Challenging of pre-schools for an innovative and creative environment

The CHILD project aimed to provide an innovative model for strengthening skills and capacities in preschool education and supporting digitalization in the preschool setting. The CHILD project partnership recognized that the fast technological development in our era provides the opportunity for changes in educational practices and advancement in preschool education quality. Based on teachers’ feedback, the consortium recognized that at that moment, the resources used in the preschool classroom were from popular video and content-sharing platforms and not specialized in preschool education. CHILD aimed to provide the proper methodologies and tools via Developmentally Appropriate Practices and examples of practical multicultural activities and to exploit technology in the preschool classroom by providing a digital environment for the above. Very importantly, CHILD aimed to provide suitable resources built on the preschool curriculum and on the DAP educational approach to support practical activities and ensure proper learning through play in preschool. The partners developed the CHILD project idea incorporating three project results and a set of dissemination and training activities to achieve the project objectives.

With the implementation of the CHILD project, the consortium wanted to achieve the introduction of digitalization in kindergartens, aid in locating appropriate practical resources, and prepare preschool teachers for new teaching methodologies based on DAP to cover the recognized need. The CHILD consortium, therefore, aimed to achieve the following results: 1. A Developmentally Appropriate Practice Handbook and Training for Preschool Teachers to contribute to the upgrade of competencies of the target beneficiaries. 2. An Educative Digital Resource Library with applied DAP activities. 3. The CHILD Innovative and Creative Web-based Digital Environment for providing a complete environment to support the created methodology, library of resources, and animated interactive activities. The consortium included in the proposal, among other things, the organization of webinars, a multiplier event, and pilots, aiming to achieve recognition and incorporation of the activities and methodologies into schools and to train teachers on our methodology. The nature of the outputs gives the possibility of using the results beyond the end of the project’s duration. We also aimed to provide facility of access and ease of use for the above.

For the successful implementation of the CHILD project and achieving all our aims, the following set of project activities were implemented: 1) Organization of transnational project meetings for the project partners during which the project results were elaborated, discussed, coordinated, and implemented. 2) 3 project results: - PR1. Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) Handbook Teachers (in English and Greek) and Training for more than 165 preschool teachers - PR2. Applied DAP Activities and Educative Digital Resource Library (3 categories, 18 tags, and 24 activities) - PR3. CHILD Innovative and Creative Web-based Digital Environment (in 8 languages) 3) 8 national webinars (digital training) based on the project results outcomes with a total of 336 participants. 4) E1 media event, a large-scale dissemination event with more than 200 participants that promoted and demonstrated the CHILD project activities and provided the opportunity to network among stakeholders, approach our target groups, inform them, and spread the results among teachers, schools, and families. 5) Pilot activities, during which schools tried the tools and platform, everything was explained to them, and feedback was received from 50 schools.

UCY (as the coordinator) and the other partners worked throughout the project on different tasks, including Administrative and Financial tasks (signing the grant agreement, preparing and signing the bilateral agreements, receiving the pre-financings and distributing to partners); Preparing the management plan, establishing communication channels (zoom link, mailing list), and a files sharing repository (google drive); Preparing templates for deliverables, presentations and timesheets; Collecting contacts details list from all the project partners; Preparing the reports. In terms of TPMs, an online Kick-off Meeting (due to COVID) and later a physical presence Kick-off Meeting in Cyprus took place, followed by an interim TPM in Athens and a final one in Cyprus. In between, monthly online meetings were held and continued after that up to the end of the project. Regarding the Project Results, preparation and clarification of all the project internal deadlines, work plan and task division among partners was done. In PR1, “Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) Handbook and Training for Preschool Teachers”, a work plan was presented by the leader UoWM, a questionnaire survey was done with responses collected and analysed, and the 12 chapters were written and combined into an e-book. Furthermore, UoWM contacted the National Library of Greece and obtained an ISBN for the book. Training of teachers took place, and the eBook was translated into Greek as well. In PR2, “Applied DAP Activities and Educative Digital Resource Library”, a work plan was presented by the leader Inter-Edu, the material of PR1 were studied, and a categorization (tags) of activities in PR2 was finalised. Then, partners collected all material in specific templates and added them to a temporary digital repository. Finally, in PR3, “CHILD Innovative and Creative Web-based Digital Environment”, the e-book of PR1 was prepared and integrated into the CHILD platform. The structure for the PR2 permanent digital library was designed and developed, and all resources and activities were added. Scenarios were written for the interactive activities, which were then developed, and a special space was prepared for them in the platform where they were integrated. When all results were completed, the national webinars, the final multiplier event, and pilots took place. Feedback from the pilots was analysed. Supporting teachers and schools signed letters of intent. Moreover, during the project duration, a dissemination plan was developed, dissemination activities took place, a website and logo were developed as well as a roll-up, flyers, and other promotional material. Four newsletters were prepared and disseminated. Also, a quality assessment plan was created, and questionnaires for all TPMs and PRs were answered and analysed. CHILD consortium participated also in the SALTO awards competition.