The III Nursery Schools Conference brought together last Saturday, September 27, 170 educators and professionals from the 20 nursery schools that Suara currently manages.
The event entitled "Beyond observation: evaluating and documenting with meaning" was the culmination of an intense period of reflection, teamwork, and the visit to our services of the guest educator, Laura Malavasi.
The day began with an institutional welcome from the Councilor for Education of Manlleu, Rafa Cuenca, who highlighted the importance of our educational work in the municipality "Manlleu is a welcoming town, and this depends, first and foremost, on you, the professionals of the nursery schools. Your work is very important and is done with great quality and respect for the children and their families". And he stated that "the children you look after will be our society in 15 or 20 years". Then the nursery school driving team gave the starting signal to the conference, highlighting the wide participation and enthusiastic spirit of the attending professionals.
A Journey of Reflection and Learning
This year's theme arises from the work carried out in recent months in Suara's nursery schools. The aim is to deepen the reflection and adapt the observation and evaluation tools to the reality of these schools, in line with the new early childhood education curriculum. Laia Planagumà, Suara's customer area manager, stressed that "the large attendance at the event reflects the commitment of professionals to training and the cooperative's commitment to continuous improvement."
As part of this process, last February, a group traveled to Carpi, Italy, accompanied by Laura Malavasi. This experience, facilitated by the cooperative's Mirem Enfora program, promotes a critical and reflective vision, which allows comparing realities and establishing links with initiatives in other territories, as well as exchanging knowledge and good practices.
Inspirational Reflections by Laura Malavasi
Laura Malavasi was the undisputed protagonist of the day, presenting a presentation that captivated the audience from the beginning: “We have the responsibility to build culture with and for children.” She highlighted the importance of co-constructing knowledge with children, who are “hunters of particularities.” Her vision of educational documentation was revealing: “Documenting implies learning to choose and let go. We must have a trained eye to observe important situations and welcome unforeseen moments.” She also made us understand that it must be a simple, understandable process. First for the children, and then for us and the families.
The attendees had the opportunity to connect with Malavasi’s knowledge and to have a space to meet and relate with other professionals from nursery schools throughout the territory. The professionals assessed the day very positively, “It is essential that we continue to train and evolve in our educational practice to guarantee the best support for our children.”
