Children have the right to be seen, heard and asked. They have a right to “today” (Janusz Korczak) and a right to have their human rights recognized, respected and upheld.Children actively shape the world around them and the interactions they have with adults and other children. Our task is to pay close attention to children’s many different forms of expression, to understand their perspectives, to help interpret them where necessary, and to involve children systematically in the ongoing development of the quality of their everyday lives and of ECEC provision. In the project “Children as Agents of Quality Improvement in Child Care Centers”, which ran from 2018 to 2021, nearly 200 children from various ECEC centers in Germany used a variety of methods to express what they believe makes a “good” ECEC center. The project was commissioned by the Bertelsmann Foundation and carried out by the Institute for Democratic Development and Social Integration.
The Valuing Children’s Perspectives: Developing ECEC Quality with Children poster is a product of an extensive research and practice development project. It presents 23 dimensions of quality from the perspective of children attending ECEC centers, grouped into seven broader areas of quality. The poster offers insight into robust research findings on what matters to children between the ages of four and six in their ECEC centers: what they value, what they wish for and what they need in order to feel safe, feel they belong and be able to learn and develop. The 23 quality dimensions from children’s perspectives invite you to reflect on and discuss – both individually and, above all, together with others – the extent to which each of these dimensions is already prioritized in your own ECEC center. From your perspective, are there areas where change is needed? If so, what ideas do you have for introducing change? How these quality dimensions are translated into everyday pedagogical practice is ultimately your responsibility. At the same time, meaningful quality development can only take place through dialogue – through an inter-perspectival process that brings together the perspectives of all those involved, including ECEC providers, center leaders, ECEC professionals, parents and children themselves.
In addition to the poster and the companion booklet accompanying, which reflect the children’s perspectives that have already been researched, ECEC professionals can use the ECEC Treasury to develop their own empathetic understanding of the perspectives and concerns of the children in their ECEC centers. The ECEC Treasury is a collection of diverse methods—tested ECEC professionals —for actively gathering, evaluating, and documenting children’s perspectives within an ECEC center (available in English starting in 2027 at www.childrens-perspectives.org/ecec-treasury1and2). These methodological tools are supplemented by guidance on various documentation methods as well as reflection questions regarding the 23 quality dimensions. This opens up opportunities for children to express what constitutes a “good” daycare center for them.
