Milano CENTRAL DIRECTION FAMILY, SCHOOL AND SOCIAL POLICIES – European Project Office January ASSIST structured in-service-training for pre-school assistants and pre-school teachers Kick-off Meeting Oslo 30/31 January – 1 February 2008 Municipality of Milan Family, School and Social Policies Department

Milano CENTRAL DIRECTION FAMILY, SCHOOL AND SOCIAL POLICIES – European Project Office January Inhabitants in Milan Total: (Census 2005)

Milano CENTRAL DIRECTION FAMILY, SCHOOL AND SOCIAL POLICIES – European Project Office January Children in Milan

Milano CENTRAL DIRECTION FAMILY, SCHOOL AND SOCIAL POLICIES – European Project Office January School System in Italy Nursery school nursery university First level Degree Second level Degree Senior high school State Examination Primary school Junior high school State Examination first cycle second cycle

Milano CENTRAL DIRECTION FAMILY, SCHOOL AND SOCIAL POLICIES – European Project Office January CENTRAL DIRECTION FAMILY, SCHOOL AND SOCIAL POLICIES Director of Central Direction Secretarial staff Support to Director Services for Infancy Services for the Family Services for Underage and Young people Services for Elderly Services for Adults in difficult situation

Milano CENTRAL DIRECTION FAMILY, SCHOOL AND SOCIAL POLICIES – European Project Office January SERVICES FOR INFANCY AND CHILDHOOD Director of department Secretarial staff Administrative support Educational activities for age 0-6 Supplementary educational activitiesSupport services for the family

Milano CENTRAL DIRECTION FAMILY, SCHOOL AND SOCIAL POLICIES – European Project Office January EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR AGE 0-6 Educational activities for age 0-6 Planning and organization of supplementary and educational activities – Pedagogic support Enrolments officeBoarding fees office 58 DIDACTIC DIRECTIONS

Milano CENTRAL DIRECTION FAMILY, SCHOOL AND SOCIAL POLICIES – European Project Office January EDUCATIONAL PERSONNEL Total personnel in the Central Direction: 5534

Milano CENTRAL DIRECTION FAMILY, SCHOOL AND SOCIAL POLICIES – European Project Office January DIDACTIC DIRECTIONS 484 services overall (for each Direction from 420 to 620 children) Nursery schools 170 Nurseries 105 Nurseries in contract 53 “Spring classes” 18 Nurseries in agreement 101 Micro-nurseries

Milano CENTRAL DIRECTION FAMILY, SCHOOL AND SOCIAL POLICIES – European Project Office January SUPPLEMENTARY SERVICES Hospital sections Tagesmutter Toy-libraries Family nurseries Time for families

Milano CENTRAL DIRECTION FAMILY, SCHOOL AND SOCIAL POLICIES – European Project Office January EDUCATOR / CHILD RATIO Ratio as provided in the most recent Trade Union agreement: Ageratio /6 3 – 62/25

Milano CENTRAL DIRECTION FAMILY, SCHOOL AND SOCIAL POLICIES – European Project Office January EDUCATIONAL PERSONNEL - NURSERIES Number of educators in nurseries 1315 in particular : with fixed-term contract 280 with open-ended contract 1035 Assistants 428

Milano CENTRAL DIRECTION FAMILY, SCHOOL AND SOCIAL POLICIES – European Project Office January EDUCATIONAL PERSONNEL – NURSERY SCHOOLS Number of educators in nursery schools 1853 in particular : with fixed-term contract 218 with open-ended contract 1635 Assistants 450

Milano CENTRAL DIRECTION FAMILY, SCHOOL AND SOCIAL POLICIES – European Project Office January DISABLED CHILDREN Nursery schools 306 Nurseries 43 Micro-nurseries 1 Contracted nurseries 8 Total 358

Milano CENTRAL DIRECTION FAMILY, SCHOOL AND SOCIAL POLICIES – European Project Office January CHILDREN ENROLLED – school year 2007/08 Nursery schools Nurseries olderinfants Municipal nurseries Nurseries in contract Nurseries in convention “Spring classes”315

Milano CENTRAL DIRECTION FAMILY, SCHOOL AND SOCIAL POLICIES – European Project Office January PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS Director Co-director University degree in psycological, sociological or pedagogic subjects Employed in municipal services after specific selection/public competition University degree in psycological, sociological or pedagogic subjects Employed in municipal services after specific selection/public competition

Milano CENTRAL DIRECTION FAMILY, SCHOOL AND SOCIAL POLICIES – European Project Office January TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES Organizational, pedagogical-teaching, and administrative management of services Coordination of the whole Direction Detection of training needs in order to ensure the personnel’s technical and professional updating and to support and develop the specific competences Administrative, organizational and pedagogic-didactical management Support to the director Director Co-Director

