The Importance of caregivers’ qualification programs and ilia state university initiatives

1. The Importance of caregivers’ qualification programs and ilia state university initiatives KhatunaDolidze, M.S, CCLtuS Center for Inclusion and Preschool Education

2. Caregiver Qualification... • The quality of preschool education is largely stipulated by a caregiver qualification (Barnett, 2003; Whitebook, 2003) and accessibility of the related educational programs of the field. • The importance of preschool education qualification programs is especially valuable in our reality when the education, qualification, experience and pedagogical approaches of caregivers are dramatically different from one another.

3. The objectives and tasks of preschool and inclusive educational Institutions • The cooperation between academic and preschool institutions; • The development of the evidence-based educational practice; • Practice based research support; • Curriculum for kindergartens;

4. The importance of qualification programs and trainings • The intensive meetings of preschool centers and kindergarten employees and the observation on the pedagogical practices highlighted the necessity and inevitability of developing the caregivers’ training qualification programs. • The special needs for the further professional development of caregivers were singled out as a result of the bilateral cooperation.

5. The Needs for Caregivers’ Professional Development • The evidence-based contemporary approaches and curriculum in preschool education; • The awareness of guiding children’s positive behavior and the other humane approaches, principles and techniques and its usage in practice; • The importance of social and emotional competences and the access of the comprehensive ways and methods in preschool age; • The cooperation with parents as one of the ways and opportunities of strengthening the kindergartens; • The basic components of the school readiness and its access;

6. New Initiatives of Ilia State University • Based on the aforementioned needs the Center for Preschool and Inclusive education developed new programs for qualification/certification improvement; • The program – on Early Childhood Education –is 12 credit course, which includes the theoretical (9 weeks ), and practical (6 weeks) courses. • The aim of the center is the effectiveness of the program to be estimated by the listeners comprehensively, be permanently modified and fitted to the needs.

7. Thank you for your attention!