The Aswan Learning Centre in Croydon, Surrey, runs workshops to enable childcare practitioners to gain an understanding and awareness of the importance of promoting equality and inclusion in their settings. Although the centre's emphasis is on race equality, it also covers all areas of discrimination, and provides training on recruitment and employment about equality of opportunities relevant to early years. Its day courses include:
* Equal opportunities and inclusion, on 4 February and 13 May.
* Early Learning Goals and promoting equality, on 11 February and 20 May.
* The role of the equal opportunities co-ordinator, on 12 February and 22 May.
* Working with bilingual children and families, on 18 February and 3 June.
* Implementing race equality policy, on 5 March and 5 June.
* Celebrating diversity and cultures, on 13 March and 10 June.
Children in Scotland runs a course in Scotland called:
* Knowing me, knowing you - valuing diversity in the early years. This day course explores the importance of understanding identity in a multicultural and equal opportunities context. By first examining how we define ourselves and want others to define us, we can identify how to help children as they develop a sense of self and an awareness of differences in others.
Children in Wales is running:
* A conference on anti-racist practice, in Aberdare on 28 January, in partnership with the Valleys Anti-Racist Partnership.
The Council for Awards in Children's Care and Education (CACHE) Level 3 Diploma in Child Care and Education includes a unit on:
* Anti-discriminatory and anti-bias practice.
CACHE also offers a professional development unit within the CACHE Advanced Diploma in Childcare and Education (ADCE) on:
* Anti-discriminatory practice.
Early Education is running a seminar on:
* The wider perspective: promoting integrated services for children and families, in Cardiff on 10 March.
Its national conference will be on the theme of:
* Celebrating children's culture: Similarities and differences, in Exeter on 9 and 10 May.
The Montessori Centre International is running a seminar on:
* Equality of opportunity, on 17 July. This will focus on how to prepare and implement an equal opportunities statement.
The National Children's Bureau (NCB) Early Childhood Unit is running a seminar with the Coram Research Unit on:
* The meaning of diversity in early years, at the University of London on 27 March.
The National Early Years Network runs workshops across the UK, including:
* Anti-discriminatory practice: An introduction to race, gender and disability issues. This is a valuable foundation workshop.
* Equality of opportunity, with reference to gender. This workshop offers the opportunity to consider legislation, and to examine ways of planning and implementing an anti-bias approach in childcare settings.
* Equality of opportunity, with reference to race. This workshop explores what equality means to us as individuals, and what barriers there may be to achieving equality. It then reflects on areas of possible discrimination and ways of moving forward.
* Challenging racism: Taking a strategic approach. How to break the cycle of racist beliefs and promote positive attitudes.
* Disabled children and inclusive practice. This workshop is designed to help participants to adopt a 'child-first' approach, and to increase awareness of disability issues.
NIPPA: The Early Years Organisation runs workshops in Northern Ireland on:
* Promoting equal opportunities in an early years group. It looks at how to develop action plans to ensure the development of equal opportunities.
The Northern Ireland Childminding Association will be running a six-hour course on:
* Equal opportunities, beginning in January.
The NSPCC runs two courses dealing with race issues:
* Working with the strengths of black families. Participants will learn to recognise the predominantly eurocentric values of family life in the UK, demonstrate knowledge of the effects and processes of institutional oppression on black clients, and to practice and demonstrate techniques for empowering the black community.
* Prejudicial blocks to good practice. This course examines how personal prejudices develop and hamper objective attempts to ensure the best interests of the child are met. It demonstrates through an action plan how to provide an equal and relevant service to children, irrespective of their race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, culture or religion.
The Persona Doll Training Programme runs a training programme on:
* Learning by Doing, built around Persona dolls. These dolls provide a powerful tool for exploring, uncovering and confronting racism and other inequalities. During interactive storytelling sessions, children are able to develop the skills, knowledge and attitudes needed to achieve the Early Learning Goals. This course is for early years practitioners, inspectors and lecturers looking for non-threatening and effective ways to challenge bias.
The Pre-School Learning Alliance holds workshops on:
* Promoting equality of opportunity. Aworkshop exploring the effects of prejudice and discrimination in society. Participants will look at practical ways to ensure all children have an equal chance to play and learn.
* Equality of opportunity: Policies into practice. This 20-hour course is ideal for all staff, volunteers and parents or carers. The course examines how to provide anti-discriminatory and inclusive practices in early years settings.
The Working Group Against Racism in Children's Resources (WGARCR) undertakes two types of training. One promotes positive images in children's resources in the early years, and the other provides training for advocates supporting pupils excluded from school. Its early years programme has courses on:
* Evaluation and selection of children's resources in an anti-racist framework.
* Celebrating festivals in an anti-racist framework.
* Presenting positive images in posters and displays.
* Promoting children's first languages.
