus + programme, K2 Strategic Partnerships for school education

Implementation period: 02.11.2017 – 01.05.2020

The project is implemented by PROVINCIA AUTONOMA DI TRENTO in partnership with Alliance for regional and civil initiatives (ARCI), Bulgaria, University of Trento, (Università degli Studi di Trento), Italy, The Institute for Masculinity Studies and Gender Research (Verein für Männer- und Geschlechterthemen Steiermark), Austria, and Save the Child in Styria (Rettet-das-Kind-Steiermark), Austria.

General Objective: this project aims to contribute, to define and spread models, tools and methods to foster inclusion of diversity and equal opportunities for all from early childhood.

Specific objectives of the project are to: analyze and share the best practices and previous experiences inside and outside the partnership in gender and diversity education; educators training model in each partner country (IO1); information and action toolkit for parents, in order to foster sensitivity and adequate competence in support to a stereotype-aware education for children (IO2); guidelines and recommendations for policy makers (IO3).

Target groups: the project has three target groups.

1. educators of nurseries and kindergartens working with children aged  0-6 –  120 educators from the three partner areas (Trentino, Styria, Sofia)
2. parents of those children attending the schools where educators involved in training work.
3. decision and policy makers (representatives from municipal, regional, national and European authorities with interest in education ), pedagogical coordinators, (Headmasters, educators and teachers, with a specific responsibilities in childcare organizations) who are responsible for working with educators.

Based on a participatory process and in itinere evaluation and finetuning, the project will develop educators training courses based on innovative pedagogical approaches and methodologies,  information material,  and recommendations for decision makers and relevant social stakeholders.

The expected results are: an exchange of best practices; offer specific training for ECEC educators and information for parents; establish an inclusive pedagogic environment with a gender perspective.

The impact of the project is focused on a higher quality of pre-primary school education and a larger and deeper sensitivity to gender and diversity education, giving children the right to grow up free by stereotypes.

At a larger level, the impact of the project is to act as a conduit for knowledge of other European experiences and to start a discussion, much more scientific, on the gender and diversity theme.