4. In which ways is the initiative creative and innovative?
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1-Study Tour to Daytime Community Home belonging to Şişli Municipality in İstanbul with Project Preparation Team: Study Tour to Daytime Community Home belonging to Istanbul City Şişli Municipality was carried out by project coordinator Dr. Jale Nur SÜLLÜ and the alderman of Eskisehir Metropolitan Municipality Nuray AKÇASOY in September 2010.
Project coordinator Dr. Jale Nur SÜLLÜ, project administrative officer Dr. Seyhan CUBUKCU and project financial officer Bülent YALIMAN also visited Cankaya Municipality on 23 December 2010. It has been a productive visit in terms of gaining insight about probable problems that may be encountered prior to establishment of a daytime Nursery and in terms of solution offers.
2-On–Site Study Tour in order to be informed of different applications of education/training programmes and logic/functioning of nursery school/kindergarten of Reggio Emilia Municipality:A Study Tour was made to Italy’s Reggio Emilia city with the participation of project administrative officer Dr. Seyhan ÇUBUKCU, project financial officer Bülent YALIMAN and Prof Dr. Gülten SEBER from ESOGU psychiatry department between 31 May 2011 and 3 June 2011.
The tour was very effective in sharing information about Reggio Emilia administration and Reggio Emilia system far from traditional education structure.
3- Required repairs and arrangements of furnishing at the service offered building were completed.
4- Purchasing required supplies for interior hardware and decoration and locating in the building at service offered building and purchasing required training/education materials for preschool educational service were completed.
5- Staff selection and hiring to be charged in the project: With the collaboration of the academicians of Anadolu University Preschool Education Department, Directorate of Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality Social Services Department, Directorate of Human Resources Training Department; selection of 2 classroom teachers, 2 assistant teachers, school master and secretary was made their employment within Municipality’s ensurement.
6- Organizing educational seminars on importance of preschool education, child development and training/education subjects to Es–Kıd’ s Home guardians: A four session “Family Education” seminar was organized between 17 October and 14 November 2011 for the parents, to ensure that the families communicate better with their children, and also show sensitivity for the mental health of the children.
Family Education seminar was organized with the collaboration of Eskişehir metropolitan Municipality Women’s Counselling and Solidarity Centre, clinic psychologist Prof. Dr. Gülten Seber, Özge Arduç and Anadolu University in four sessions as: The importance of preschool and family / Development Characteristics, Behavior Problems / Communication with Child, Communication with Child / Attitudes of Parents, Rights of the Child / Violence in Family.
7- Student subscriptions were taken and education got started.
8- Evaluation of development characteristics of children with different measurement instruments:
Under this extent three tests were applied to students of ES – KID’ S HOME. These tests are;
1) ADSI (Ankara Development Screening Inventory) : ADSI is a valuation instrument obtaining thoroughly and systematic information regarding infants and children development.
2) PeaBody Picture and Vocabulary Recognition Test : A test to measure the age of the recipient’ s language.
3) Drawing a Good Enough Person Test : Performed via Picture/image description, open to interpretation test demonstrates pictorial descriptions of children’ s regarding perceptions of themselves and others.
9- Carrying Out Interviews with Mothers: FIF (Family Interview Form) were developed within the scope of the project, and was used to obtain information about the family structure of the children, their communication with the members of their families, their development, health status, relations with their friends, participation in social activities, and their positive, negative and problematic behaviours.
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5. Who implemented the initiative and what is the size of the population affected by this initiative?
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-The Partner in the Project is, Anadolu University Department of Preschool Education (Depatment of Early Childhood Education).
-Eskişehir Osmangazi University (ESOGU), who is stakeholder of the Project, has taken part in the project with regards to providing psychological support to target group in an extremely devoted manner.
Within the scope of ES-KIDS’ HOME, works have been carried out in a harmonious manner in collaboration with Anadolu University Preschool Teaching Department. Project partner played an important role in making up the lack of experience of Eskisehir Metropolitan Municipality in preschool education sector. Anadolu University in return benefited from the continuous contacts of Eskisehir Metropolitan Municipality with various segments.
A.U. Education Consultants took place in the below activities:
At the stage of requiring repairs and arrangements furnishing at service offered building, pilot projects drawn by the Municipality were examined by Anadolu University team, and opinions are exchanged by visiting the building of the institution.
Purchasing required supplies for interior hardware and decoration and locating in the building at service offered building and purchasing required education materials for preschool educational service was also done with cooperation.
In Staff selection and hiring to be charged in the Project; both the applications submitted to the Municipality and the applications received at the end of the announcements made by the Anadolu University consultants with regards to working in ES-KIDS’ HOME are compiled by the project administrative officer, assessment in staff selection is made meticulously as the targeted group being strategical.
Family Education seminar was organized with the collaboration of Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality Women’s Counselling and Solidarity Centre, consultants of Eskişehir Osmangazi University (ESOGU), namely clinic psychologist Prof. Dr. Gülten Seber, Özge Arduç and consultants of Anadolu University, namely teaching assistant Dr.Berrin Dinç, Associate Prof. Dr. Serap Erdoğan and Assistant Prof Dr. Meral Ören.
1. Session ; The importance of preschool and family / Development Characteristics
(Instructor Berrin Dinç) (17 October 2011)
2. Session ; Behavior Problems / Communication with Child
(Prof. Gülten Seber) (26 October 2011)
3. Session ; Communication with Child / Attitudes of Parents
(Asst. Prof. Meral ÖREN, Dr. Serap Erdoğan) (02 November 2011)
4. Session ; Rights of the Child / Violence in Family
(Prof. Gülten SEBER ) (14 November 2011) dir.
