Released in 2006, the Diversity and Equality Guidelines come out of the National Childcare Coordinating Committee in Ireland (NCCC). From the website:
“The guidelines seek to raise awareness of all diversity in the early childhood care and education sector. They provide relevant and practical information on the steps that can be taken to support equal and inclusive treatment“.
In the guidelines, diversity refers to: “The diverse nature of Irish society for example in terms of social class, gender, returned Irish emigrants, family status, minority groups and the majority group”. Equality refers to: “The importance of recognising different individual needs and of ensuring equity in terms of access, participation and benefits for all children and their families. It is therefore not about treating people the ‘same’”.
A useful document that provides a good introduction and context for addressing diversity in all its forms and that references current related policy and legislation in Ireland. A model to consider? What do people think?
