Inclusion, much like the US, has become a hot topic
in Italian childcare. Specifically there is much discussion of the inclusion of
Roma children, many of whom are migrant and impoverished. In Italy migrant
children are guaranteed inclusion by law and Roma children are encouraged to
attend school. While teachers’ salaries appear to be higher in general,
$40,000.00 per year for preschool educators additional funding and stipends
have been put into place to compensate teacher s who work in schools with a
high number of disadvantaged children. There is an active movement to recruit
more teachers as numbers in the profession are not as high as they should be. A
majority of education in Italy is state funded and provided free of charge from
nursery school and beyond but there are long waitlists, lottery systems and it
is difficult to obtain spots at times. Teacher qualifications are high and education
and professional credentials are required to teach even in preschool. Since
1998 a four year degree has been a requirement to teach nursery school. The
requirement of education is one reason that teacher compensation is
significantly higher then here in the US. There was a push for more
privatization of schools to increase quality but poor economic conditions and
high unemployment means that state schools are the primary employer and quality
can vary greatly. Kirstin, my international contact plans to continue teaching preschool
as she earns a good wage. She has no aspirations to administration or higher
position, she enjoys working with the children. Her main challenge or concern
is that she is teaching at a private school and as more families choose disenrollment
as children are older to save money there is always the concern that it will
lead to layoffs.
Jennifer according to the Czech National Report Roma children are transferred from basic to practical schools 28 times as often as other children. Roma children who stay in basic schools are 14 times as likely to repeat a year as other children, which implies that a considerable percentage of Roma children finish basic school having completed only the sixth, seventh or eighth form, and are thus unable to apply for vocational training. One of the causes is the language barrier. Most Roma children entering the first grade of basic schools speak a Roma ethnolect of Czech.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the traditional unwillingness of local governments and majority parents to accept Roma children in majority kindergartens and schools will inevitably slow the inclusion of Roma children. The National Report estimates that from 30–50 per cent of Roma children in Serbia are placed in sub-standard kindergarten premises and displaced resources placed at their disposal (good teachers, infrastructure and equipment adjusted to their age, appropriate didactic methods and additional educational programs). Members of focus groups are of the opinion that discrimination is more easily noticed in primary schools than in kindergartens, as the number of Roma children in the latter is extremely low in Serb.
A high percentage of Roma children never access the education system. The participation rate of Roma children in preschool education is extremely low. Existing data sources suggest that a maximum of 20 per cent of Roma children across Europe are enrolled in preschool, though this improves to more than 50 per cent in the year before compulsory schooling. Rates of attendance and completion for Roma children in primary school remain staggeringly low with a recent estimate by UNICEF suggesting only one Roma child completes primary school to every four non-Roma children in Central and South Eastern Europe. Roma children, in particular girls, have a very low transition rate into secondary education.
Resource:
Roma Early Childhood Inclusion (n.d.), Retrieved on April 19, 2014 from: http://www.unicef.org/romania/RECI-Overview.pdf
Thanks for your post on Italy. It was interesting to read. I wonder how long it will be before the United States will value Early Childhood Education enough to start requiring higher degrees for all early childhood centers, not just for preschool. I can understand her fear of the possibility of being laid off. As the enrollment goes up and down, funding, and financial issues affect employment for all. The center I work at is a large church childcare center that has had financial difficulty for awhile now. They are to the point that they are voting on if they should stay open or close 6 months at a time. They have also started cutting out benefits that the employees have.
ReplyDeleteJennifer,
ReplyDeleteI like the thinking of that teachers with more education get compensated accordingly. It sounds like early childhood teachers are respected for being teachers and not just "baby-sitting" as many people in the US think. I know my state has been requiring higher education for teachers, but many centers (private or corporate) are not paying for that type of education so teachers are taking a loss by gaining more education. We could take a cue from Italy!
Hello,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing such insightful information on Italy. Especially with the topic of inclusion. The information you shared on your post will help us all be knowledgeable about what's going on in the country.
Keep up the good work,
Tierra
Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the information from Italy. It is wonderful to hear that a 4 year degree is required to teach preschool and teachers are paid accordingly. For me it is different to hear that a preschool teacher does not want to move up or go into administration. It shows she is happy where she is and being paid well. In my area, teachers cannot wait to get the chance to move up or go into administration because that means more money. Having higher wages in Italy keeps the quality teachers in the classroom. The US could learn some things from Italy. But it looks like both countries still have a way to go since access is limited in Italy because of waiting lists, etc.
Myra