ABOUT AMEI-WAECE

The World Association of Early Childhood Educators (AMEI-WAECE) was born as the result of meetings among professionals of the field from different countries during the First International Conference on Early Childhood Education held in 1991 in Vitoria, Spain. During this meeting, the need for contacts and exchange of experiences among educators around the world became evident.

The early childhood professionals that met there came to the conclusion that although there were already several international organizations with education or under privileged children as their main objective, there were no organizations that effectively supported the classroom teacher in her daily work and that there was a clear need for this support.

At the time of its inception, these were the basic objectives of the association:

• To make it possible for every child under six years of age, to exercise his right to an early educational service, to fully develop his capabilities, personal criteria, moral and social responsibility, according to article 7 of the Declaration on Child Rights of the United Nations Organization.

• Provide the members of WAECE with as much information and training as possible on the trends and latest research work in the field of early education. To help the educators that work every day with young children in their work. Our basic goal is to provide them with reports and materials that make such work easier for them.

• To help educators from around the world to make contact with each other. We know that we learn from the great masters but, many times, the experiences of our own colleagues, their know-how and their focus on work topics help us put our own work into perspective.

• To make the International Community aware of the importance of this age group. In more than a Ministry of Education it has been said that “preschool education is the last wagon in the educational system”. Today, this phrase is almost forgotten but almost always the attention and coverage provided to this age group is less than that given to the other stages of the system. As an Association, we want to see early childhood education have the same level of importance as the rest of the school stages.

The bylaws of the Association were approved on May 20, 1992, and the Association was registered as a movement for the pedagogical renovation of early childhood in the Ministry of Education of Spain, where the headquarters were established.

Article 6 of the Bylaws establishes the goals of the Association as follows:

a) To foster and coordinate the pedagogical renovation of Early Childhood Education.

b) To conduct studies and research to help educators in their work.

c) To organize seminars, courses and meetings to train educators.

d) To promote pedagogical research.

e) To conduct studies on the status of early childhood education.

f) To conduct all kinds of activities aimed at the acquisition by children and their families of basic values, as well as to develop interest in reading from the very early years.

g) To foster the union and collaboration of early childhood educators on grounds of mutual interest.

h) To develop and foster exchanges of experiences among early childhood educators around the world.

Definitively, we define ourselves as a participative and democratic non-governmental organization, not for profit, to service the educators of the smallest children to facilitate the elements that in any part of the world are demonstrating a better adequacy to their interests and development.

If you want to know more about us or about our projects, feel free to e-mail us.