The locations for the renovation of classrooms are mainly located in remote, rural areas, thus improving both the accessibility and equity of preschool education. The “Inclusive Preschool Education” project, implemented by the Ministry of Education  to improve the quality and accessibility of the preschool education system, continues this school year.

As part of the planned activities of adapting new spaces and repurposing them for educational work with children, 73 classrooms and 60 accompanying toilets will be renovated in 29 local government units in the coming period, the project leaders announced.

“The locations for the renovation of the classrooms are mainly located in remote, rural areas, thus improving both the accessibility and equity of preschool education. Considering that since 2021, more than 300 classrooms have been provided through the repurposing, renovation and equipping of premises, a total of 400 rooms will be renovated by adapting and renovating additional rooms by November 30, 2024, thereby increasing the capacity of the preschool education system by more than 8,000 new places,” say those responsible for the “Inclusive Preschool Education” Project.

The summer has been busy for them. In mid-June, a newly built kindergarten within the Preschool Institution “Poletarac” was opened in Merošina, which covers an area of ​​approximately 640 square meters and in whose construction more than 53 million dinars were invested. The construction of this facility has provided 80 new places for children, who will be divided into four groups. With the construction of this facility, we continue to implement our educational policy, which aims to increase the coverage of children by the preschool education system. The Ministry of Education provides support to parents, local governments, as well as our youngest citizens, because by investing in their education, we create the basis for a healthy and happy childhood, and therefore a successful future – said the State Secretary at the Ministry of Education Zoran Kasalović, at the opening of the kindergarten. In the coming period, the construction and equipment of 12 more kindergartens is expected to be completed, in Prijepolje, Novi Pazar, Kragujevac, Čačak, Arandjelovac, Aleksandrovac, Alibunar, Pećinci, Leskovac, Petrovac na Mlavi, Ćićevac and Prokuplje.

In addition to expanding the capacity of preschool institutions, the Project pays special attention to improving the quality of the preschool education system, and several activities were carried out during the summer with this goal in mind.

In the previous period, the Ministry, in cooperation with UNICEF, organized a new cycle of regional expert consultations with educational advisors, which were also joined by advisors – external associates for preschool education from all school administrations. Educational advisors at the level of each school administration were tasked with agreeing on which preschool institutions whose practitioners needed priority support for further quality implementation of the Foundations of the Preschool Education Program “Years of Take-Off” and improving the quality of work (and ensuring that the number of kindergartens falls within the established 25 percent).

Through this Project, the Ministry organized 12 two-day regional expert meetings, with the aim of supporting the professional development of professional associates of all profiles as reflective practitioners whose role is to lead change through the development of democratic, inclusive and reflective practice.

The meetings were attended by around 380 professional associates of all profiles (psychologists, pedagogues, physical education, music, art and speech therapists), and were held in Belgrade, Fruska Gora, Kragujevac, Vranje, Čačak, Niš and Šabac. As a continuation of the activities aimed at connecting the preschool and primary school systems, 10 one-day horizontal exchange and consultation meetings “On a shared path of learning” were held between practitioners from preschool institutions and primary schools, in which 300 educators and teachers participated.

The consultation had two parts – presenting examples of good transition practice by practitioners from both levels of the system and presenting experiences and insights from mutual visits of practitioners to kindergartens and schools.

Within both parts, participants were presented with three presentations prepared by educators/teachers/professional associates from kindergartens and/or schools, after which a panel discussion was held.

The authors of all presentations are practitioners in the field of preschool and primary education who have experience and examples of inspiring practice in transitional activities in their institutions, and are also moderators of the online training “On a shared learning path”.

According to the Strategy for the Development of Education in the Republic of Serbia until 2030 and the Action Plan, the desired state in the field of preschool education (PE) implies further development of the PE system to meet the needs of children and families as a support for the well-being and comprehensive development of preschool children, and by the principles of PE (accessibility, democracy, openness, authenticity, development) through, among other things, and

achieving smooth transitions, i.e. ensuring continuity of experiences of children and families in the educational context and developing relationships with other parts of the education system (schools), the community (cultural, health, social welfare institutions), local government and the wider social community;

Within the framework of Component 2 of the Ministry of Education’s project “Inclusive Preschool Education” since 2022, a large number of activities have been implemented aimed at strengthening the partnership between the two levels of the education system (preschool and primary school) and stronger connections through the recognition of common values ​​in building support for children and families during the transition from kindergarten to school (training creation; online training for around 3,200 professional associates and teachers from primary schools (ES); 8 consultations attended by over 400 directors of preschool and primary schools and educational advisors from all ES.

