Participation and hybrid integration in primary and secondary schools

The chapter discusses data collected in Early Childhood Education and Care contexts in Germany and Italy, as part of the CHILD-UP project. In particular, data from interviews conducted with children and professionals, and data from video-recordings of education activities are discussed. This chapter explores educators’ position with regard to migrant children’s integration and the relationships between integration and agency in ECEC. Three main threads emerged from the analysis of interviews: the rejection of the migration background as foundation for the categorization of children, to approach each child as a unique person; the observation of cultural diversity as a component of that rich personal identity that contributes to make each child unique; the importance of proficiency in the language of education for migrant children’s active participation. The observation of facilitative practice supports the idea that if children are valued as social agents in the here-and-now and their access to the status of authors of knowledge is facilitated, they are capable of construct, and co-construct, narratives of personal and cultural identities that can be exchanged in the negotiation of hybrid identities.