Description
Up until now, nursery and day care center services have not been available in the City of Seini, despite the urgent need among families with children up to 3 years old. Because of the precarious financial situation, unemployed parents do not have many options regarding early education services. Many of the disadvantaged families are of Roma ethnicity. From the total population of the city, 20 families are left to work abroad, leaving their children in the care of relatives who, being in a precarious economic state, also due to their advanced age, cannot afford quality child care services. Moreover, the Roma population in the city, consisting of 34 families, does not have adequate resources to access quality services. Through support from the EEA Grants the project will establish and run a day care and education center for children aged 0-3. Through these efforts the project seeks to increase citizens' access to quality social and educational services by the year 2016. 50 children aged 0-3 years, out of which 17 are of Roma ethnicity will be able to benefit from the new services. The project will contribute to improving the balance between work and private life through information and awareness events, focusing mainly on the Roma families: 3 workshops, 2 seminars and 1 peer review.
Summary of project results
Seini municipality, Maramures county, opened a center through a grant of 351.217 euro The setting up of the center has lead to the education and daily care taking for 50 children aged 0 to 3 years old, out of which 17 are Roma. The services include a daily hot meal and a shower. In order to enable the proper functioning of the activities, the Roma children are brought to the center on a daily basis by the community nurse and the local police. Within the center, the children receive unconditionally specialized assistance, attention and support necessary for development of the children. Such activities are: music and dance therapy, artistic activities (colouring, painting and plasticine moulding), English language activities, as well as practicing independent abilities (eating by themselves). If any medical issues arise, the child is withdrawn from the community by the medical assistant and placed under supervision until the arrival of the parents or of the ambulance, if necessary. During the implementation period of the project, 7 information and awareness workshops and seminars have been carried out, regarding the gender equality issue, participation of the Roma women within the community. The events had as main purpose raising awareness for the Roma parents on the importance of the child’s education and especially on social integration and an inclusive approach on care and education. They also aimed to raise awareness on their involvement in the current activities of the local community through events such as the Cleaning Day in the Roma Community- a traditional activity which is held on the 8th of April every year, same day as the International Roma Day. In the center’s current activity periodical parent meetings are being organised. These are either group activities, in order to debate on specific administrative issues, or private meetings, where the parent meets the personnel in charge of the child and discuss the progress that has been made. By constituting the daycarecenter, a building that is a historical monument in an advanced degree of decay has been refurbished furnished and equipped with modern furniture and appliances. In the implementation of the project, the promotor had some delays in what concerns the refurbishing of the building, due to the fact that it is a historical building, but once the propper legal mesures were taken, the refurbishing was succesfully accomplished.
Summary of bilateral results