STUDY VISIT TO POLAND, May 2010 - REPORT

From 10-14 May, 2010 a study visit Working in an inclusive way with children and families, across agencies and age groups took place in Warsaw, Poland. The Study Tour was one of a series of tours taking place from February 2009 to January 2011 as part of Working for Inclusion, a programme which seeks to encourage and facilitate discussion and debate over the role of the early years workforce, enabling greater and more effective dialogue between local and national governments, education services, and practitioners.

Working for Inclusion is a cross-European programme to examine how improving the qualification and skills of those working with our youngest children can help reduce poverty and improve social inclusion. The programme is led by Children in Scotland in partnership with: La Bottega Di Geppetto (Italy), Nordland Research Institute (Norway), and Comenius Foundation for Child Development (Poland).

The study visit included visits to sites important for early years in Warsaw and in three rural municipalities (Rawa Mazowiecka, Głuchǿw, and Jakubǿw), ending with a conference that took place in the Warsaw Parliament on 14 May.

The delegates present at the study visit were from Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Scotland, Serbia, Slovenia, and Ukraine.

11 May – University of Warsaw, Faculty of Pedagogy

On Tuesday, 11May, delegates went to the University of Warsaw Faculty of Pedagogy where they were welcomed by representatives of University. The lectures which followed were:

• Presentation of Faculty of Education (Dr. Rafał Godon, Vice Dean)

• Support provided for children under the Polish legal system (Dr. Anna Zielińska)

• Education system in Poland (Dr. Małgorzata Źytko)

• Teacher training for early education with English language (Dr. Magdalena Szpotowicz)

University of Warsaw Adress: Krakowskie Przdemieście 26/28 00-927 Warsaw, Poland Phone +48 22 552 00 00 Fax +48 22 552 40 29

These lectures introduced how the educational system in Poland is improving the basic education of professionals, working with children in early ages, through several specializations for pedagogues and teachers at each level of education:

• For example: at the Bachelor degree level (3 years) for teachers, there are supplementary specializations (in art, integral education + therapy, child care education, as un-institutionalized or residential education with social worker who works with child and parents, preschool education, etc).

• at the Master degree level (2 years) there are different courses as Social Pedagogy (social workers and teachers who works with disabled children in special institutions, in Houses for Children, Child Home Centers, and other un-institutionalized centers), Pedagogy and Ethics, etc.

At the same time, there is no special education for working with children 0 – 3 years.

Education for pedagogues and teachers is basically academic, with short periods of practice (each institution is obligated to provide practice for students in education). In-service is not recognized as obligatory for workers in education.

Poland has quality standards for teachers, but also they have quality standards in education - at Universities. So, the teacher is supposed to spend lot of time on harmonization of those two similar but also different standards as a young practitioner.

Education is obligatory for all children from 5 to 18 y, public schools are free

Several acts and regulations protect the rights of the child and family (Family Law, Family and Guardian Code of Practice, Education System, Social Assistance, Health Care, etc.). All children have rights to 'early education support' in and out of institutions, which consists of complementary work of different specialists, in family or inside of the institution.

Since 1999, the Ministry of Education has established several different informal programs and institutional support for children with special needs. For all children in local communities, early education relies on the responsibility of local authorities (financial, psycho-social, special support…). Decentralization of the education system started from 2000. Aside from many benefits, there are some unexpected losses: many children, instead of being included, have rather been excluded, due to the local responsibility and local regulations.

There is a developed system for support for children without parental care. Although the system has been developed properly, in realization there are still many difficulties, especially for children with serious health and disability problems.

Change in the education system started from 1999, aiming to improve quality in education and to increase access to education for all children. Engaged measures were: new models for financing new Curriculum and new Manuals for students, new structure in education (6+3+3) including 3 years lasting Gymnasium, new rules for professional improvement, new models of supervision and new models for in-service trainings for teachers. The reform did not cover early years and preschool education, which have been changed in the last 5 years (2004-2009) by developing new preschool informal programs and day care centers. The monopoly of public education has been stopped.

