Paper short abstract:

In my research I have observed the low level of participation of non-European immigrant families in certain educational services because institutions visibilise only the childcare practices of the majority.

Paper long abstract:

This paper is the result of three years field work in different educational services destined to families with children between 0-3 years old (public services introduced by Barcelona council). Participant observation has been made in programmes destined to mothers with children up to 9 months, programmes destined to families with children between 1-3 years old, and in kindergartens, destined to children from 4 months to 3 years old. Also it has interviewed native and immigrant families.

The objective of the educational services is to support and to help families in childcare and rearing, but also to guarantee the motor, psychological and relational optimal development of children. In the investigation it has been proved the little participation of non-European immigrant families in some of these services. Although the kindergartens have enormous demand in native and migrant families, the other programmes are required, essentially, for native and European families. The little participation of migrant families in these programs is produced because their objectives do not correspond to the familiar necessities: the diversity on childcare practices, the network of relationships (relations, friendship) that covers the necessity of sharing the maternal experience, the development of other parental strategies, etc.

Then, we confirm the coexistence of multiple systems on childcare practices. Those that are visibilized are the own ones and the most similar to the own ones, that legitimises and are focused in the educational capacity of the institutions, whereas some immigrant families or groups emphasize their ones.