Early Childhood Resource Centre
DSMT partnership with the Early Childhood Resource Centre, East Jerusalem. 2006 to 2013
Through ECRC, a leading centre of expertise in Early Childhood Education in the Middle East, DSMT has funded a variety of programmes to improve the quality of kindergarten provision in the West Bank and greater Jerusalem.
As a result of taking part in the ‘Teacher to Teacher’ and ‘Expressive Arts’ projects (2006-10) over 500 women have
- improved their knowledge about how young children learn
- developed a range of classroom techniques and activities to engage young children
- learned how to make stimulating teaching materials
- gained ECRC certification
- learned the relevance of these new skills for raising their own children
“How to produce educational games and toys for children are something new for us. This experience will sustain us for ever.”
“The Music and rhythm activities helped children to empty their psychological stress, the same as for their mothers”.
“When I come from the training seminar my husband wants me to tell him what I have learned and we discuss it together and about our own children.”
From 2011 to 2013 DSMT funded a two phase project with the ECRC to improve the quality of provision in four community kindergartens in impoverished villages in the West Bank (Aroura, Ajoul, Mazarah Al Nopany and Aubwan)
The kindergartens were substantially refurbished and equipped with safe, up to date materials and equipment. Training programmes and observation visits to each others’ kindergartens were organized for teachers and parents. As a result
- Teachers felt more confident about the value of their work for the community.
- Teachers and parents reported increased concentration and engagement in children.
- Teacher-parent relationships were strengthened and parent teacher associations established.
- The communities had a better understanding of the importance of Early Years education.
“This program made me feel that my role as head of the kindergarten and my work here are important”.
“Through my participation I become more able to plan a program in line with the needs of the children”.
“The techniques that the tutors used with us were fantastic and useful and we started emulating them as much as possible with our own teachers”.
“I changed the way I treat my children at home since I acquired the skills to contact and communicate with them in a non – violence way as I used to. Now I look to my children eyes and face while talking to them.”
“The ethos of the kindergartens was fantastic because the whole community seemed to be involved. Mothers made up more of the staff than teachers. And everyone seemed very eager to be involved and proactive. It was easy to see how thankful they were for the DSMT contribution to their local kindergartens.” DSMT observer – monitoring visit September 2013