Early Childhood Development
Many Romanians, especially in rural or poor urban and peri-urban communities, do not send their children to crèches and kindergartens, partly because they cannot afford this, but also because many institutions have undergone changes or closed down. To date the Romanian crèche system has lacked an early education component, and provides only basic care services. The years a child spends in a crèche or kindergarten are very valuable for them. Not only do they socialize, learning how to interact with one another, but they also develop a series of life skills, a richer vocabulary, learn about the outside world, and how to focus their attention. The new Romanian education law has lowered the age for enrolling in school to age 6, and has increased compulsory education to age 16. Children are expected to attend at least one year of kindergarten before starting school, although this is not compulsory; the subject has been discussed. It is felt that the completion of at least one year of kindergarten ensures that Romanian children have a better start in life. A major problem facing Romanian educational institutions, especially in rural areas, is a lack of funding, sometimes even funding needed for basic maintenance and hygiene, educational materials and furniture. ACTION Together with the Step-by-Step Association, UNICEF has supported the introduction of an educational component in the crèche system, by setting up an inter-disciplinary team of staff. UNICEF is supporting the replication of the Step-by-Step alternative in pre-school education for children in disadvantaged or Roma communities in three counties (Prahova, Arges, Giurgiu). Crèches help parents who have to work and do not have the means to pay for a sitter. They also provide a nurturing environment for the children from an early age. The UNICEF pilot project Good Start for School is an intensive education programme for children who have never attended kindergarten. The curriculum and methodology were designed and incorporated into the Ministry of Education policy documents, and it is hoped that these will be replicated elsewhere. The job profile of the Roma school mediator was created as part of this project and was later adopted by the government. UNICEF is involved in building capacity in the crèches in 10 counties, and in the development of policies and standards for early care and education of children under 3. It also promotes an integrated approach to Early Childhood Development (ECD). This means that in the 2005-2009 programme, families at risk in 10 counties will be approached to prevent their not sending their children to kindergartens and schools. UNICEF runs classes through NGOs to help parents improve their parenting skills and make them aware of the importance of early education for their children. In partnership with Our Children Foundation and the Ministry of Education and Research a parenting education programme has been developed in 16 counties, within which more than 11,000 parents were trained in parenting skills. Some 1,000 kindergartens were involved in the project with more than 2,000 kindergarten teachers trained as parent trainers. Community Resource Centers have been replicated in 8 counties by UNICEF in partnership with Holt Romania and the National Agency for Child Protection and Adoption in which parenting education programmes are delivered to the most vulnerable parents. UNICEF also advocates the need for providing “safety nets” for vulnerable children who are at risk of dropping out of school. These “nets” mean inter-twinned measures, like meals offered to children, social and child protection services for families, good relationships between schools and the authorities to help people in need. The Romanian government has started distributing a sweet roll and milk to all children at school, and this measure is seen as having twin effects: namely providing food to children who might otherwise suffer from hunger, and getting more children from poor families to attend school. RESULTS • Conducted numerous research projects on Early Childhood Development and formulated policy recommendations.
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