Milano CENTRAL DIRECTION FAMILY, SCHOOL AND SOCIAL POLICIES – European Project Office January PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS Educator Assistant Degree of secondary specific school (social service worker, children assistant, assistant for children communities) Employed in municipal services after specific selection/public competition Degree of junior high school Employed in municipal services after specific selection/public competition

Milano CENTRAL DIRECTION FAMILY, SCHOOL AND SOCIAL POLICIES – European Project Office January TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES Educator Assistant Responsible for the direct contact with children Responsible for the planning, class management, observation, documentation and assessment Room arrangement and care Ensure orizontal and vertical continuity Encounters with parents Obligatory involvement in collegial activities and updating Teaching activities and extra teaching activities Room and equipment care, including safety, hygiene and room tidyness Initial information to users Support for teachers

Milano CENTRAL DIRECTION FAMILY, SCHOOL AND SOCIAL POLICIES – European Project Office January DEMANDS FOR TRAINING Detection of educational needs for the staff Reinforcement of the basic skills of the teachers Awareness of new teaching problems in the lights of social-cultural changes and acting accordingly Awareness of a family-focused method, parents playing a primary role in the upbringing of children Updating relational skills toward parents and families Theoretical-practical updating of the staff based on new regulations for preschools and nurseries Theoretical-practical updating of the assistants, i.e: –Support to teachers in their activities –Initial information for users –Vigilance and surveillance of children –hygiene

Milano CENTRAL DIRECTION FAMILY, SCHOOL AND SOCIAL POLICIES – European Project Office January DEMANDS FOR TRAINING Training plan Themes : Care for infants (educators) Problems and disabilities (educators) Relations with the family (educators) Portfolio teaching programme and documentation (directors, co- directors and educators) Rules and limits 0-6 years of age (directors and co-directors) Training on dietetic programmes (directors, co-directors and educators) Training on Italian legislative Decree on Safety on Italian Food Safety law (directors, co-directors, educators and assistants) Average course duration: 40 hours

Milano CENTRAL DIRECTION FAMILY, SCHOOL AND SOCIAL POLICIES – European Project Office January SKILLS theoretical-practical skills(knowing) relational skills(knowing how to be ) intervention skills(knowing how to do)

Milano CENTRAL DIRECTION FAMILY, SCHOOL AND SOCIAL POLICIES – European Project Office January SKILLS Professional competence: it finds expression through practices of facilitation, easiness and structuring learning. It is regulated by the children’s feed-back Accurate methodological awareness, able to overcome both single, spontaneous interventions and the severity of an action only based on method The main object is children’ s advantage, needs and results. The more competence, the more the results of children are reinforced and ensured. Taking into account each role, work-building is important.

Milano CENTRAL DIRECTION FAMILY, SCHOOL AND SOCIAL POLICIES – European Project Office January CHALLENGES New organization of educational services (in progress) Continuity 0-6 (creation of “spring classes”) Exchange of personnel in municipal nurseries and pre-schools, in order to export the municipal model Multicultural approach to education (improving multicultural subjects and opening to new needs) Reaching more children age 0-6 through a variety of supplementary and integrated services (tagesmutter, bonus bebè, family nurseries...)

Milano CENTRAL DIRECTION FAMILY, SCHOOL AND SOCIAL POLICIES – European Project Office January STATUS Workers in the educational and teaching fields are differently respected and considered Altough they have nowadays a very high level of education, pre- school teachers still have a lower status if compared with other kind of teachers Until recently, their level of education and qualification was actually lower, whereas today an university degree is required. It didn’t help to raise their profile: a long-lasting process is required. There is still a difference between educators for 0-3 and teachers 0-6 children, which is being gradually removed. In Milan’s services it is used the word educator only.

Milano CENTRAL DIRECTION FAMILY, SCHOOL AND SOCIAL POLICIES – European Project Office January NURSERY SCHOOLS – PUBLIC/PRIVATE Municipal nursery school 170 State nursery schools 22 Private nursery schools 106

Milano CENTRAL DIRECTION FAMILY, SCHOOL AND SOCIAL POLICIES – European Project Office January NURSERIES – PUBLIC/PRIVATE Public nurseries 277 Private nurseries 192

Milano CENTRAL DIRECTION FAMILY, SCHOOL AND SOCIAL POLICIES – European Project Office January EXPECTATIONS –European Benchmarking –Detecting improvement areas –Identifying of timing, costs and resources necessary to perform improvements

Milano CENTRAL DIRECTION FAMILY, SCHOOL AND SOCIAL POLICIES – European Project Office January Which parts of Sagene Model will be more interesting for your setting? Detection of training needs through a survey to be carried out among the staff In-service-training: work and learning occuring simultaneously, with no division between theory and practical experience Use of skills: organizing and sharing skills and experiences Innovative training program: more instruments for assistants in order to detect and manage problems correctly

Milano CENTRAL DIRECTION FAMILY, SCHOOL AND SOCIAL POLICIES – European Project Office January …… the end …… thanks for your kind attention