News from Romania. Every Child in Preschool & Kindergarten – National Program
November 2015
Every Child in Preschool & Kindergarten – National Program
Klaus Iohannis, Romania’s President signed the bill promoting every child’s right to participate in kindergarten.The bill finances, with about 39 million lei for 111.000 children, a national program to encourage 3-5 year old children living in poverty to regularly attend gradinita. Based on OvidiuRo’s highly successful model, parents living under the poverty line receive 11 euros PER MONTH if their child attends preschool every day.
2015
Health and hygiene
· 812 children and adults received free medical tests during 3 Medical Caravans;
· 4500 children participated in Summer Health Schools;
· 540 children participated in Sotron Doi (“Hopscotch 2”);
· 540 parents received infos about the importance of a healthy diet and hygiene education;
· 4500 children received educational materials;
· 50communities received funds for hygiene supplies;
Trainings
· 500 teachers from FCG & non-FCG communities attended 10 training sessions “Summer Health Schools”, organized by Maria Gheorghiu, OvR’s executive director and head trainer. Teachers also received newly developed workbooks, educational materials and lesson plans. All the teachers were informed about the correct procedures all children should apply when washing their hands and coughing or sneezing –posters and lesson plans were also distributed.
Medical Caravans
812 children and adults received free medical tests, consultations and treatment from the volunteer doctors, residents, specialists and students from the University of Medicine in Bucharest.
In Cojasca, Dambovita county (March), Tirnava, Sibiu county (June) and Horezu Poienari, Dolj county (October), the schools and the kindergartens were transformed into a 2 day clinics.
Patients had a general check-up and, depending on the results or on what they complained about, they were recommended to have further investigation by a specialist. There were many cases of HIV, tuberculosis, hepatitis, respiratory infections, anemia, rachitism, intestinal parasites, skin infections, pneumonia and hearing and vision problems. Many kids had cavities, vitamin deficiencies, rickets and many of their health problems are caused by malnutrition, lack of clean water and the resulting poor hygiene.
Summer Health School
This summer, more than 4,500 children aged between 3 and 14 years and 350 teachers were involved in over 290 Summer Health School in 90 villages in Romania. Between July 1 and August 31, kindergarten and school continued after the official end of the school year. Children had the opportunity to learn with teachers trained by Maria Gheorghiu, OvR’s executive director and head trainer, about themselves, about others, about everything around them.
Summer Health School is structured as a 2 week (two-hour and a half/day) module designed for children aged 3-14. The children explore the world around them, staring with their own body, to their community and leading to the other galaxies, through the special workbook designed and printed with the help of GSK. All the materials specifically designed and created for the summer school -- Şotron Book and Şotron Notebook, maps, magnets, drawings -- providied the basis for a new learning model: an innovative design which invites to exploration, investigation and structured debate, on practical examples and that give children freedom of interpretation and analysis. During the activities, children were taught basic hygiene & health elements and also good nutrition habits.
Sotron Doi (“Hopscotch 2”) is a 10 week two-hour activity with children aged 2-4 who are not yet enrolled in kindergarten and their parents. Sotron Doi prepares children for the routines of preschool while educating both them and their parents on basic health and hygiene (how to blow your nose, what to do when you sneeze, the importance of hand washing, throwing garbage in receptacles and not on the ground, and so forth). During the activity, teachers also provided a nutritious snack, accompanied by a discussion with parents about the importance of a healthy diet, as well as visits to the doctor and inoculations.
47 teachers trained, 46 classes held; 540 children from 19 FCG communities were involved.
