//Programs // Accomplished // Pre-school Centres: A Chance for a Good Start

The lessons learnt from the implementation of “Where There Are No Pre-schools” have made it possible to devise a project called “Pre-school Centres: A Chance for a Good Start,” co-financed by the European Union though the European Social Fund.

The aim of the project is to improve access to alternative early education services for children aged 3-5. Implemented between June 2005 and March 2008, the project benefits six Polish provinces: Podlaskie, Warmińsko-Mazurskie, Mazowieckie, Lubelskie, Podkarpackie, and Świętokrzyskie. Under the project, 94 Pre-school Centres have been opened in 36 communities, providing learning activities to 1,268 children.

The Centres (located in schools, libraries, community centres or fire stations) stay open for three or four hours a day, three or four days a week. The teachers work with groups of 10-15 children aged 3-5 years. The specially-designed curriculum follows the early childhood education standards prescribed by the Ministry of National Education and Sports.
The Centres differ from other similar institutions because they offer an innovative curriculum,  mixed-age grouping, and active parent participation. Teachers and parents can also rely on expert support from a psychologist and a speech therapist, who visit the Centres regularly. At present a total of 42 experts work for the Centres. In 2006/2007 the experts took part in three training courses on working with teachers and parents, on providing mediation and on supporting children’s communication skills.
The Centres’ teaching staff consists of 91 teachers, who are constantly motivated to improve their qualifications. In 2006 we arranged for all our teachers an in-service training course in effective communication with children, working with problem children, observation skills and working with parents.

The communities that are implementing the project have reported an average 14 per cent increase in pre-school attendance figures.