PROJECT INTRODUCTION

                                               

The settling-in period (adaptation phase) is one of the most important phases in preschool education (0/6 years), and has an important impact on the quality of the preschool life of the children, and even on the future school life. It’s a big step not only for the children but also for their parents and family, childhood services are useful both for the children and the development of their personality, and for the parents and the improvement of their parental skills. It’s important for all families, but especially for the most vulnerable ones, such as migrants, belonging ethnic minorities such as Roma, with an economic or cultural poverty situation, risk of social exclusion etc. 

 The aim of FIRST STEPS project is to identify and share European good practices on this important adaptation phase in pre-schools; to analyze and compare the important activity of socio-behavioral adaptation of the child in childcare services; collect data about the local/regional/national context of partner countries; give the opportunity to the ECEC professional to discuss on project topic, share their experiences, to expand professional knowledge and skills. 

 To achieve these goals will be used several methodologies, such as presentations; professional discussion; direct testimony of parents, teachers and other subjects involved in the first adaptation period; workshop; job shadowing; observation and visit to the preschools. One innovative methodology is the realization of a VIDEO for “STREAMING JOB SHADOWING and OBSERVATION”: each partner will realize, during the adaptation period, share and discuss it during the 5 training sessions.

FIRST STEPS project is part of the overall Early Childhood Education and Care Research and Quality Development activity, developed at European level by Galileo and its partners, engaged in various previous and actual European projects. In the project are involved 6 organizations from 5 EU countries: - Montessori IQ Corner (Bosnia & Herzegovina), private pre-school institution - ARCA Cooperativa Sociale (Tuscany, Italy), social enterprise that manages several early childhood services - GEDI (Catalonia, Spain), that manages 6 municipal-owned ECEC centers - Jozsefvarosi Egyesitett Bolcsodek (Hungary), that is managing the nurseries of the VIII district of Budapest - Preschool Põngerjas (Estonia), educational institution on the Russian border providing a bilingual education. - Galileo Progetti (Hungary), project coordinator, non-profit enterprise promoting social inclusion policies, education quality development, social economy and social field sector in general and European Networking and cooperation. In addition to presenting the methodologies adopted in the settling-in period, each organization shares with partners its experiences with specific target groups: - Roma ethnic minority in Hungary - Inclusive education of children with disabilities in Italy - Migrants background in Spain - Bilingualism and border specificities in Estonia - Montessori method in Bosnia & Herzegovina 

 In order to achieve these objectives, during the FIRST STEPS Project will be implemented 2 Transnational Project Meeting and Short-term Joint Staff Training (1 in each country), involving around 100 international participants, mostly educators, teachers and managers of Early Childhood Education and Care services, and local stakeholders, decision makers, municipalities, higher education institutions, in addition to the staff of the host organization. Through the mobility events and the dissemination activities, the project will reach about 800 direct and indirect beneficiaries. As final results of the project, the training materials and outputs will be summarized in a Final Collection, in English, an interactive virtual document freely available and shared with stakeholders and all interested people.