Over 10 and 11 September 2015, the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the European Union is holding a European conference on the topic of 'Diversity and Multilingualism in Education and Care in Early Childhood'.
The conference was opened by Minister of National Education, Children and Youth, Claude Meisch, who emphasised the need to increase the number and quality of childcare places available. This point was reaffirmed by Minister for Family and Integration, Corinne Cahen, who also spoke of the potential of integration through language, giving the example of refugees who arrived in Luxembourg a year ago and now speak French, German and Luxembourgish.
European Commissionner for Education. Culture, Youth and Sport, Tibor Navracsics, stressed the significant of investing in quality education from an early age, citing it as the best protection against social exclusion in a world where social inequalities are growing.
The conference then offered a series of speeches and workshops focused on the central theme. Discussions revealed that the quality of early childhood care invlves a respect for the individuality of each child and the variations in Mother Tongue and cultural background of each. Participants identified a range of possibilities which could increase the visibility of diversity in the learning environments of toddlers, with talks centrering around the potential to promote multilingualism and diversity in host structures.
Main subjects of discussion were attitudes towards children and their families, investment in training conditions, a monitoring system focused on the needs of all children and the development of a relationship of trusts and strengthened collaboration with parents.
All the identified axes of action held an underlying image of a child who was competent, active and a co-constructor of their learning. This is also the framework of the 'early childhood' themed group under the auspices of the European Commission.
The findings of the conference are due to be brught to the attention of ministers at the Council meeting in Brussels in late November 2015.
