Intercultural practices at nurseries: what skills to promote dialogue with families?

Abstract

The intercultural perspective is at the center of the contemporary debate and urges education professionals to consider the identity, symbolic and cultural transformations of the living environments in which children grow up. In particular, nursery schools, which are increasingly becoming multicultural educational contexts, are a place of encounter and comparison between family models and different care practices. The confrontation with other people - be it parents, mother, father, woman, man, native, immigrant or, the so-called foreigner in the broadest sense - requires education professionals to think about difference not only in ethical cultural terms but also in existential and educational terms. The challenge is to design practices of participation that are diverse, but also respectful, reflective, and sustainable for all parents (native and immigrants). Families and educational services are thus called to build effective educational projects together with a view to promoting the well-being of future generations. Based on a training program addressed to educators working in specific socio-educational contexts (nursery schools), the article proposes a reflection on the different skills that these professionals should acquire to interface effectively with families.