On Tuesday 19 November, ÏDKIDS is jointly organizing the first ever Etats-Généraux de l’Education event on the theme of educating children aged 0 to 6 and hosting a public discussion evening on the same subject. Jérôme Obry, MD of the Rigolo Comme La Vie crèche network, talks about how his staff are involved in this event

Jérôme, why is Rigolo Comme La Vie involved with Etats-Généraux de l’Education?

The best investment a country can make is in the education of its children, particularly in early learning, as the formative years are key to promoting personal fulfilment. This lies at the heart of our philosophy at Rigolo Comme La Vie: fostering social progress to actively help young children. 

But beyond this, our collective responsibility—our mission—is also to optimize this investment in education by regularly reviewing current arrangements to make sure they meet the needs and expectations of families and children now and in the future. Because the challenge of education is a shifting one.  That’s why this collaborative Etats-Généraux de l’Education event appealed to us: because it’s essential to bring together different yet complementary mindsets (even opposing ones) to serve the greater interest of children and families, which represent our country’s future!  What we find interesting is how positive and constructive this approach is. The aim is to work together to offer changes to adapt what already exists or innovate to find the best possible education system for the future.

 “It’s essential to bring together different mindsets to serve the greater interest of children”

How might this impact on parents?

Above and beyond the love parents have for their children, they are becoming increasingly aware that they need advice, tips, tools and resources to help them raise their children to the best of their ability, especially by building bridges with professionals. Reviewing existing arrangements also makes for an interesting challenge:  do they still help parents educate their children as well as they used to? We believe that it’s important to consider this fully.

And what does this initiative offer Rigolo Comme La Vie staff?

It’s obviously an excellent opportunity for them to capitalize on their experience and expertise by taking part in the expert session to jointly come up with new ideas. It’s also a great chance for them to embrace different perspectives on their way of working. And it’s an opportunity for them to gain some concrete tools. As an example, when speaking to parents our professionals sometimes pick up on issues that could be harmful to the child. But they don’t always know the best way to tell the parents. What is best practice in terms of communicating information? I think it is vitally important to explore this area in more depth, so they are better equipped in these situations.

How will Rigolo Comme La Vie benefit?
Obviously, it is also very important for us as a crèche operator to be at the cutting edge of early childhood education in Hauts-de-France, so we are clearly seen as one of the region’s key players.