"<< Background >>90% of the brain’s capacity develops before the age of 5, yet the workforce who serves young children is too often undervalued, underpaid and inadequately prepared. Recognition of the importance of Early Childhood Development (ECD) services is increasing in many parts of the world. Still, little attention is placed on one of the most critical factors in influencing children’s learning development – the early years workforce. The Early Childhood Workforce Initiative strives to place more attention on these professionals and para-professionals.While teachers are a crucial part of ECD services, they make up just a fraction of the early years workforce. Decades of research have shown that home visitors can increase parental wellbeing and efficacy, decrease child maltreatment and improve child outcomes. Across sectors, too little is known about those working with families and very young children as well as those who mentor them. By providing a clear picture of the early years workforce, the Early Childhood Workforce Initiative aims to help policymakers in specific countries support the development of a quality workforce.Taking into account the diverse backgrounds and experiences of individuals delivering ECD services, training and professional development programs offer an opportunity to impart a core set of knowledge and skills to members of the early childhood workforce, which is particularly important as programs look to scale and reach a greater number of young children and families. In addition, there is evidence to suggest that supporting individuals with such opportunities can influence child development outcomes. For example, a recent metaanalysis of global studies of center-based early childhood education and care programs found that higher teacher qualifications are related to improvements in supporting children’s development, including those related to supervision and the scheduling of activities, organization and arrangement of the room, providing varied social experiences for children, and creating a warm and friendly environment for interactions. Beyond qualifications, other research has suggested that the quality of the education program – i.e. how well it prepares new teachers by, for example, grounding them in knowledge of child development and academic subject areas – may be a more critical factor in a teacher’s ability to influence children’s development and learning in a positive way. Although there is growing evidence that a well-trained and supported early childhood workforce is key to providing high-quality services to young children and families, there have been limited efforts to systematize the various approaches taken across the entire workforce.Supporting families of young children before birth and during the child’s first years is of great importance. It can result in life long benefits for children, communities, societies and nations. Home-visiting programs in particular have been found to increase parental wellbeing and parenting efficacy, as well as child outcomes. Home visitors can help deliver personalized care and assistance directly to families and communities in need. However, in many countries in Europe and Central Asia home visits that are provided through the health sector are often narrowly focused on physical health and medical content, do not reach the most vulnerable and are not tailored to the specific needs and circumstances of individual families.<< Objectives >>The main aim of the project is to support the partnership initiative aimed at promoting innovation in the education of children in an early age, their parents and teachers from kindergartens and the exchange of experiences between participating partners.The overall goal of the project is to strengthen a support the continuous professional development of the ECD Workforce working with young children from socially disadvantaged environments and their parents by providing them with the pilot training on a new teaching methodology that can be used in their everyday work in formal and non-formal educational settings accross Europe.Project will be targeting to increase access to multi-sectoral services for parents and children (including prenatal care) and to enhance and improve earlylearning and parent-child interaction.A subsidiary goal is the engagement of the local municipal and national authorities in each country in the implementation of the project, in order toguarantee the effectiveness of the delivery in the short term and the long-term sustainability.<< Implementation >>Learning/Teaching/Training Activities:C1 - C4 Trainings of Trainers in Slovakia, Serbia, Hungary and ItalyC5 - C8 Training of ECD Workforce in Slovakia, Serbia, Hungary and Italy. Main training topics:- Parenting with Confidence methodology- Home visiting methodology- Persona Doll methodology- Embracing diversity methodology.Multiplier events:Advocacy roundtables E1 - E4 in Slovakia, Serbia, Italy and Hungary.<< Results >>Expected results - Participants of project activities will be able to:- Strengthen the functioning of families within communities through the support of parents (mothers and fathers) in their efforts to raise their children in a safe and caring environment.- Provide parents with the opportunity to acquire the necessary information, develop their social skills and knowledge on early childhood care, importance of their parental role, diverse models and approaches to parental care, especially in terms of their communication with their children and their mutual understanding, their opportunities to support their children's learning and help them build a positive relationship to learning.- Explain to parents the importance and meaning of participation of their children in pre-primary education in kindergartens.- Strengthen the level of tolerance between non-Roma and Roma parents.- Reduce the level of undesirable and inappropriate parental attitudes and practices regarding the education of children from marginalized communities.- Fmpower participants to discuss with children ""sensitive topics"", such as poverty, disability, exclusion, rejection, fear, violence, etc.- Empower children to critically think and openly talk about their feelings and to resist biasis, stigmatization and discrimination.- Enhance the psychosocial life of young children and build community in the classroon.- Get theoretical overview and knowledge about most relevant concepts related to diversity, interculturalism, equity and social justice.- Build the critical consciousness trough naming reality, giving voice to those who are usually silenced and by building alliances.In order to achieve these results we will prepare innovative intellectual outputs:- Working with young children from socially disadvantaged environments and their parents.- Respecting Diversity.20 new trainers of trainers and 80 ECD professionals and para-professionals will be trained during Learning/Teaching and Training activities from at least 20 pilot formal or non-formal ECEC settings.We will advocate for the higher quality of Early Childhood Education and Care through newly developed advocacy tools:- Report on National ECD Policies in Partner Countries.- ECD Policy Recommendations for EU and National Stakeholders."