The early adoption of the Bulgarian language and the full socio-emotional development of young children is a key prerequisite for their equal start in life. Early language skills include children’s ability to express their thoughts, feelings, and experiences through words; they help children communicate with the world around them and to get to know elements of their own culture.
The socio-emotional skills include the ability to recognize, express, and manage one’s feelings, to recognize the feelings of others, and to make meaningful connections with them.
Children from vulnerable communities (more than other children) attend kindergarten only for the two compulsory years and/or in half-day groups. As a result, children who have the greatest need for early learning start often have the least amount of time for language adaptation and socialization in kindergarten. Once they start attending kindergarten and school, children from vulnerable communities do not always manage to receive the individualized high-quality education they need and are entitled to. The consequences manifest in school in the form of early dropouts and poorer academic performance.
To address these challenges, TSA supports the realization of initiatives that implement new models for improving the language skills and socio-emotional development of children from vulnerable communities aged 5 to 10, who are mainly bilingual children with а Romani mother tongue, in order to equalize the chances of success in school and later on in life.
More information about the projects whose implementation we support during the 2019/2020 school year
Project “We will go far, if we do it!”, implemented by the Open Society Club – Stara Zagora
The project works with children aged 8 to 9, attending “Georgi Raichev” Secondary School and “Hristo Smirnenski” Secondary School and “Georgi Bakalov” Primary School in Stara Zagora, as well as “Peyo Yavorov” Primary School, Chirpan, who are mostly of Roma origin, for the application of the methodology “Learning with joy”, developed under a previous project of the organization in the period between 2015-2017. The project activities focus on the language and socio-emotional skills development through interactive sessions with a psychologist, music lessons, visits to cultural and historical sites, as well as holding a competition “Day of Happiness”, family games and “breakfast with the principal”.
The project includes a pilot application of a methodology for teaching the Bulgarian language in the conditions of bilingualism through the use of Roma fairy tales as a substantive basis, among 100 children in the first grade from two schools in Sliven – “Hadji Mina Pashov” Secondary School and “Bratya Miladinovi” Sixth Primary School, and from three schools in the Plovdiv district – “Vasil Levski” Primary School in Karadjovo village, Sadovo Municipality; “St. St. Cyril and Methodius” Primary School in Cheshnegirovo village, Sadovo Municipality and “Graf N. Ignatiev” Primary School – community school.
The project is aimed at conducting cinema workshops based on the European Program for School Cinema – CinED, with children from 1st to 4th grade from “Neofit Rilski” Primary School in Dermantsi Village, Lukovit Municipality. The project activities include conducting workshops for animated and feature films, preparation of scripts for short films, final presentation of children’s films made at the end of the school year in the village of Dermantsi, as well as a visit by the students of Sofia, and participation in the European Youth Film Festival.
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Project “Champions 2020”, implemented by “New Road” Association – Hayredin
The project includes the implementation of additional activities based on project learning in two kindergartens in the Kozloduy municipality – in the Bhutan and Glozhene villages. The activities cover children aged 5 to 6. They are based on the educational methodology “Design Champions” inspired by the method of design thinking, developed at Stanford University and applied in the field of education by the team of the Sofia-based educational start-up Red Paper Plane.
Project “Equitable and Equal”, implemented by “Bulgarian-Romanian Trans-border Mediation Institute” (BRTMI) Association
The project includes conducting extracurricular activities for additional training in the Bulgarian language for bilingual children, based on the methodology “Pedagogical game technology”, with children aged 5 to 7 in kindergarten “Zvanche”, Smirnenski village and kidergarten “Zdravets”, Glodzhevo village, Vetovo Municipality.