Launch of the European Alliance for Quality in Early Childhood Education and Care

Strengthening the capacity and knowledge of local and regional authorities to promote quality early childhood education and care in European countries, including through peer learning, exchange of experiences and mobilisation of established European good practices. This is the aim of the European Alliance for Early Childhood Education and Care launched today, Wednesday 15 April, at the European Parliament in Brussels.

The journey was presented at a high-level policy dialogue seminar at the European Parliament entitled 'European Alliance on Early Childhood Education and Care: Developing skills and knowledge to promote ECEC-Early Childhood Education and Care across Europe'. With MEPs hosting the event, Hon. Stefano Bonaccini (S&D) and Hon. Letizia Moratti (EPP), speakers included Mario Nava, EU Director General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, Francesco Profumo, President of the Reggio Children Foundation, Lieve De Bosscher, Director of Childcare Services of the City of Ghent, EuroCities, Marco Massari, Mayor of Reggio Emilia, Hon. Elisabetta Gualmini (EMPL), Jochen Devlieghere, University of Ghent, Chiara Spaggiari, Reggio Children Foundation, Marina Manea, Head of Preschool, Bucharest, Flaminia Trapani, Pianoterra ETS Association, Naples, conclusions by Ms Maria Chiara Gemma (ECR).

In recent years, Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) has gained strong international recognition as a high-impact investment with long-term social, economic and developmental returns. At European level, this recognition has translated into a challenging policy agenda that has included the European Guarantee for Childhood, the renewed Barcelona Goals, the 2019 Council Recommendation on High Quality ECEC Systems. Despite this strong political momentum, significant implementation gaps with respect to the EU targets persist. Finally, the EU Declaration of La Hulpe explicitly calls for capacity building of local and regional authorities and mobilisation of established European good practices. It is in response to this call that the Reggio Children Foundation and the University of Ghent, together with the cities of Reggio Emilia and Ghent, the Regions of Emilia-Romagna and Flanders, Members of the European Parliament, and civil society organisations, took the initiative to launch the European Alliance for Quality Education and Early Childhood Care.

"If Europe really wants to be fairer, more competitive and democratic, it must have the courage to invest where it all begins: in the first years of life," said Francesco Profumo, President of the Reggio Children Foundation. "The quality of early childhood education and care is not just a social choice, but a true development policy: this is where the challenge against educational poverty and inequality is played out. Investment is needed in children's rights, in educators' skills, in local systems and in the ability to valorise and share the best experiences. This is the direction proposed by the European Alliance: networking excellent practices, such as those of Reggio Emilia and Ghent, to build an educational model capable of generating economic growth, social cohesion and democratic quality throughout Europe. Europe is built first of all in its pre-schools: that is where its future is born."

For Lieve De Bosscher, Director of Children's Services of the City of Ghent, EuroCities, 'the European Alliance for ECEC is based on solid cooperation in the triangle of research, policy and practice. In Ghent, as in Reggio Emilia, we have built quality ECEC over the past decades through cooperation with Ghent University and VBJK, the early childhood research centre, and we have established a lasting alliance with Reggio Emilia, which is also based on this triangle. Cities need better and direct access to EU funding, long-term support for proven research-inspired approaches, stronger cooperation and knowledge exchange between cities and knowledge institutions, and a permanent dialogue between Europe and its cities'.