From Finland, the public school superpower, to capitalist Britain, education varies widely across Europe. Across this spectrum, one factor remains constant: early childhood education is a necessity for most families, because it determines their children's future academic careers.
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What we today call nurseries and kindergartens stem from early 19th-century experiences: Robert Owen's Infant School opened in Scotland in 1816, while Therese Brunswick championed the “Gardens of the Angels” in Hungary beginning in 1828., credit for which can be attributed to Friedrich Froebel, a German educator, founded the concept in 1840. The idea quickly crossed oceans: the first public school kindergarten was opened in the 1870s in St. Louis, USA, and by 1880, there were more than 400 kindergartens in 30 US states.
Today, this professional field performs a complex function, integrating children with different abilities and backgrounds, experimenting with methodologies, and enabling working families to exist. Apart from making a lot of pasta art, these institutions develop skills, support children's personal development and socialization, integrate minorities, teach language arts, as well as promote intellectual and emotional growth.
But it's not all rainbows and unicorns in the world of early education; Across Europe, many countries have been continuously reducing their spending on education since the 1990s, thus putting pressure on professionals and making the cost of childcare a significant burden. In addition, early education for migrant and refugee children is something that needs to be addressed, especially in the wake of the 2015 “crisis” and more recently the war in Ukraine. While the European Union Although they were arguably better prepared to confront the first group in terms of providing care and education, they had to find ways to adapt to the latter group more quickly, as challenges continued to arise for both.
Early childhood education plays an enormous role in supporting families and children's development. They are a cornerstone of society, and in many places across the continent, they need greater support than they currently have.
Today's guests
Viktoria Szocs is the president of the Democratic Union of Nursery Employees in Hungary. She is a dedicated advocate for strengthening the professional landscape for teachers, ensuring they have the resources and support they need to nurture the young minds of tomorrow.
Maria Roth is the director Montessori Adult Education Center In Munich with 50 years of experience. She is an AMI (Association Montessori International) recognized trainer specializing in developmental ages from 3 to 6 years.
Flora Baxo is a mediator, restorative facilitator, trainer and project manager at Hungary Partners Foundation, invested in the integration of Roma students into education systems. She is also an educator for Relevant Learning, a trauma-informed methodology that helps parents and teachers.
We meet them in Central European University Library in Budapest.
sources
Monitoring of the provision of early childhood education and care (ECEC) services for Ukrainian refugee children and their families in Europe by Ecorys
How does Europe welcome Ukrainian refugee children into early childhood education and care (ECEC) services? By the European School Education Programme
Creative team
Rika Kinga Papp, Editor-in-Chief
Murphy Akiel, Artistic Director
Zylvia Pinter, producer
Zofia Gabriella Babb, executive producer
Margareta Lechner, writer and editor
Salma Shaka, writer and editor
Priyanka Hutchenreiter, Project Assistant
administration
Hermann Riesner General Manager
Judit Ksikos is project manager
Ms. Chela Kardos, Office Administration
Budapest video crew
Nora Roszkay, audio engineering
Gergely Aaron Babai, Photography
Laszlo Halasz, photography
Post production
Nora Roszkay, lead video editor
Istvan Nagy, video editor
Milan Golovics, Conversation Editor
art
Animation by Victor Maria Lima
Cornelia Frischoff, theme music
Captions and subtitles
Julia Sobota Closed caption, Polish and French translation; Manage language versions
Farah Ayyash, translator
Mia Belen Soriano, translator
Marta Verdebar translated into Croatian
Lydia Nadori, translated into German
Katalin Szlukovényi is a Hungarian translator
Daniela Unifazo, translated into German
Olena Yermakova is a Ukrainian translator
Aida Yermikbaeva is a Russian translator
The Martian Zaslavsky movie with Italian subtitles
Sponsored Central European University Library, Budapest
disclosure
This talk show is produced by Display Europe: a leading media platform based on public values.
This program is jointly funded by the European Union's Creative Europe Program and the European Cultural Foundation.
Importantly, the views and opinions expressed here are solely those of the authors and speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for it.
