The organisation Children in Scotland, at its annual conference called'Aiming High: A professional workforce for the early years', highlightedthe need for a more wide-ranging approach across Europe working withchildren, families and the wider community.
Jan Peeters, director of the Research and Resource Centre for EarlyChildhood Education and Care at Ghent University, said, 'This newprofession, whether we call it a pedagogue, teacher or educator, isfaced with an exciting challenge: to offer an answer to the complexproblems and questions faced by families, children and the broadersociety.'
The conference highlighted the latest edition of Children in Europemagazine, which is published simultaneously in 11 languages by a networkthat includes Scotland. It looks at how early years workers in the EUoperate and how better services could be developed.
Bronwen Cohen, chief executive of Children in Scotland and member of theUK and Ireland editorial board for Children In Europe magazine, said,'We tend to think in departmental ways, such as early years worker andchildminder. The challenge is to develop the sector to allow greaterflexibility, with people who work with young children being able to workwith adolescents.'
This month Children in Scotland is to launch Working It Out, a 12-monthexamination of the future of the Scottish children's workforce.
The programme will include debates, newsletters, seminars and a majorconference exploring the use of the pedagogue model and its potentialadvantages.
Further information
www.childrenineurope.org
