2 October an Early Childhood Development Week was launched in Batumi.
The events planned for the Education Week will be held by Early Childhood Intervention Coalition and experts invited from the USA and Portugal.
As part of the week the following events will take place:
2 October, 9.30 a.m. – Opening of a scientific school Neurodevelopmental Violations at Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University. The school will take place on 2-7 October.
2-20 October – A three-week course for training intervention professionals from Kobuleti and Adjara mountainous regions. Place: 13 Agmashenebeli St., Batumi.
It is planned to develop Early Childhood Development certification and masters programs in Batumi University after holding the Education Week, which will promote student’s awareness of the issue and support their professional development in regions. Moreover, new groups will be trained in early childhood development services in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs of Adjara Autonomous Republic and local municipalities.
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About Early Childhood Development in Georgia:
According to one of the surveys conducted in 2010, 8,5% of 2-year children have developmental problems in Georgia. There are 300 000 children aged up to 5 in the country, which means that 25 000 children must have the problem.
The State Early Childhood Development Program has been run in Georgia for 7 years. As part of the program, the amount of financed vouchers has increased by 40% every year but this is not enough to meet demand anyway. At the stage, there are 841 children wishing to receive the service, while the current budget is sufficient for only around 520 kids.
The Early Childhood Intervention Coalition developed the early intervention national strategy and action plan. The strategy calls for the creation of a stable and standing system, in which the children in need of intervention will be efficiently identified and referred, they will receive quality services, while the staff will be continuously trainined.
The Early Childhood Development service is provided in Tbilisi and several cities: Batumi, Kutaisi, Chkhorotsku, Zugdidi, Kobuleti, Telavi and Lagodekhi.
The early childhood developmental delay does not imply only disability. The developmental delays may be expressed in the communication or speach problems, asociality, attention deficit and other behavioral disorders. Developmental delays are identified by different examinations, after which the child needs early intervention. Early intervention beneficiaries may become children that have diagnosis of different neurological diseases or any disorder, which causes a developmental delay.
The team working with a child and his/her family is staffed by an early intervention specialist, psychologist, occupational and physical therapist. In case of early childhood developmental delays, intervention is effective in children aged up to 3 years or at least up to 7 years.
Early intervention does not imply child rehabilitation. It is tailored to family needs. Apart from working with family, the Early Childhood Development Program calls for the introduction of methods for working with and developing children in kindergartens.