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Description
Children with developmental disabilities and their families are often on the margins. The Republic of Croatia neglects efforts to ensure an equal start for every child, especially for children with developmental disabilities. Support varies regionally, and is almost completely absent in deprived areas. All of them have in common the lack of early intervention, recognition of problems and support regarding the availability of kindergartens, assistants and communication mediators. Integration and inclusion in preschool institutions is an important step, which is also guaranteed by the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Many scientific studies show that children involved in programs achieve significantly better results in further education. Deviations in development are often neglected to be addressed in the early and preschool age and children lose timely support. Early intervention remains only at the declarative level. Each child develops potential in a certain sequence. If we don''t act on time, we miss the moment when help would give maximum results and do irreparable damage.
The project will encourage legal changes: prescribing the obligation to ensure equal starting positions for every child, including children with developmental disabilities, especially in deprived areas. The Rulebook on assistants and communication mediators in kindergartens, which will prescribe the obligation of their employment will be prepared for the Ministry of Science and Education.
We also work on training educators for the rights of children with developmental disabilities, make support available to the wider professional community. Whether the child will be included in the system and receive support depends on the efforts of the parents, and that is a question that must be resolved by the state.
The project will have a dual task - a strong advocacy role and a role of supporting the needs of children with developmental disabilities, their families and kindergarten employees.
Summary of project results
The integration and inclusion of children with developmental disabilities in preschool institutions is an important step in their integration into society, which is also guaranteed to children by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which the Republic of Croatia is a signatory. Many scientific studies show that children included in programs of early preschool upbringing and education achieve significantly better results in further education. Developmental deviations are often missed in a child''s early and preschool age, which means that early intervention remains only at the declaratory level, and children lose timely support. Pedagogical guidelines are clear, each child develops potential according to a certain sequence. If we fail to act in a timely manner, we have missed the moment when it would have brought maximum results and we are doing irreversible damage. Developmental disibility is often detected precisely in kindergartens, where the profession monitors the child and it is important that every child has access to kindergarten.
Children with developmental disabilities and their family members are often on the margins of our attention. The Republic of Croatia skips making efforts to ensure an equal start for every child, especially for children with disabilities. The support that children with developmental disabilities receive differs regionally, but it has a common element - the absence of early intervention, recognition of problems and support in terms of the availability of kindergartens, assistants and communication mediators. We want to work on the education of educators to work with children with developmental disabilities, connect with our educational rehabilitators, psychologists, pedagogues to make such support available to the wider professional community.
The project has activated professional community to focus on three important areas. The project put in the public focus and focus of decision makers, challenges in the education of children with disabilities. Project activities has strengthened the competencies of educators and assistants working with children with disabilities and has strengthened competencies of parents of children with disabilities to increase their participation in order to achieve the rights of their children and to improve cooperation with the founders of kindergartens.
The public campaign pointed out many challenges, which were consequently reflected in stronger reporting by parents of children with disabilities and their complaints about the denial of their children''s rights. The changes were demanded (together with the parents) in treatment of children with disabilities. Inclusion of many children in early preschool education programs was successfully implemented. More than 800,000 people are involved in the public campaign, 403 people were directly involved in the project, which is an exceptional success in bringing this topic to the public''s attention.
Through complaints, pressures, and requests, additional employment of assistants for children with disabilities was achieved. The founders of preschool institutions are aware that these recruitments cannot be avoided, especially when you take into account the data from the research, which clearly show how many professional staff are lacking. A large number of kindergartens operate without the necessary and legally prescribed employed professionals, which would be reasons for closing these kindergartens according to the Preschool Education Act.
The research that was conducted provided much more extensive data than planned, so it has been decided to prepare a comprehensive publication instead of the planned research report, clearly indicated all the shortcomings in the system, which are reflected in the quality of what is provided to children, especially children with disabilities. The publication is a unique database and a roadmap in which direction and at what speed it is necessary to act, in order for the Republic of Croatia to fulfill its obligations according to all documents that guarantee the rights of children, and certainly children with developmental difficulties. Part of this data was shared with the Network for Lifelong Education, which created and presents to the public the publication "Analysis and recommendations for public policies: Improving the fairness and inclusiveness of early preschool education and education in Croatia".
The working group of the SIDRO association drafted a proposal for the Ordinance for assistants and communication mediators, and submitted it to the Ministry of Science and Education, calling on the Minister of Education to issue the Ordinance as soon as possible, which, upon entering into force, will provide clearer instructions on who the assistants are and what they do for children with disabilities and communication intermediaries.
One of the most important achievements is the gathering of 14 organizations that, in just a few days, connected and founded the Initiative of Associations for an Equal Start for Every Child, and sent an important petition about discrimination against children with developmental disabilities. The petition was discussed at all relevant addresses, and important allies were gathered to continue to advocate for the rights of children and the rights of children with disabilities. The equality has not been achieved for every child, but it many discriminations have been stopped and reduced through this project, both individually, in groups, collectively and at the level of passing local regulations.
The project''s activities influenced the attitudes of the founders and preschool institutions, who began to employ additional educators and/or assistants for care and support and assistants for children with disabilities. Parents'' awareness has changed, they understand what rights their children have and how to fight for those rights. Parents'' attitudes towards the frequent rejections when trying to include a child in kindergarten have also changed, parents now file appeals and demand the rights that the child has. Parents continue to be rejected on these appeals, but then the association SIDRO gets involved with letters and calls and things change , places are found for children with developmental disabilities in groups.
The attitude of part of the educators has also changed, who now openly point out that the knowledge acquired at the study is not enough and that additional education of educators is needed.
The change that can be seen in relation to the entire sector is the recognition of the challenges and problems that this system is dealing with by the Ministry of Science and Education and the Government of the Republic of Croatia. After three years of repetition and a year of intensive work on this project, the relevant ministry and the Government of the Republic of Croatia finally acknowledged the problems, which is the first prerequisite for solving them.
By connecting 14 organizations, the influence in the area of solving the highlighted challenges was strengthened, the speed and transfer of information increased. The initiative of the Association for an Equal Start will continue to work on issues of exercising the rights of children with disabilities and their families, conducting education and providing legal, psychological and other support.