Evaluation of development characteristics of children with different measurement instruments was also carried out with the A.U. Education Consultants
ESOGÜ Psychiatry Department put also very high effort in the evaluation of development characteristics of children with different measurement instruments.
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6. How was the strategy implemented and what resources were mobilized?
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As mentioned in Part B, question 2, ES KIDs’s HOME was a grant Project partially (80%), funded by EU, with a planned budget of 99.541 Euro (80%, 80.000 € app.)
In the project, construction works are met from the Municipality budget, and part of the fittings and educational materials met from EU fund. All food needs in ES-KIDS’ HOME are met by the Support Services Department of the Municipality. Also, transport services of the students are met with the means of the Municipality for a period of two months following the commencement date of the project, and whereas it was met from the EU Grant from July until Project end date. Went out to tender for purchasing of student transport service in New Year to ensure the sustainability of the project, and the service shall be continued to be met from the Municipality budget. Salaries of the personnel recruited by the Municipality within the scope of the project were met from the EU Grant, and the contracts of the personnel in question were renewed as of project end date.
ES-KIDS’ HOME Project ended as of 23 December 2011, and EU support is concluded. All kinds of financial need at the next stage İS met from the budget of Eskisehir Metropolitan Municipality Directorate of Social Services Department.
Additional to the planned budget of 99.541 Euro (80%, 80.000 app.), the Municipality expenditures from its own sources 20.000 € + 70.000 €= 90.000 € , app. while the project continued, that was almost threefold of the value planned in the budget of 2011.
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7. Who were the stakeholders involved in the design of the initiative and in its implementation?
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Eskişehir Metropolitan Monicipality has a preschool named as ES-KIDS’ HOME.
Ensuring children of 36-60 months of age, not having the opportunity to benefit from preschool educational services, receive preschool education. With an approach to results from a wider angle, number of students receiving preschool education in Eskisehir increased by 52 in the first year of the Project. The actual number of students beneficiary of ES KIDS’ has now reached to 108.
Raising awareness with regards to preschool education among the mothers of the children to be enrolled to our ES-KIDS’ HOME institution.
Contract Authority has regularly arranged training for the project personnel with regards to project management. These trainings have been very beneficial and provided great experiences for the personnel on duty in ES-KIDS’ HOME project of Eskisehir Metropolitan Municipality.
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8. What were the most successful outputs and why was the initiative effective?
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Project Documents (PD) are the documents created within the scope of the project throughout the project and are listed below. By the mentioned documents the Project was monitored and evaluated.
● Project Preliminary Information Form: Prepared by ES-KIDS’ HOME project executive competent. Within the project activity plan, prior to matriculation and start to education activity; together with participant foundation and Eskişehir Greater City Municipality Women’ s Counseling Center psychologist, Eskişehir Greater City Municipality project executive staff, teachers to work at ES-KIDS’ HOME, by performing home visits to student candidates, information was given relating to going to be opened ES-KIDS’ HOME with the support of EU Grant. Project Preliminary Information Form placed to outer doors of the owners who cannot found in order to obtain their flashback and informing objective.
● Family Information Form: During the visits performed to student candidates of ES-KIDS’ HOME, informations are taken from the families in the Family Information who think positive in the enrollment subject.
● ES-KIDS’ HOME Application Form: Prepared by ES-KIDS’ HOME staff. Petition and information for ES-KIDS’ HOME Application Form from their parents for the students whose permanent enrolments are taken.
● Report of the Meeting Results done with ES-KIDS’ HOME and A.U. Educational Consultantas – Psychologist
● Parent General Meeting Reports
● Family Interview Form Prepared by psychologists of our municipality. Used for taking information relevant with family structure, communication with family members, development, health structure, relations with friends, social activity participation, positive-negative and problemmatic behaviors of the children. Applied to 48 parents.
● Reggio Emilia Loris Malaguzzi International Centre Visit Observation Report under coverage of ES-KIDS’ HOME Project
● Observation Reports – 1 and 2
● Evaluation of development characteristics of children with different measurement instruments
● Satisfaction Surveys – 1,2 and 3
● ES-KIDS’ HOME -A.U. Education Consultants Meeting Report
● 28 / 09 / 2011 Family Education Programme Planning :
● Family Education Seminar Report A.U. Project Report about the monitored results
● Project Rechnical and Financial Reports to be submitted to EU about the proper implementation of the Project with all supportive financial and technical documents.
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9. What were the main obstacles encountered and how were they overcome?
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Loss of time was experienced in accessing the information about our target group during the project design stage. Information indicating that adequate database relating to parents being in prison could not been taken from related institutions in Eskişehir due to the lack of the database.
Reluctance of the families to enrol was also regarded as a risk.
Both risks were eliminated by briefing made during family visits implemented by the Municipality. The addresses for the family visits were listed by the database of the social Services Department of the Municipality of the low social level families in need of support and by the formal letters to the Office Of The Public Prosecuter. The number of enrolled students and actual waiting list is an indicator of the risk that has been overcame.
Although the possibility of social exclusion and discremination faced by the twenty (20) children in social life, having their fathers in prison considered as a risk; this probable isolation risk was eliminated by enrolling 20 socio-economically disadvantegeous children to ES-KIDS’ HOME as commingling group.
Due to not having any previous experience in the field of preschool education; Eskisehir Metropolitan Municipality considered this being non experienced as a risk in the implementation of the projec. This risk disappeared automatically during the management of the project by working in collaboration along with the partner and participating institutions which are very qualified in this field.
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