We play, we learn and we grow together

„We play, we learn and we grow together“ is the slogan of one of the three projects that received consulting support under the Project Generation Facility of the Open Society Institute – Sofia and have been approved for funding under the procedure BGLD-2.003 – “Education and care in early childhood” funded by the Local Development, Poverty Reduction and Enhanced Inclusion of Vulnerable Groups Programme through the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area 2014 – 2021.

The projects in which the Roma Academy for Culture and Education Association, the Roma-Lom Foundation and the Social Dialogue 2001 Association partner respectively with the municipalities of Tvarditsa, Lom, Kozloduy and Miziya, envisage the implementation of integrated models of educational, health and social early childhood development services with a focus on Roma communities.

The grants under the procedure provide an opportunity to build hubs and to provide mobile services for training and development of young children aged 0 to 6 from vulnerable social groups, as well as to work with their families. The planned investments include the improvement of yards, playgrounds and specialized premises where educational and sports activities will be held. Active involvement of community mediators in the implementation of the activities is also devised. The projects are expected to contribute to more effective prevention of early school leaving and drop-out from kindergartens and to ensure a smooth transition from pre-school to school education, as well as to promote the pursuit of higher education and better social inclusion of children from vulnerable groups.