Under the Early Childhood Workforce Initiative (ECWI), the International Step by Step Association (ISSA) hosted an in-person Embracing Diversity training of trainers for 27 individuals from 13 countries. The training was held from 13-15 November and was specifically for organizations licensed in the program.
In line with ECWI’s aim to ensure the early childhood workforce is well-prepared and supported to provide children and families with quality services, this in-person training aims to address exclusion and discrimination issues in early childhood settings. Moving forward, ISSA will support the training’s roll-out in at least three countries.
This training is based on two ISSA programs designed for adults and adults working with children respectively, “Embracing Diversity - Creating Equitable Societies Through Personal Transformation” and “Educating for Diversity – Classroom Activities”. The sessions build knowledge, understanding, and sensitivity to mechanisms that perpetuate and maintain systems of discrimination and oppression in educational institutions and society in general.
With this training, ISSA aims to create conditions for personal, professional, and institutional transformations to be able to nurture each child’s self and social identities, to support adults and children to engage in comfortable, empathetic interactions in contexts of diversity, and to think critically about their own biases.
The training was delivered by experienced trainers and co-authors of ISSA’s Embracing Diversity programs, Jelena Vranjesevic, Professor of developmental psychology and psychology of education at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade, and Zorica Trikic, Senior Program Manager at ISSA.
Learn more about how the training promotes values of anti-discrimination, anti-bias, and diversity inclusion among early childhood practitioners.
