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The Profession of the Early Childhood Education and Care Educator

The European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA) and the world organization for Early Childhood (Organisation Mondial pour l’ Education Prescholaire – OMEP), define the profession of Early Childhood Educator as supporting the education, care and training of the child from birth until the child enters compulsory education, with the aim of the child’s harmonic and multifaceted development, learning and well-being. In order to achieve this aim, the latest pedagogical, developmental and learning theories, as well as social and educational policy theories, interdisciplinary approaches and valid research data are used. A focus on the principles of human rights, as well as the rights of the child, is pivotal to the profession of Early Childhood Educator.

 

Professional Rights

In Greece, the profession of Early Childhood Educator is an evolution of the profession of Infant Nursery and the applied scientific branch of Infant Nursery, which since 1991 has had institutionally guaranteed rights which have been defined and guaranteed by Decree No. 523, Official Gazette 203/24-12-91, Issue A, as provided by the provisions of Law 1404/1983, article 25, par. 2 (c) (Government Gazette 173).

According to Government Gazette 203/T.A’ /24.12.1991:

  1. The graduates of the Department of Infant and Toddler Care of the Schools of Health and Welfare Professions of the Technological Educational Institutions, based on their specialized scientific and pedagogical knowledge, work either independently or in collaboration with other scientists and are responsible for:
    1. the study, organization and operation of Nurseries Centers,
    2. the education and care of children from two months old until they enter primary school, and
    3. the teaching and application of infant and toddler care.
  2. The above graduates have the right to employment, either as executives in Infant and Toddler Centers of the private and public sector with the exception of the educational centers of the Ministry of Education (Kindergartens), or as self-employed in the following objects and activities:
      1. Education and care of pre-school children from two months of age until they enter primary school.
      2. Establishment and operation of Nursery Centers.
      3. Exercise of any other professional activity that appears in the subject of their specialty, ranged from the development of Pedagogical science in general and the field of Infant and Toddler Care in particular, in accordance with the regulations of the legislation in force at the time.
  1. They are promoted throughout the administrative hierarchy of the sectors in which they work in accordance with the legislation in force at the time.
  2. Graduates of the above mentioned Department are employed in education according to the legislation in force. They may also be employed as members of research teams in their field of specialization.
  3. Graduates of the Department of Infant and Toddler Care, upon obtaining their degree, practice the profession within the framework of the above rights.

 

The process of transferring the Professional rights to Π.Ε. (Tertiary level of education) has been initiated.