As a continuation of these activities, to initiate a dialogue on the strengths and challenges in building a partnership between the two levels of the education system as a prerequisite for achieving continuity of support for children and families, 10 one-day horizontal exchange meetings were implemented in the period April – May 2024. – Consultations “On a shared path of learning” between practitioners from preschool institutions (PU) and primary schools, attended by over 300 educators and teachers.

The consultation agenda was created by Prof. Dr. Sanja Blagdanić from the Faculty of Teacher Education in Belgrade and Katarina Đurić, expert associate – psychologist at the PU “Čukarica” with the support of Component 2 of the Project and UNICEF.

The consultation had 2 parts – presenting examples of good transition practices by practitioners from both levels of the system and presenting experiences and insights from mutual visits of practitioners to kindergartens and schools.

Within both parts, participants were presented with 3 presentations prepared by educators/teachers/expert associates from kindergartens and/or schools, followed by a panel discussion.

Examples of inspiring transitional practice were selected based on the following criteria:
● affirmatively demonstrate the partnership between preschool and primary school, with an emphasis on active connection and recognition of common values ​​in building support for children and families;
● support continuity in education and promote the unity of primary school and preschool as places of research and learning for preschool and school-age children;
● have the potential for reflection and joint learning in horizontal exchanges;
● concisely, concretely, and vividly present authentic experiences of inspiring practice.
The authors of all presentations are practitioners in the field of preschool and primary education who have experience and examples of inspiring practice in transitional activities in their institutions; they are also moderators of the online training “Common path of learning”.

The participants of the consultation expressed their satisfaction with the opening of a dialogue between the two levels of the system and their desire to continue cooperation and exchange to build a partnership in achieving continuity of support for children and families in the transition to the next level of education while respecting the strengths and potential of both levels of the education system and taking into account the changes initiated at the level of the PVE.

You can see the photos here.

The Preschool Institutions (PE) Support Program developed within Component 2 of the Ministry of Education project – “Inclusive Preschool Education” recognized, among others, the role of professional associates as carriers of change and the importance of supporting and strengthening them in that role.

To this end, the Ministry, through the Project, prepared, organized and implemented 12 two-day regional professional meetings with the aim of supporting the professional development of professional associates of all profiles as reflective practitioners whose role is to lead change through the development of democratic, inclusive and reflective practice.

Based on the findings of monitoring and evaluation within the framework of the Preschool Education Support Program and the previous experiences of professional associates in the implementation of the Foundations of the Preschool Education Program (PEP) – The Years of Takeoff, the counseling activities are focused on empowering professional associates to create targeted support for practitioners from their PE through horizontal exchanges – learning between kindergartens within the institution, but also between institutions.

Twelve two-day meetings, attended by around 380 professional associates of all profiles (psychologists, pedagogues, physical education, music, art and speech therapists), were implemented in the period April – May 2024 at 7 locations: three groups each in Belgrade and Fruska Gora, two groups in Kragujevac and one each in: Vranje, Čačak, Niš and Šabac.

During the first day, the professional associates, based on the results of the monitoring and the role of the professional associate in the development planning and monitoring of the practice of the PE, identified challenges and searched for possible solutions in mutual exchange. This included defining action proposals (short-term and long-term goals) as well as concrete support for practitioners, but also support for children’s learning and development.

During the second day of the Consultation, activities dealt with the role of professional associates in developing the PE community (stages in the change process and internal horizontal professional development).

The final activity was related to the development and presentation of an Action Plan for each specific PE.

The consultations, with the support of Component 2 of the Project and UNICEF, were developed and led by pairs of experienced practitioners from public primary schools who were also training leaders for OPs and mentors for the OPs: Jasmina Vuletić and Staniša Čabarkapa, Ana Kojić and Aleksandra Ružičić, and Violeta Vrcelj Odri and Snezana Bulatović.

