High time to put the invisible children on the agenda: supporting refugee families and children through quality ECEC

Abstract

Among asylum seekers in the EU, many are families with young children (0-4 years). In policy and practice, however, these children remain invisible. During the asylum proceedings, which can take quite some time, there is hardly any pedagogical offer available in reception centres nor are there clear policies to guarantee accessible, useful and meaningful ECEC. While there is ample evidence of the possible benefits of high quality ECEC, especially for vulnerable groups, these children often do not attend any ECEC provision. This article addresses this issue, by reporting on the results from the Erasmus+ Project 'MyRef', Multilingual Early Childhood Education and Care for Young Refugee Children (01/10/2016-31/05/2019) carried on in Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom. One of the main findings of the project was the almost complete lack of specific policy or attention for this group of young children and their families. In research as well, the very youngest refugee children have not been a topic of attention as such. In this article, we want to raise awareness on this group of children and their right to access to high quality ECEC. KEYWORDS Asylum; ECEC; (lack of) access; support for refugee families with young children; inclusion Introduction: setting the scene Europe has been receiving refugees for decades, including families with very young children. This creates an urgent need to provide a first shelter for them, not only in terms of housing and food but also in terms of safety, family support, care and education. There is a strong need for a humanitarian, rights-based and sustainable approach to the refugee issue, not only because of the high numbers of refugees but also because we know this will not be a temporary challenge and we need to protect the human rights of these newcomers (Transatlantic Forum on Inclusive Early Years 2017; United Nations Global Compact 2020). Since 2015, many refugee families have come, and continue to come, to Europe. Refugee children between 0 and 4 years are particularly vulnerable, and high quality

Help and Solidarity Interactions in Interactive Groups: A Case Study with Roma and Immigrant Preschoolers

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“…The results of this study revealed that the IGs format benefits children and promotes their cognitive, social, and emotional development. This is especially important in regard to Roma and children with immigrant backgrounds because of the persistent social and educational inequalities they face starting in their earliest years (Vandekerckhove and Aarssen 2019). However, there has not been in-depth research on peer interactions in interactive groups.…”

Från monolog till dialog : Integration av nyanlända familjer i landsbygdsförskolor

“…2018;Norheim & Moser 2020;Petriwskyj 2014). För föräldrarnas egen del innebär mötet med förskolans pedagoger ofta första steget i deras egen integrationsprocess ( Vandekerckhove & Aarssen 2020;Tobin 2020). Huruvida deras röster blir hörda och respekterade på förskolan kan påverka deras känsla av tillhörighet till det nya samhället (De Gioia 2015; Lunneblad 2017; Vandekerckhove & Aarssen 2020;Sønsthagen 2020;Tobin m. fl.…”

On the way towards integration? From monologic to dialogic encounters in Swedish rural preschools

“…Previous research reports on a lack of dialogue and mutual understanding between migrant parents and preschool practitioners (De Gioia 2013;Tobin 2020;Van Laere, Van Houtte, and Vandenbroeck 2018), and shows that preschool practitioners often pay inadequate attention to cultural differences (Sønsthagen 2020;Tobin 2020). Nevertheless, as early childhood education in many Western societies represents the context in which migrant families with children meet the majority society for the first time, preschools remain an important integration arena (Lunneblad 2017;Tobin 2020;Vandekerckhove and Aarssen 2019).…”