Center for Educational Initiatives - Latvia

Program Image

Program

  • Type of Program: Program for schools and parents
  • Age Served: 0 to 10 years
  • Funding Sources: Soros Foundation-Latvia, Open Society Institute, Municipalities, parent volunteers
  • Presenter: Kristine Liepina (Marketing Mgr./Coordinator, Parent Programs)
  • Address: Rigas 216 b
    Jekabpils, Latvia LV 5202
  • Telephone: 371 91-64099 or 52-37029
  • Fax: 371 52-37029
  • Email: [email protected]

Program Purpose

The nonprofit organization Center for Education Initiatives (CEI) was established to facilitate a child-centered approach in the educational system of Latvia, and to promote community involvement in educating the new generation.

Program Description

The founders of CEI are Soros Foundation-Latvia, four municipalities and four higher education institutions. The idea of the CEI is to prepare children for living in the changing world, to develop a desire for lifelong education, to explore themselves and their environment, and to be able to: make and accept changes, think analytically and make choices, notice problems and solve them, be creative, take care of society, and be considerate of nature.

The goals of the CEI are:

  • to raise public awareness and understanding of the role of parents, families and community in solving educational issues,
  • to facilitate interest in democratic education initiatives among educators, to promote and support the introduction of humanistic, child-centered elements in general education institutions, irrespective of their overall educational and methodological approach to teaching and learning,
  • to strengthen ties between preschools, primary schools, and elementary schools, thus ensuring continuity between these stages,
  • to facilitate the formation of a tolerant society by supporting the integration of minority children in the society and inclusion of children with special needs in general education institutions.

CEI was formed to maintain the current network of child-centered preschools and primary schools which were involved in the Step by Step project of the Soros Foundation Latvia as a part of an international Step by Step program. That is why one of the strategic goals of the CEI is to maintain the Step by Step program and to develop new ones to serve teachers and parents.

Most Unique Program Feature

The program is wide spread, involving 6700 children of age 1-10 in 78 preschools and 75 primary schools. More than 800 teachers have been trained in the Step by Step methodology since 1997.

The unique position of the Step by Step program in Latvia can be explained by its systemic approach to implementation of educational reform:

  • It is an methodology that is underpinned by strong philosophical framework which also has a practical implementation mechanism;
  • It covers several stages of education - infants and toddlers, pre-school and primary school;
  • It offers sustainable in-service training for teachers
  • It is oriented towards public involvement in solving educational problems.

Edited by Michael Kalinowski