Promoting equity and gender equality in ECEC: Reflections from a pilot project
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58955/jecer.152439Keywords:
ECEC, equity planning, gender equality, non-discriminationAbstract
This paper describes a pilot project, Plats för fler! Mini (“Room for More! Mini”), that supported service providers in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) to further gender equality and equity through structured plans and everyday practices. The Finnish education system has been based on values such as equity and equality for decades. However, looking at the everyday praxis of ECEC and previous research, these values remain mostly abstract objectives. In this paper, we present the project and discuss its benefits and areas of improvement. The project consisted of two parts: 1) continuing education in the form of online training sessions and 2) an online material bank. The theoretical framework for both parts was norm-critical pedagogy, which also forms the theoretical framework for this paper. We present how this theoretical framework can be implemented in ECEC and continuing education. This paper discusses promoting gender equality and equity as well as a practical application of equality and non-discrimination plans within ECEC. It offers insights to ECEC personnel, researchers, and continuing education providers.
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