Pedakos

In Kosovo, over 90% of licensed preschools are located in urban centres; the majority of them (about 65%) is run by private actors. Although the development of the preschool sector is included among the national priorities, the governance capacities of the sector by the Ministry of Education are still limited.

The quality of education at all levels represents a serious cause for concern and, at the same time, one of the main challenges for the country’s future and path towards European integration (Kosovo Country Report 2018 – CE).

Within three years, the PEDAKOS project aims to support public and private institutions in Kosovo to increase the quality of early childhood education services.

The project puts public institutions and local non-profit organizations in dialogue with a network of Italian partners who make their experience in education at disposal, through a participatory and co-designing approach.
The project revolves around three main intervention strategies:

• the promotion of professional training for preschools teachers and educators, through study visits in Reggio Emilia and on site;
• the exchange of good practices through the implementation of pilot initiatives for the design of educational spaces, participation of families, reuse of materials and food education;
• the development of a partnership between public and private.

The first year of the project saw study visits suspended due to travel restrictions for the COVID-19, but training courses were launched for teachers and educators in webinar mode.
In November 2020, an online path about the theme of taste and nutrition began in collaboration with the Fondazione Reggio Children and Pause Atelier dei Sapori.