Striving for « inclusion » as opposed to « integration »: exploring parents’ and professional perspectives in Belgian ECEC practice Accompanying a professional process in the French Community of Belgium

For the last years, several laws have been issued in the French Community of Belgium to enhance “inclusion” of children with special needs, but it is not sufficient. The main issue is to reach necessary conditions to support everyone (each child and his family) to feel welcome in an ECEC service whatever their characteristics should be.
Several groups of professionals having various qualifications and trainings have started to join in a network and reflect on conditions necessary to welcome daily every child and family while sharing experiences, defining strong options to “co-construct” inclusive spaces open to everybody in regards to his / her competencies, interests, possibilities. While leaning on tools and research results at their disposal, they have tried to determine possibilities to take everybody into account, to make differences visible, valuable and seen as a part of the whole society.
Thank to this work, they have found out conditions for a long-term partnership and for what is needed to set up and reinforce a network of local integrated actions.
One of the main options worked out and linked to DECET research.