It is a very important decision, but most of the time it is not up to us. The two-year classrooms are an educational resource of recent incorporation in Spain (in Cantabria they have been running for about four years) and the offer of places does not always cover the needs of the population, so there are parents who cannot access this opportunity.
Even so, as citizens, we can demand from our corresponding autonomous governments what is convenient for us. We will review some features of these Two-year classrooms and compare them with daycare centers.
- In kindergartens, although there is a legislative regulation, the public resources allocated to them in concerted places are very fair (not justice, but adjusted). This generates a number of children per group that ranges over a wide range depending on the hours, but there can be up to twenty children with one person.
- In the two-year classrooms the number of students cannot exceed fifteen. He is forced to attend regularly (in the morning, in the afternoon he is free) to keep the place.
- The provision of professionals in the classrooms is a teacher of early childhood education and an assistant (whose degree is not fully regulated), in nurseries it is necessary that there are also teachers but it is not so clear if they belong to a single group or their participation goes depending on the activities that are organized.
- The two-year classrooms have a school opening calendar and childcare centers.
- The classrooms are usually integrated into primary schools and the environment requires the adoption of schedules, spaces and location that then facilitates access to early childhood education (from three years). In nurseries, it is sought to cover a need of families for work or other reasons.
The model in Cantabria combines resources of the Ministry of Education with municipal money, anticipating or lengthening the time of entry and exit of the classrooms so that families (after justification for reasonable reasons) can have a more flexible schedule.
My reflection then is this. Nursery schools are providing a necessary service for society (they are a factor to take into account for birth decisions) and in the world in which we live they are essential to reconcile family and work life. The two-year classrooms are an advance in early childhood education, incorporating the seriousness, organization and structure of regulated education to this age group. In conclusion, administrations should arrange this activity with public and private entities
so that all families could access this type of service and day care centers could be converted into concerted centers for early childhood and preschool education.
What do you think about this two-year classroom structure? Do they exist in your community? You will tell us.
