Building Gender Equality from the Start

We decided to develop the project because we had previously acquired good expertise on promoting gender equality by being involved in awareness raising projects and training in the school, VET and youth sectors. ECEC sector is a strategic one and it’s actually from here that educators, professionals and parents have to start working on combating gender stereotypes and bias. Through our work and especially in joint collaboration with partners, we were convinced that we could all reach a better understanding of the various cultural contexts and what it means contrasting gender stereotypes in early years. GENDERBEST was a unique opportunity to discover how ECEC systems in Serbia, Italy and Slovakia function, how different languages shape the differences between boys and girls, and to help transferring knowledge and skills to preschool teachers and staff on how to promote greater equality among young children. In terms of needs, ECEC staff in all three countries explicitly asked to be helped to strengthen their competences to challenge gender stereotypes in the ECEC sector, to help parents change their attitudes towards gender roles with a special attention to the approach towards digital tools and their use with young children.

The main goal was to support ECEC teachers, preschools’ leaders and other training providers to improve gender and gender related digital access equality in ECEC settings in all aspects that ensure inclusive quality ECEC as per EU Quality Framework Recommendations, whilst empowering them to monitor and (self)evaluate the gender mainstreaming in ECEC. The specific objectives were: 1. To improve ECEC professionals’ and other supporting staff’s competences to self-assess their own gender biased prejudice and discriminatory attitudes and practises; 2. To develop tools and guides for policies and practices reducing gender and gender related digital use gaps in the ECEC settings in 5 quality areas per EU Quality Framework Recommendations; 3. To create and strengthen learning community of teachers, parents, civil society and other stakeholders that can effectively monitor, (self)evaluate gender and gender related digital use and plan measures to reduce it.

We implemented four types of the activities: 1. We developed three different types of tools for the staff of ECEC settings (Management, ECEC teachers and other employees) and parents/families of young children to assist in the development of gender equality from early years and to help equal access to the digital tools. In addition to the activities related to the development of a Tool for (self)assessment of one’s personal prejudice and (un)conscious gender bias as proposed in the project proposal, the Project Management Team decided not to develop one generic tool, but two specific versions of this tool – one of ECEC professionals and the other for parents/family members. 2. We trained 20 ECEC teachers to use the developed material and to assist their colleagues in using them. 3. We translated and piloted all three types of tools in all project partner countries. 4. We shared the information about the tools among preschools, ECEC policy and decision makers in all three countries 5. We developed Recommendations for policy and practice decision makers and ECEC setting to take steps towards achievement of the gender equality in all areas that ensure quality in ECEC. 6. We held a Final Conference in Serbia to share all the results, including the Recommendations and the experience in different aspects of the project with preschool institutions, local and national stakeholders as well as with the representatives of EU Delegation in Serbia

Concrete outputs were: 1. Tool for (Self)Assessment of Gender Related Personal Prejudice, Stereotypes and (Un)Conscious Bias for ECEC Staff 2. Tool for (Self)Assessment of Gender Related Personal Prejudice, Stereotypes and (Un)Conscious Bias for Parents 3. Best Practices in Achieving Gender and Gender Related Access and Use of Digital Tools Equality in ECEC 4. Toolkit for Monitoring and Evaluation of Gender Equality in ECEC Settings 5. Recommendations for Adaptations of Policies and Practices at ECEC Settings, Municipality and State Levels to Foster Gender Equality from Early Years 6. International Training for the Project Partners’ staff in Bratislava 7. Three one-day information sharing activities (one per partner country) 8. Final Conference in Belgrade The outcomes achieved are: - Greater awareness of preschool teachers in partner countries on how to tackle gender equality and approach gender stereotypes in ECEC settings, first by reflecting on and making use of the Self-Assessment questionnaire - Greater knowledge on practices in partner countries and external to the partnership to foster gender equality and gender equal use of digital tools - Making use of the tools and integrating them in ECEC settings’ internal system – from equipping the setting with gender neutral toys and didactic material, integrating consciously activities fostering gender equality into curricula and M&E of the daily work, inclusion of gender equality in the governance and budgeting practices to discussing the issue with parents - Building a stronger learning multi-stakeholder community at the local level in the partner countries - Dissemination of the information and tools beyond project partner countries, at the European level. - Development of a follow-up actions through new project proposals