Researching in education in Poland shows that children are good in academic knowledge but not so good in problem solving and strategic thinking. That shows that Education is good for those who are being raised in good conditions, with better educated parents, but is not so supportive for those who are growing without such conditions.

Interesting area of work

• Very interesting articles and the work of Dr. Małgorzata Źytko (Articles: How to change elementary school teacher training in Poland, SES and School Achievements of 9-year-old children in Poland, Creative Student of a Pessimistic Teacher?)

Comenius Foundation for Child Development

Fundacja Razwoju Dzieci Im. Jana Amosa Komeńskiego Ul. Flory 1/8, 00-586 Waeszawa Tel. +48 22 881 15 80 Fax: +48 22 849 30 41 e-mail: frd@frd.org.pl

Later that day, participants attended a presentation conducted by the Comenius Foundation regarding the role of non-governmental organizations in initiating changes – including various actors and institutions working on behalf of young children.

Participants were introduced to the very successful work that the Comenius Foundation has done in local communities, in partnership with local authorities and local professionals as well. The programs in each community were created through well organized, long term, public discussions about needs and rights of children and their parents in education. Participants (local parents, authorities, professionals, and external experts), after all, established their local strategy in early education, and local authorities, together with the Comenius Foundation, dedicated to the goals and supported by EU founds, assisted local groups in achieving their objectives.

After the presentation there was discussion in the group regarding education in local communities and different programs and different approaches in countries as Norway, Scotland, Italy, etc.

All agreed that local interests and local initiatives are the best way to accomplish internal motivation for education in children and their parents, especially in rural areas and disadvantage conditions. Education and other early support should be culturally sensitive and should offer to children and their families knowledge and skills which will improve their ability for further education and competences in upbringing. Parent involvement is crucial and it should be the main program orientation in community based education.

Regarding inclusive initiatives in early education, participants agreed that standardization is very important, but so, also, is the harmonization of the regulations, rules, and specificity of the environment/local community. Those three factors should be integrated through the offered structures in education, through the quality standards, enabling environment and flexible organizational models (duration of the program, etc.).

Interesting area of work

• Policy advocacy

• High quality documentary video (as a tool for advocacy)

• Municipal strategies – community based education

12 May – visit to rural municipalities

On 12 May, participants went to visit rural municipalities (Rawa Mazowiecka, Głuchǿw, and Jakubǿw). All three groups had the opportunity to talk with the mayors of those municipalities and also to meet with the representatives of the Marshal Office, school directors, teachers, and parents. After the meeting, groups went to school to watch kindergarten activities and after the observation they had a talk with teachers and parents (who are tremendously involved in the education of their children and they participate every day in classroom activities). We also had a chance to visit a playground created at the initiative of the community’s citizens.

With the municpality Mayor in Community Office	In the Preschool Centre
Playground created on the community citizens initiative	Talk about family inclusion with Family members from Gmina Jakubǿw School

Interesting area of work

General impressions were:

• A sense of belonging means inclusion childhood is valued and professionals working with children, as well.)

• A community can be highly involved in developing services for children (parents share their responsibility in upbringing and education), parents as an external team member

13 May – Visit to Nobody's Children Foundation

Nobody's Children Foundation is a non-governmental nonprofit organization which provides a broad scope of assistance for abused children, their families, and their caregivers.

Nobody's Children Foundation 59 Walecznych street Tel/fax +48 22 616 02 68 +48 22 616 03 14 E mail: fdn@fdn.pl www.fdn.pl

The Nobody's Children Foundation has been active since 1991.

Some of the presented programmes

'Mazowiecka' Child Advoacy Centre

• It operates in collaboration with courts, prosecutor's offices, and the police

• The Centre's services include: crisis interventions in cases of crimes against children (especially child sexual abuse and violence); a child-friendly interview room; free psychological and legal assistance (consultations, treatment, support groups) for child victims of crime and their families; consultations, training, and supervision for professionals dealing with the problem of child abuse, developing forensic psychological opinions for courts and prosecutor's offices, acting as expert witnesses in cases involving crimes against children; internship programme for students and graduates.

