A meeting with the representatives of the Preschool Institution Čukarica was held in the hall of the City Municipality of Čukarica, at which further cooperation on the Inclusive Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Project was agreed with the Municipality.

The meeting was opened by a member of the Municipal Council, Stana Lukić, reminding those present that a meeting was held last week with representatives of non-governmental organizations and associations dealing with Roma issues in Čukarica. Stana Lukić used the opportunity to introduce them to the project implemented by the Čukarica Police Department, with the support of the City Municipality of Čukarica, with the idea of joining as many children of the Roma population as possible in educational workshops to be held at the “Carić” Kindergarten at Čukarička padina.

The director of the Čukarica Police Department, Biljana Gajić, expressed gratitude for the successful cooperation that has lasted many years and for the networking with other institutions that deal with children and families in Čukarica.

Social worker of PU Čukarica Milica Marković and a clerk for national minorities of Čukarica Metija Kadrijević pointed out that during a tour of the Roma settlement at the edge of Čukarička padina they mapped 25 children who are not in the system of preschool education, in order to join short quality programs.

The proposal of the project coordinator, Aleksandra Petrović, was to first prepare and distribute educational packages to children as an invitation to join the Inclusive Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Project.

The plan is for all children involved in the Project to receive educational packages. So far, 48 educational packages for children have been distributed, and in the next period, 49 more educational packages will be.

It was agreed that on March 5, 2021, families will be invited to the Čukarička padina local community to have packages distributed to children, and that immediately before that, Metija Kadrijević and Milica Marković will have a meeting with a representative of the Roma community and organize a trip to the Roma settlement.

The Round Table discussion, planned to be organized by the end of March 2021 via Zoom platform, was also discussed at the meeting.

At the suggestion of the director of the Čukarica Police Department, Biljana Gajić, the municipality will send the invitation for the Round Table to all relevant institutions. It was agreed that 30 participants from the local community will participate, including representatives of the Ministry, the Health Center, the Center for Social Work, Roma organizations, non-governmental organizations and others.

Biljana Gajić informed the attendees that on March 3, a horizontal exchange will be realized with PU “Poletarac” from Odžaci and PU “Zrenjanin” from Zrenjanin and that she will send the invite to the member of the Council Stana Lukić by e-mail.

Ana Duduković also attended the meeting in front of the City Municipality of Čukarica, as a support to the team of the Preschool Institution Čukarica in the realization of the Inclusive Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Project.

As part of the Capacity Building Support Program for the implementation of the ECEC Program Basics – Godine uzleta implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, UNICEF and the Institute for Pedagogy and Andragogy, the pilot project of the Professional Practitioner Community Learning Model was completed. The pilot project was realized in the preschool institution “Radost” in Čačak in the period from September 2020 to February 2021. Due to the unstable epidemiological situation, it took place in a digital environment.

The team of the preschool institution “Radost” showed a high degree of motivation and professionalism during the trial. The results, insights of practitioners and creators of the Model gained during the trial, will contribute to its improvement. The Community of Professional Learning of Practitioners, as a component of the Support Program, will soon begin to be implemented in preschool institutions where mentoring support has been completed.

Velika Plana, as one of the receivers of the grant, started in the previous period with the implementation of the Project, aiming to additionally include children from vulnerable social groups into the system of preschool education.

“Roma children, children from foster families, children who are disabled or have developmental disabilities, such as a speech impediment and the like, are included,” says Sonja Pavlović, one of the project managers.

Partners such as the Red Cross, the Preschool Institution “Children’s Kingdom” and the Municipality of Velika Plana, which set aside 253,440 dinars for participation, are participating in the project.

“We managed to gather 46 children, aged three to five and a half, and to organize preschool classes for them. Thanks to the obtained funds, we hired one speech therapist and one educator to work with the children,” Pavlović explains.

The children are divided into two educational groups, one in Velika Plana, the other in Miloševac, a village where the headquarters of the centre for accommodation of abandoned children are located.

“Work with children is organized on our premises and lasts three hours. Since the classes take place in two separate locations and in the afternoon, we have included our educators to work with the children. It is a beautiful and humane project “, says Marija Starčević, the director of the kindergarten.

Sonja Pavlović points out that due to protective measures to prevent the spread of the Covid-19, classes are currently limited to 24 children.

