Discovering kindergarten

"* The first three years of life of the child - an extremely intensive period of development and learning. Social and emotional development is progressing well when the relationships with adults are close, supportive, based on trust. But mostly young children coming to kindergarten experiencing various emotional difficulties which deteriorate in their social, emotional, cognitive development, and sometimes even temporary physical ailments experienced. Children of this age have difficult adaptation in a new environment, poor socio-cultural integration skills. Parents, seeing this temporary, but complicated process often feel emotionally insecure, begins to mistrust in institutional education and even take back their children from the kindergarten. Teachers, confronted with these problems, suffer from psychological pressure, feel dissatisfaction with their job, start to doubt about their professional competence. In this situation, the educational process quality is low, children feel distrust in their-selves and adults, who surround them. All these reasons harm children's development. Negative emotions of all participants of the educational process complicate children’s of early years integration and socialization opportunities.Meanwhile, controlled early age children adaptation period, positive communication and collaboration between all participants of learning process, allows children to feel safe, to know themselves, successfully adapt to the new environment and successfully integrate into the sociocultural life of community. * The aim of the project- the improvement of early age children socialization and integration at institutional development and creating a new adaptation methodology for early age children. * Objectives: 1. The provision of assistance to overcome the difficulties of adaptation period. 2. The development of methodology how to make easier socialization of early age children. 3. Promoting interaction between child- family-institution: family is an active participant in the educational process. 4. The expansion of early age children social skills in cultural, social and natural environments.* Target groups:1. Early-age (2-3 years of age) children who begin attending kindergarten.2. Institution's teachers and child support specialists.3. Aggregate - counseling and support to families, carers – facilitating of critical period, support, assistance to individual requirements.* Number and profile of participating organisations:1. Coordinator of project - Lithuania (Siauliai), Siauliai lopselis-darzelis ""Ziogelis, kindergarten;2. Partner of project - Turkey (Kemalpasa), kemalpasa75.yilanaokulu, kindergarten;3. Partner of project - Poland (Lodz), Miedzynarodowe Przedszkole Edukacji Innowacyjnej Teczowy Swiat Dziecka, kindergarten;4. Partner of project - Bulgaria (Vidin), Kindergarten ""Zornica"", kindergarten.* All project partners during the project took part in such activities:1. Prepared project‘s logo.2. Created Poppets and involved them into educational process.3. Prepared the diary ""My first days in kindergarten"" about adaptation problems: children, parents, teachers.4. Prepared the book „Let‘s be friends“:games ideas, which helped to facilitate children‘s adaptation. 5. Prepared Power point presentations „Working together“: institutions openness for family, parental involvement in the educational process.6. Organized open doors educational weeks.7. Created children‘s socio-cultural experiences examples „My social puzzle“.8. Prepared video film „Discovering kindergarten“.9. Prepared practical methodology book ""Discovering kindergarten. Big book of experiences"".* The final result of the project - practical methodology book ""Discovering kindergarten. Big book of experiences"". The book describes the experience gained during the project implementation, the organization of project activities.Impacts for:Children - lighter adaptation; better socialization; new experiences; emotional, psichological well-being; attractive educational content; less stressful; empowerment.Teachers, institutions - preparation of new strategies, programs; learning, development; cooperation; bank of ideas for work with early age children; quality of education; higher proffesional competence; focused community; development of social partnership; exchange of experiences; creativity; knowledge of different educational systems.Parents - possitive parenting skills; exchange of ideas; participation in management of kindergarten; parental inclusion in educational process; trust in institutional education; help and support for development of early age children.* All useful project's results actual to each partner's institution will be involved into educational curriculum and will be applied in every-day's activities with early age children. Teachers their experience acquired during the project will transfer to young teachers or students."