 The Step by Step Program was initiated in Armenia
in 1998, initially by the Open Society Institute
Assistance Foundation - Armenia, in order to support
early childhood education in the face of difficulties
due to the economic crises in the country. A situation
analysis showed that many kindergartens were on
the verge of closure and very little attention
was paid to primary education. In that context,
SBS was a serious attempt to address issues, which
were either ignored or insufficiently dealt with
by other organizations. From an initial pilot group
of classrooms in 5 kindergartens located in 3 major
cities, the program has expanded to 72 kindergartens
and 22 primary schools in all regions of Armenia.
The program works with teachers and professionals
at 3 levels: preschool, primary school, and higher
education. The Step by Step by Step Benevolent
Foundation was founded in 2001 to continue promoting
child-centered early childhood education through
teacher training, education reform, and translation
and publication of professional literature.
Model sites have been established in 5 existing
kindergartens and 5 primary schools in 4 major
cities: Yerevan, Vanadzor, Noyemberyan, and Eghegnadzor.
Professionals at these sites conduct training for
current preschool and primary school teachers,
support student practica for education students
in universities and teacher training institutes,
and ensure continuity of the program through attracting
new sites that are interested in working with the
SBS methodology. In 2002, SBS will serve around
600 new educators from preschools and primary schools
through trainings conducted by the existing model
sites. Training and educational materials will
be provided to 34 new first-grade, 35 second-grade,
32 third-grade, 12 fourth-grade, and 15 Infants
and Toddlers classrooms.
The Step by Step program is officially recognized
by the MOE and is included into the Education Development
State Program for 2001-2005. According to that
Program, each year 50 additional kindergartens
will be involved into the SBS program.
Certification: The SBSBF is also focusing
on the issue of certification, in order to insure
the continued high quality of child-centered education
in Step by Step and other classrooms. With the
assistance of mentors from the Step by Step program
in Moldova and additional technical assistance
from the US, the Foundation will work out a certification
plan for Armenian teachers according to the standards
developed by the ISSA.
Cooperation: Step by Step is successfully
working with other NGOs and cooperates with local
educational authorities and international organizations.
Among the international organizations, UNICEF,
World Vision, and Save the Children demonstrate
great interest toward the SBS Program. There is
a common ground for cooperation with UNICEF in
the important field of home-based education and
parenting. SBSBF will work closely with World Vision
on to promote inclusive education for children
with disabilities. In cooperation with Save the
Children, SBSBF will focus on kindergartens of
remote regions. Save the Children will work on
community development and renovation while SBS
will use its full capacity to train kindergarten
staff, work with parents, and develop a caring
community interested to in ensuring quality education
for their children.
Additional programs: The Step by Step
Benevolent Foundation also implements the "Reading
and Writing for Critical Thinking" Program, which
logically complements the Step by Step Program.
Teachers trained by the SBS program are also actively
engaged in RWCT trainings conducted by the local
certified trainers. Such close links between the
two programs enhances effectiveness and adds to
the programs' success. SbSBF has been has been
awarded a grant from the International Reading
Association for the publication of the RWCT-Armenia
newsletter in an increased volume, including articles
from the "Thinking Classroom" journal. |
