Early Childhood Education
This is due in no small part to the poor public expenditure on education—only 4.66 % of the GDP. In Kosovo, not all children enjoy their right to education.
Early Childhood Education
UNICEF in Kosovo works to ensure that all children, including those with disabilities, are well-prepared to enter the education system and have equitable access to quality early childhood and primary education. We do this by supporting central and local authorities to design, implement and scale-up quality, gender-responsive early childhood and primary education services.
Challenges
During early childhood, the rate at which growth and brain development happen is both rapid and astounding. Healthy progress is fueled by adequate nutrition, protection and responsive stimulation, and an environment filled with nurturing care and early learning opportunities establish a strong foundation that helps children grow, learn and thrive. This healthy foundation has a significant impact on children’s adult lives, affecting their ability to earn a living and contribute to society.
Children learn best through play, and their first play experiences occur at home, often with their parents, caregivers, and others. However, most home environments in Kosovo provide limited support to children and very low rates of stimulating engagement. Only 1 in 3 children aged 2-4 years receive responsive care and early stimulation from any adult household member, such as storytelling, singing songs, reading books or simple games. Fathers, particularly, tend not to engage in this kind of caregiving. Despite these limitations, most parents choose to keep their young children at home because of the lack of availability and perceived high costs of quality early childhood education and care. Traditional gender roles, where mothers are expected to take on most childcare duties, also keep children at home.
While historically there has been low investment by Kosovo institutions in early childhood education and care, recent years have marked heightened government investments and strategic prioritization of expanded access to quality early childhood education. Nevertheless, progress is still slow. Access to early childhood education programmes is limited, with only 15 per cent of children age 3-4 years attending an early childhood education programme. The most vulnerable groups are also most deprived of these education opportunities, with just 1 in 10 children from Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities, and among those from rural areas, attending an early education programme. This is particularly worrisome considering that access to quality early education narrows the development and learning gaps for children from disadvantaged family backgrounds. This combination of limited availability and low demand for early childhood care and education means that many children do not enter the education system until the year before kindergarten, resulting in children who lag in social and educational development and women who are sidelined from entering or returning to the workforce.
Early childhood education and care are even more critical for young children with disabilities, but their opportunities are even more limited. Early detection and intervention programmes are still emerging, while there are gaps in the services available for children with disabilities and it is difficult to find facilities with accessible learning spaces that are equipped to support early learning and primary education for children with disabilities. Another challenge is limited capacities and availability of professionals within early learning and primary education settings to support the integration of children with disabilities.
Solutions
UNICEF in Kosovo empowers parents, caregivers, teachers, and communities to demand increased affordable, quality and inclusive education. UNICEF in Kosovo supports local and central institutions to design, deliver and monitor quality early childhood education and care. We do this by contributing to the development of policies and legislative frameworks, and strengthening the capacity of local and central authorities to implement and scale-up quality, inclusive, gender-responsive early childhood and primary education services.
UNICEF in Kosovo advocates for increased investment in all aspects of early childhood education, including planning and financing, curriculum and workforce development, engaging families and communities, and quality assurance.
We continue to support professional development of educators and teachers to improve pedagogical practice that advance the development and learning of children. The aim is to build early childhood education pedagogies and practices that foster child-centered and play-based learning to better meet the individual learning needs of children, especially children with disabilities.
We also support research that will enable increased availability of quality services, and improved facilities and learning spaces.
Recognizing the fundamental role of parenting, UNICEF in Kosovo mobilizes parents and communities to increase awareness about the importance of early childhood education and care. The parenting application Foleja introduced in 2022 in collaboration with key line ministries, aid parents/caregivers with tools and expert advice for their children’s growth and development from birth to age 6.
To learn more, download the app here: https://qrco.de/bd68H4