ECEC Professionals’ Views on Partnerships with Parents in Multicultural Classrooms in Four European Countries

Abstract

Partnerships between parents and professionals in early childhood education and care (ECEC) are widely acknowledged as important for children’s well-being, learning, and development. As children with immigrant backgrounds often experience cultural and linguistic differences between their home and ECEC-environments, bridges between these two contexts might be especially significant for these children. Although European ECEC-classrooms are becoming increasingly multicultural, little is known about how professionals view their partnerships with parents in multicultural classrooms in Europe. The current paper investigates the partnerships views of professionals working in multicultural classrooms and how these are related to the professionals’ practices and characteristics. Findings suggest that professionals have rather positive partnership views, although they reveal a potential for higher levels of shared beliefs with parents about the child. Furthermore, the findings indicate that several partnership aspects are predicted by professionals’ multicultural practices, their diversity related self-efficacy and their own cultural background.