Recommendations for the safe return to early childhood education in academic year 2020 - 2021 in counties Bacău and Brașov

About

This document was prepared under the technical assistance component of the project Romania Grows with You - Early Education, Investment for the Future for the purpose of supporting the early childhood education establishments (creches and kindergartens) to observe the SARS-CoV-2 prevention measures and prepare the start of the new 2020 - 2021 school year.  

The process, implemented in July - September 2020, involved two successive stages.  

The first consisted of monitoring visits in: 

• 9 creches (of which 6 in the county town) and 84 pre-primary schools (kindergartens with or without juristic personality) in County Bacau 

• 10 creches (of which 8 in the county town) and 18 kindergartens (of which in the county town) in County Brasov. 

The scope of the second stage was the development of field evidence-based recommendations: how informed the management is, the reality in the field and the level of preparedness of each creche and kindergarten. 

The document was written by healthcare practitioners, external consultants working together with the principals/coordinators of the kindergartens/pre-primary schools or creches implementing the project Romania Grows with You - Early Education, Investment for the Future. The project was initiated and is being coordinated by the project sponsor organisations, the Step by Step Centre in partnership with UNICEF in Romania. 

The recommendations are addressed to the central authorities (Ministry of Education and Research, Ministry of Health) and to the local authorities responsible for the adequate provision of early childhood education.  

We hope that these recommendations will contribute to the taking of informed decisions, beneficial for the nurseries and preschools, such as to ensure access to quality inclusive education to all children, from birth to the age of six.