Kindergartens in Russia are becoming more accessible every year for children of all ages - from nursery groups to preschoolers, Russian Education Minister Sergei Kravtsov told RIA Novosti. In an interview with the agency, he told what will change in the work of kindergartens, what programs simplify a child’s adaptation to primary school, and how teachers come to the aid of mothers on weekends.
— Sergey Sergeevich, the forum “Time of Preschool Education” was held for the first time in Moscow. It was immediately proposed that it be held annually, which indicates the state’s attention to the topic. What will change in the near future for educators, preschoolers and parents?
— The forum program was built around the issues that kindergarten teachers face in their daily work. In practical laboratories and discussions, specific tasks were analyzed: how to reduce the formal and non-teaching load on the teacher, how to build a mentoring system, how to have difficult conversations with parents, organize children's play and educational group environment, and provide conditions for children with special educational needs. Issues of infrastructure and quality of children's content were discussed separately.
These topics were reflected in the forum's draft resolution. We are reducing duplicate reporting and non-teaching workload, developing mentoring, and more clearly distributing functions within the kindergarten team. Practical tools are also provided for interacting with parents and resolving conflict situations.
As for the child, the forum program was largely aimed at discussing the quality of his daily life in kindergarten. Separately, the resolution reflects issues of supporting independent children's play, developing the educational environment, accessibility for children with disabilities and disabilities, as well as a more meaningful approach to the selection of games, toys and media content.
A large block of the program was devoted to interaction with families. It is important here to move away from the situation where the kindergarten and parents exist as two separate parties. We need to build a more understandable and trusting partnership. Therefore, issues of communication with parents, difficult conversations, consulting support, mediation, as well as various forms of family participation in the life of the kindergarten were discussed. The draft resolution provides appropriate tools, from practical interaction scenarios to parental access to proven materials.
— One of the most sensitive issues that worries parents is the availability of preschool education. How successfully is this problem being solved?
— Indeed, this is one of the most pressing issues. If in 2016 accessibility for children from two months to seven years was about 94%, then at the beginning of this year the country as a whole had almost 100% accessibility of preschool education for children of all ages. Moreover, over the past ten years, the share of pupils in nurseries has increased from 14.8% to 17.3%.
On behalf of the President of our country, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, a lot of work has been done to open nursery groups and change the operating hours of kindergartens - where there is such a need. Extended day groups are being developed, on-duty or weekend groups are working to help mothers. There is experience in creating round-the-clock groups where they are most in demand for parents working shifts.
— At the forum, directions for changing the federal state educational standard and the federal educational program for preschool education were announced. What key tasks are planned to be solved as part of this update?
— Kindergarten should remain a space of education, and not just preparation for school. Getting to know your native culture, literature, customs and moral guidelines is more important than memorizing letters and numbers in the garden. It is this emphasis that will form the basis for future changes in the Federal State Educational Standard for preschool education.
In addition, we are preparing an update to the standard and federal program for preschool education to strengthen connections with the family when fulfilling educational tasks. This is the main condition for protecting the future of our children. I would like to note that we have already developed unified federal work programs for education, training and development and created a systematic approach to our work. We introduced new formats, such as the “Good Games” and “Preschool Eaglets” projects. For teachers, unified methodological kits have been developed for each age group.
— If we talk about “Good Games” and “Preschool Eaglets,” are there already the first effects of their large-scale implementation? What do kindergartens show - how do children react, how do parents get involved?
— We have already begun to introduce new work formats that meet modern challenges in the regions. The “Good Games” project is aimed at strengthening educational work to develop basic values and citizenship in children from three to seven years old. More than 30 thousand groups in kindergartens already participate in it. The project provides for various forms of work with children. Each teacher will be able to discover a form that will be interesting to children and will captivate parents in joint activities.
Another educational project - "Preschool Eaglets" - also originated at the regional level from the initiative of educators and advisors to educational directors to strengthen the continuity of kindergarten and school. At the end of last year, specialists from Rosdetcenter developed a unified concept for the project, which is based on the rich experience accumulated in the preschool education system. Now “Preschool Eaglets” is a project for children from six to seven years old, pupils of pre-school groups. The project makes it easier for a child to adapt to primary school. Children get acquainted with the school, the Russian Eaglets program and the Eaglets and take the first steps towards great good deeds in joint activities with teachers and parents. Already today, over 18 thousand kindergartens and 550 thousand pupils are involved in the project. The project started in all regions of the Russian Federation.
- We are talking about a teacher, a preschooler, a parent. But there is one more person who largely determines what the kindergarten will be like - its director. Are there platforms where they can exchange experiences?
