Hopes and Dreams from Switzerland

Speaking to my contact in Switzerland, she said there is no requirement to have a degree to teach in the childcare centers.  They do have specialized training and classes that you can take if you want to advance to the leadership positions (class leader or assistant director).  You can attend a university for a degree and that will help you get a director position, but again, it is not required.  They do a lot of internal “teach the teacher” type training.  (One or two teachers attend a training and then come back to train everyone else).  She wishes there were more training/educational opportunities available because she would really like to open her own childcare center one day.  Her family has a very large farm with plenty of room to build a childcare center that would service the village.  He challenges right now are saving enough money and furthering her education to make this a reality.  She is still very young so her dreams may change. 

In talking to our friends from Switzerland and Sweden, I am noticing the same trend that we find here in the US.  There is no standardization and no requirements for early childhood educators.  In Sweden, there is a requirement to have specialized training and education to work with special needs children (which there should be!!), but not for working with typical children.  It is still being viewed by many as babysitting.  I find this very sad and disheartening, especially in light of all of the research we have learned about in this class and the classes we have taken since starting this program in January.  Are we just not being vocal enough?  Are we not fighting this at the highest levels possible?  I want to shake the senior leadership of this country and shout "Do something!"