SOS Schools in Bosnia & Herzegovina

These are the latest field reports from our nursery schools in Bosnia & Herzegovenia

SOS Nursery School Gorazde

Workshops with parents continuously are the part of our tradition which we try to enrich by broadening activities. We learn form parents and children and develop our activities in accordance with their needs.

Our workshops are something we will keep and chary as a cornerstone and basis for planning our activities.

In addition to educational activates this year we were focusing also on different classes or/and services.

We were offering the following education programs for kids:

• Primary education program for children ages 3-7 years;
• Short, specialized programs for early learning English language, early music education and early training for using computer.

 Apart from these programs, the nursery school was providing another kind of services for the kids:

• Pediatrician and a dentist are caring for their health and  healthy teeth, two times a week
• Speech pathologist is helping children to develop correct speech, two times weekly

 Playrooms were also one of the important activities, implemented by Family Strengthening Programme team, and supported by the Government of Gorazde Canton.

With a wish to share joy and benefits that this preschool offers, there are playrooms for preschool children organised in all primary school buildings in Goražde. In the playrooms, these short programs take place two times a week, three hours per session, for 170 children.

SOS Nursery School Mostar

We can mark 2008 as a successful and exciting year.

This year we celebrated 10 year anniversary of the SOS Nursery School in March and in May 2008 we officially opened SOS Family Centre in Mostar.

We work with the full capacity of the nursery school. Six children from the Welfare Social Centre were accommodated in the nursery school free of charge until July 2008. With the beginning of the new school year we arranged for 3 children from Family Centre to be accommodated at the nursery school, but also 1 child from the local orphanage and 1 child from socially deprived family. We find local sponsors for these children within the community.

The Ministry of Education of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton accepted our drafts of education documentation for preschool education and maid it official and obligatory for all nursery schools in the Canton from September 2008.

Beside regular educational programme, we offer different activities for children – lessons of English language, music lessons and speech therapist. The students of International gymnasium are working with children on weekly basis offering physical education workshops.

It is important to mention that the nursery school continuously stayed open whole year, without summer and winter holiday breaks.

For project “Playrooms on Whiles” we signed the contract with the group of Italian nongovernmental organisations Educaid, Peace games and Peace race. They will be our official partner with participation of 12.000,00 Euros. The contract ends in May 2009. By the end of 2008 the number of children attending playrooms grew to 300. We are covering 11 locations within the region of Mostar and have 13 groups of children. Local government participated with 500,00 KM for this project in 2008.

Staff news:

- Medical nurse retired with the end of 2008 and we employed new person.

- 4 nursery school teachers continued their further education at local university.

- 1 teacher became advisor for preschool education for Educational Institute of Mostar.

SOS Nursery School Sarajevo

The most significant fact during this period was registration of the nursery school in Kantonal Ministry of education, in November 2008. From then, parents can apply to the Ministry of education to obtain different kind of subsidies for their children. Unfortinately, there's no possibility for nursery schools to apply for any kind of subsidies for particular child or group of children as such it is regulated  by new Preschool low in Bosnia and Herzegovina. But, we will try to advocate for children from our target groups (those target groups are similar to some other nursery schools, too) in collaboration with other nursery schools, except those from public sector.

There's an active and demanding period in front of us regarding  at least two things:

- to develop an operation plan for allignment of  SOS Nursery School to the SOS Children Formal education policy in 2009,

- to make more proactive approach to Kantonal educational authorities in order to influence on them (in regard to our adjusted approach in Nursery Schools) to give us more understanding and financial support for conducting our programmes.

There was not a big change in the number of children in nursery school again this year, but our capacity is full. Average number of children in the nursery school remained almost the same because our capacities are full up to “last seat” since the beginning of September 2008, when new school year started. The group of children attending the speech therapy become well recognized and supported, last year again in 100% by government, companies, citizens.

The income of parents payment was nearly 99%, which was unexpected, so the income rate increased in 10% in comparison to the last year.

Good news is constitution of Council of parents in the Nursery School which can help us in conducting the programmes and play a good role in promoting our work in the society.