Handbook of ECD Experiences, Innovations, and Lessons from CEE
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Handbook of ECD Experiences, Innovations, and Lessons from CEE/CIS 2009 IISSA is an innovative network of early childhood development professionals and organizations based primarily in Central/Eastern Europe and Central Asia, working to make quality early childhood education accessible to all children. [email protected] www.issa.nl International Step by Step Association, 2009 – Showcasing Successful Investments and Partnerships in ECD Services HANDBOOK OF ECD EXPERIENCES, INNOVATIONS, AND LESSONS FROM CEE/CIS While early childhood is increasingly recognized as the most important period in the life of a child, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CEE/CIS) face significant challenges in providing quality early years services. The collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s led to the disruption of funding flows, social structures, and political systems which formerly supported a robust early education system reaching even the most remote corners of the USSR and the countries within its sphere of influence. While these countries have adapted and adjusted to the challenges of transitioning to market economies and democracy, early childhood education has often suffered, particularly in rural areas and among at-risk populations. The remaining services are sometimes less than ideal and slow to adopt new innovations as they struggle to maintain their existence, leaving many young children and their families without access to appropriate services. While funding flows have been disrupted or disappeared, the fierce dedication of families, early education professionals, and local and national governments to providing the highest quality education for young children has not diminished. Profound contributions have been made in the CEE/CIS region to the fields of child development and early childhood pedagogy, and it has recognizable strengths in terms of institutions and trained professionals in the fields of education, health, and social protection. Education is highly valued in the region, and a multitude of innovative responses to the challenge of providing quality early years services has sprung up across the region. Over the past ten years, ISSA and its members in 28 countries of the region have been an integral part of this response, designing and implementing ECD reform projects which have created and raised the quality of existing ECD services for young children. Over the years, ISSA has had the honor of working with many partners and colleagues in the region towards the goal of equal education opportunities for all children. With this Handbook of ECD Innovations, ISSA has sought to collect examples of these innovative responses – successful investments and public/private partnerships – which have resulted in quality ECD programs in the countries from the region. These examples are from both within and outside the ISSA network, and we hope the Handbook will serve as a source of inspiration in considering new ways of improving and expanding integrated ECD services, both in the CEE/CIS region and beyond. High on agenda should be the importance of supporting and expanding emerging models of good practice. Some examples taken from the Handbook include alternative forms of community-based early childhood education and integrated parent-child centers, counseling families and caregivers during health care contacts, creating shift-based or “mobile” preschools in order to meet the needs of children who currently lack access due to a shortage of preschools or migration, and many, many others. HANDBOOK OF ECD EXPERIENCES, INNOVATIONS, AND LESSONS FROM CEE/CIS ISSA WWW.ISSA.NL 3 As it celebrates its 10th anniversary, ISSA is reflecting on the role it has played in bringing together ECD networks and stakeholders from across the region to develop a shared understanding of quality in education, to exchange ideas and best practices, to engage in joint projects and advocate for strengthened early education services. ISSA looks forward to continuing to bring together networks from the region and beyond, through annual conferences and sharing of resources, and to embarking upon new partnerships and initiatives based on some of the ideas shared and explored in this Handbook. We believe that it is only through mutual support and cooperation in networks of knowledge, both across the region and across the world, that we will be able to effectively promote and improve equity and access to quality education for all children, especially in the early years. Early childhood provides excellent opportunities for reaching out to families and communities and garnering their support to ensure that every child reaches his or her full potential and develops the skills necessary for being a successful and active member of a democratic knowledge society. To make this vision a reality, we must all work together, sharing our knowledge and experience across borders. ISSA is excited to share this contribution to the network of knowledge which spans continents and crosses oceans, bringing us all closer to reaching our common goal. ISSA Secretariat HANDBOOK OF ECD EXPERIENCES, INNOVATIONS, AND LESSONS FROM CEE/CIS ISSA WWW.ISSA.NL 4 Publication Note ISSA is pleased to launch this Handbook during the ECD Policy Roundtable Investing in Early Childhood Development: The Most Effective Use of a Nation’s Resources co-hosted by the Romanian Ministry of Education, Research, and Innovation and ISSA on 14 October 2009. The Roundtable was organized in partnership with UNICEF, the Open Society Institute, and the Consultative Group on Early Childhood Care and Development. The successful ECD interventions described in this handbook were submitted to ISSA by ECD practitioners, policymakers, civil society organizations, and teacher training institutions throughout the CEE/CIS region. ISSA has edited the submissions to meet the formatting and length requirements of the document, and has made every effort to obtain the approval of the authors for such edits. The authors maintain whole responsibility for the accuracy of the contents of their submissions, and any opinions, beliefs, or ideas stated in the submissions are exclusively those of the authors, and do not reflect ISSA’s opinions or beliefs. HANDBOOK OF ECD EXPERIENCES, INNOVATIONS, AND LESSONS FROM CEE/CIS ISSA WWW.ISSA.NL 5 Table of Contents Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 2 Publication Note .................................................................................................................................. 4 Regional ECD Experiences, Innovations, and Lessons ...................................................................... 9 IBM Kidsmart Early Learning Programme ........................................................................................................... 10 Council of Europe’s Teaching Kit for Roma Children .......................................................................................... 14 Country ECD Experiences, Innovations, and Lessons ....................................................................... 17 ALBANIA ............................................................................................................................................................... 18 ECD for Everyone – Gardens of Mothers and Children ......................................................................... 18–19 ARMENIA .............................................................................................................................................................. 20 Parental Education Opens Doors to Quality Education for Children from Marginalized Families in Armenia ................................................................................................................................ 20–21 UNICEF – World Bank Partnership Results in Recovery of Preschool Education in Rural and Remote Communities of Armenia ......................................................................................... 22–23 AZERBAIJAN ......................................................................................................................................................... 24 A New Stage in Early Childhood Education Development in Azerbaijan has Begun ........................... 24 We Want to Learn, We Want to Play, We Want to Live with You .......................................................... 25 All 5 Year Old Children Will Enter First Grade Prepared for School ...................................................... 26 The Private Sector Is Interested in Early Childhood Education ............................................................. 27 Step by Step Training and Sharing of Experience Brings Success to SOS Kindergarten and Its Neighbors ........................................................................................................................................... 28 BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA ............................................................................................................................ 29 Mobile Kindergarens in Mostar and Gorazˇde ........................................................................................ 29–31 BULGARIA ............................................................................................................................................................. 32 Alternative Social Service Solve the Serious Problem of Roma Drop-out ............................................