“However, all children remain in the project. And as soon as the epidemiological situation allows, we will continue teaching them all again. All with the goal of helping children and their parents as much as possible, to help them fit into teams more easily when they go to school. To acquire good behavioural and learning habits. And tomorrow they will become useful members of our society. “

Source: Srbija Danas

In Čačak, another grant winner, the implementation of the Inclusive Preschool Education Project is currently underway.

“We are proud that our local municipality is part of a large and important project for Serbia and is one of the 34 local municipalities in Serbia that received funds for the realization of the project at the local level, amounting to 4,837,444 dinars. It is especially important that the state, the Ministry, the City of Čačak, children, parents, educators, social care institutions, non-governmental organizations, health services and media participate in achieving the project goal”- says Ivana Vukajlović, project team member and project coordinator on behalf of PU “Radost”. According to her, in this way, the implementers of the project want to point out the importance of inclusive preschool education and to reach every family.

The program includes the formation of a mixed group of children from three and a half to five and a half years of age from socially sensitive categories, who will attend kindergarten completely free of charge. It is realized in the kindergarten “Bambi”, in the afternoon, in the period from 15:30 to 19:30. This kindergarten is one of the eight that are in the network of PU “Radost”, in which, in the same period, the preparatory preschool program is realized, in two groups.

“That was the reason for us to decide for the kindergarten” Bambi “, because that is exactly the inclusion in the right sense of the word, for children from socially sensitive categories to be included in preschool education with other children,” said Vukajlović. “For these purposes, the room in the kindergarten was adapted, painted, additionally lit, equipped with new furniture, didactic materials, joinery was replaced…” Vukalović highlights that entire PU “Radost” team took part in this activity, including teachers and support staff, Kindergarten management, professional service…

At the beginning, a project team was formed, appointed by decision of the mayor of Čačak, Milun Todorović, and the team included representatives of all relevant institutions and project partners.

“I must point out that this team consists of nine great professionals in their respective fields, and together we have managed to overcome not an easy task,” said Vukajlović, adding: “We have mapped families and SWC have provided us with significant assistance as have the presidents of the local communities. We have formed a mobile team, which visits families, and consists of a project coordinator, representatives of PU “Radost”, SWC, Health Center, and if necessary, other members of the project team. After the formation of the group and the departure of the children to the kindergarten, they are subjected to regular educational work, like all other children “, says Vukajlović.

The partners in the realization of this project are the City of Čačak, PU “Radost”, CSR, PU “Moje detinjstvo”, Dom zdravlja, Association MNRO, as well as ŠOSO “1. Novembar”.

Source: Čačanski glas

Preschool institution “Vera Gucunja” Sombor within the Inclusive Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Project, together with its partners the City of Sombor, the Center for Social Work Sombor, the Red Cross Sombor and the Association for Support of Persons with Autism “Maslačak” achieves the following:

1. Improving the accessibility of preschool institutions for children from socially vulnerable groups:

– completely renovated and equipped new premises for opening an educational group;

– provided free four-hour stay for children;

– provided a Roma assistant in order to achieve better communication with members of the Roma nationality.

2. Increasing the coverage of vulnerable groups in rural areas:

– 21 children from socially sensitive groups, aged from 3 to 5.5 years in the settlement of Bački Monoštor, are enrolled in the educational group

– for each family, an individual discussion is provided with both the educator and the professional service of the Primary School “Vera Gucunja” in order to strengthen families and increase the kindergarten coverage of children

– in the educational group, educational work is realized according to the new Curriculum Framework, fully adapted to children with a necessary flexibility and according to children’s interests.

In order to achieve child welfare and a holistic approach to child development, as well as to establish cooperation with children’s families, a partnership between different institutions is necessary. All partners are implementing their planned activities, which together enable an increase in the coverage of children from socially vulnerable groups, as well as greater availability of quality preschool education and upbringing. In the spirit of New Year’s holidays, and through partnership cooperation, the City of Sombor, the Center for Social Work, the Red Cross Sombor visited every child from the educational group within the project “Everyone to kindergarten” disguised as Santa Claus with symbolic packages.

An important component of the project is cooperation with parents. In that spirit, in addition to individual consultations that are realized in agreement with the educator and the professional service of the preschool institution, the materials that the educator delivers to the parents have also been prepared.