Training course

The pilot Internationalization of Preschool Services training course was led by 2 trainers from SERN (experts in EU and International affairs with a clear-cut focus on ECEC sector, and Project management) and involved 31 participants (mostly Preschool educators, teachers, pedagogical coordinators from kindergartens and nurseries, and municipal administrative staff working in the early childhood education sector with over 15 years of experience in the field.

The course had a total duration of 25 hours across 4 months period divided as follows:

• TWO 3-HOUR FACE-TO-FACE SESSIONS: the trainers introduced the topic of internationalization in the context of preschool education, aiming to present key concepts and highlight its importance starting from early childhood. They began with a general overview of the meaning of internationalization in education, followed by an explanation of major global trends and relevant European frameworks. Through the presentation of case studies and best practices, the trainers shared concrete examples of preschools that have adopted an international approach in their educational planning. Finally, during the session focused on self-assessment of organizational capacity in relation to international work, they explored the concept of self-evaluation from an international perspective. Afterwards, participants individually completed a self-assessment survey to reflect on the international dimension of their preschool service. This was followed by group work to discuss and compare the results. Finally, homework tasks were assigned in preparation for the next session.
• 5 HOURS OF INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP WORK: trainees spent 5 hours at home setting up focus groups with colleagues with the aim of self-assess the level of internationalization of each pre-school and their gaps that prevent them to go international.

• TWO 4-HOUR FACE-TO-FACE SESSIONS: were dedicated to exploring effective methods for planning international projects. Through group work and project-based activities, participants acquired the foundational principles of project management, specifically adapted to the preschool education sector. Each group had the opportunity to apply these concepts in practice, laying the project group work for the development of successful international initiatives.

• FINAL 3-HOUR FACE-TO-FACE SESSION, in which the trainers gave space for discussion between trainees about the project group work completed and addressed the topic of the involvement of relevant stakeholders in the process of internationalization of the pre-school settings.
• THREE-HOUR ONLINE CLOSING MEETING: trainees had the time to collectively reflect and discuss about the level of internationalization of their pre-schools and the actions that could be taken to address the local challenges. As a result, the trainees elaborated concrete project proposals and initiatives the creation of a more internationalized pre-school environment.