These consultations are a continuation of the support to professional associates that was implemented in the period June – November 2021 and March – April 2022, when 280 psychologists and educators from public primary schools attended a two-day training – Professional Associates as Agents of Change (SNOP), which, based on the Decision issued by the Minister of Education, received the status of a program of public interest.

This training, which is based on theoretical premises aligned with the modern understanding of the nature of practice change and with the concept of the Foundations of the PVE Program – Years of Takeoff and represents a significant form of professional development, was developed by the Institute of Pedagogy and Andragogy of the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, within Component 2 of the Inclusive Preschool Education project.

Empowering professional associates to lead change is based on understanding the nature and process of change, through strengthening competencies for transforming the culture of the institution into a learning community and through strengthening capacities for developing the quality of PE practice.

You can see the photos here.

As part of Component 2 of the Ministry of Education’s project “Inclusive Preschool Education”, the Ministry, in cooperation with UNICEF, organized a new cycle of regional expert consultations of educational advisors, which were joined on this occasion by advisors-external associates (SSS) for preschool education (PVE) from all school administrations (ŠU).

The two-day consultations are planned to strengthen SSS’s capacity to support 25% of preschool institutions (PU) in 2024, through the Action Plan (AP) for implementing the Education Development Strategy 2020-2030.

Considering the existing resources and the size of the PVO system, this is the minimum number of PUs for which mentoring support is planned until the end of 2024.

The consultations, attended by about 120 educational advisors and SSS, were held at 4 locations in 2 terms:

• April 25-26, 2024 in Vrnjačka Banja (Schools: Užice, Čačak, Kraljevo, Kragujevac, and the Novi Pazar group) and in Vranje (Schools: Leskovac, Niš, Kruševac, Jagodina, and Zaječar);

• May 9-10, 2024 in Belgrade (Schools: Belgrade, Valjevo, and Požarevac) and in Irig (Schools: Zrenjanin, Sombor, and Novi Sad).

In order to optimally utilize the joint capacities of all those present at the counseling itself, it was important to carry out certain preparatory activities at the level of the SH and at the level of the selected selected PEs.

Educational counselors at the level of each SH were tasked with agreeing on which PEs, whose practitioners needed priority support for further quality implementation of the Foundations of the Program – The Take-Off Years and improving the quality of work (and that the number of kindergartens falls within the established 25%).

Each SH had autonomy in selecting the PEs for which they would plan mentoring support, and the SSS was also included in the selection. When selecting PEs, the SHs took into account the different lengths of the period of implementation of the new program concept, the size of the preschool institution (number of facilities), whether the PE has a professional associate, and certain specificities in the functioning of the PE.

Given that in each selected PU, support is planned for one facility (kindergarten), the directors of the PU were sent a letter regarding the final selection of a specific facility that will receive support during 2024. They were also helped in this by the format of the “personal identity card” of the PU/facility that they received from the Ministry of Education, which they should fill out as precisely as possible, considering their strengths and needs.

Educational advisors and the Social Security Administration brought the “personal identity card” filled out by the PU to the counseling session so that it would serve as a starting point in planning authentic support for a specific PU, or facility, during their work. They also used the Annual Work Plan and Development Plan of the specific institution (in electronic format) in planning support during the Counseling session itself.

The consultations were conducted at the level of the SH teams (educational advisors and SSS), and then further steps were planned immediately thereafter until the end of 2024, but also later.

During the two days of consultations, in a stimulating and working atmosphere, opportunities were created for professional exchange and joint learning of all those present, which contributed to the development of an authentic concept of mentoring support for each PU – planning activities and the dynamics of mentoring support plans in accordance with the needs of the PU and the resources of the SH.

Colleagues from the Ministry participated in the preparation of the scenario and conducting the Consultation – Jasmina Đelić, Head of the Department for Coordination of the Work of the SH and Vesna Šaponjić, an independent advisor in the same Department.

All participants in the consultation expressed satisfaction after the two-day work during which, in addition to the Department for Coordination of the Work of the SH, they also had the support of representatives of the Project and UNICEF.

Given that further high-quality implementation of the program concept and improvement of the quality of work is a complex, demanding and long-term process that requires further support for practitioners in preschool institutions even after the completion of the Project, the professional and advisory support that can be provided by educational advisors along with advisors – external collaborators in the field of early childhood education is recognized as very important support.

You can view the photos here.