Praga Programme

The main goal of the Praga Programme is to promote interdisciplinary work and standards of providing help for abused children. The Praga district is the area of Warsaw with socially marginalized families. The members of the organization launched a website www.ponagajmyrazem.pl which provides information about the problem of child abuse, possible ways of helping abused children in the Praga district, and interdisciplinary work for children. Moreover, they published a brochure Interdisciplinary Help for Abused Children and their Families and a poster Let's Help Together. Both publications were distributed among local professionals: pedagogic counselors, teachers, health care professionals, police officers, and social workers.

Good parent – good start

This is a programme focusing on prevention of abuse of young children (ages 0-3). The project has been carried out in cooperation with health care, social welfare, education, and care facilities. Its activities are targeted at two groups: parents expecting a child and parents with young children, and professionals working with children under 3 (employees of maternity hospitals and local clinics, social workers, and employees of day care centres, prenatal education centres, NGO, and others).

Some other programmes that this NGO is running are: Protecting Children in Legal Procedures (Child: witness with special needs, child victim advocate), Safer Internet Academy (Safer Internet Academy, Child on the Web campaign), Childhood Without Abuse: Toward a better child protection system in Eastern Europe (in cooperation with NGOs from Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, and Ukraine), and others.

Interesting area of work

• child in court

• safe internet

• funding

• focus on locally targeted audience (Praga Programme)

Social Policy Department of Capital City of Warsaw Municipal Office

After the visit to Nobody's Children Foundation, participants were introduced by the City Government to further policy in early education which is focused on spreading the network of preschool institutions and non-formal and informal programs for children and their families, especially in the early years (0-3y).

Interesting area of work

Collaboration between nongovernmental institutions and local government in the area of education, but also in the area of finding new possibilities for children in rural areas (new ways of providing care and education for young children)

Batory Foundation (Summing up meeting)

	At the Batory Foundation (OSI) we summarized the Warsaw experience and received gifts made by children from our perfect hosts

At the afternoon Summarizing session, the group was divided into 3 sub-groups with 2 objectives: to express main impressions and to formulate suggestions for the next steps.

General impressions were:

• A sense of belonging means inclusion (childhood is valued and professionals working with children, as well)

• The community could be highly involved in developing services for children (parents share their responsibility in upbringing and education), parents as an external team member

• The field work that the Comenius Foundation is performing in community based and inclusive education shows a high level of dedication and strong sensitivity for specific needs/rights and/or capacities of children, parents, local professionals, and community in general, partnership is most important.

• Openness, efforts to make all possible, welcome, and sharing of experience were excellent

Suggestions for further steps were:

• 'less is more' – give more chances for sharing our own experiences, less adults in one classroom; more time for playing and staying with children and parents in classrooms; more exchange of experience, less visits

• exchange of e-mails and further contacts are most important for further work in the field of inclusive education

14 May – Conference 'The youngest citizens of Poland: care – education - upbringing', the Parliament, Warsaw

On Friday, 14 May, participants attended a Conference “The youngest citizens of Poland: care education upbringing” which was organized in the Parliament just one month after the tragic crash of the President’s plane and the great loss. Polish ombudsman along with some other representatives of the Ministry attended the Conference.

Tragic accident of Polish President and his associate’s happened only one month before	Our group joined the Conference in the Parliament during the last day of study visit

Two representatives from the ISSA network (Helena Burić and Dragana Koruga) were also present. The participation in this study tour of representatives of ISSA member organizations from Croatia and Serbia was possible thanks to support from Eurochild and OSI, respectively. It was a great opportunity for shared learning, and it reinforced the shared beliefs in the importance of the early years, the benefits of community based approaches, and the value of partnership building.

Helena Burić,
Open Academy Step by Step Croatia
Dragana Koruga
CIP-Center for Interactive Pedagogy Serbia

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