Bulgaria: Launch of the “Strong start” project supporting preschool education
Over 75,000 parents and children in kindergartens and nursery groups will receive support under the “Strong Start” project, implemented by the Ministry of Education and Culture and financed by the European Programme “Education”. Signatures for its official launch were signed by the Minister of Education and Science, Prof. Galin Tsokov, and Prof. Georgi Vaisilov, Executive Director of the Executive Agency “Programme Education”.
According to the Minister of Education and Science, one of the main goals of the project is to develop the potential in preschool education through support for personal development with a view to more successful social realisation.
The signatories of the project emphasised that it complements early childhood education and care and builds on the good practices and experience gained from the successful implementation of the Operational Programme. The policy for inclusive early childhood education is complemented by investments under the Recovery and Sustainability Plan, as 8 new kindergartens are to be built in Sofia and 49 kindergartens throughout the country are to be modernised.
The activities to support children and their families will be implemented for 5 years, and during this period BGN 105,400,000 will be invested in high-quality education and early childhood care, the funds coming from the European Social Fund and the national budget. Under the “Strong Start” project, additional support will be provided for the personal development of children with SEN, at risk, with chronic diseases and gifted children for permanent inclusion in preschool education. For this purpose, kindergartens can hire psychologists, speech therapists and resource teachers.
The focus will also be on access and permanent inclusion of children in pre-school education in order to reduce the number of dropouts from the education system. Already at the kindergarten or nursery level, children will be included in additional trainings, activities of interests, sports, activities related to nature conservation, and other. Through various initiatives and events, parents will be actively involved in the preschool education process. The training for over 3,500 pedagogical and non-pedagogical specialists is also planned.
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Source: Eurydice Unit Bulgaria
