We actively support the development of kindergartens in our regions in order to support them in their pedagogical work and offer possible ways for their further development in line with the rapidly changing social needs.
We pay a lot of attention to the topic of education in the endowment fund. Following on from successful projects targeting primary schools, improving the quality of pre-school education has therefore become our next priority.
This proves to be crucial for children's development, and has a knock-on effect on subsequent education and employability, which also has an impact on the regional economy. Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman has already shown, through various long-term measurements and research, that the economic return on investment in human capital decreases as children get older.
The pre-school period is therefore absolutely crucial in terms of human development. And the first, very important social environment that children encounter outside the immediate family is kindergartens, which therefore deserve more attention.
Quality pre-school education helps to acquire the initial knowledge and skills for a more successful start to compulsory schooling, as well as soft competences such as self-confidence and motivation. Finally, the available data point to the fact that quality pre-primary education can help reduce educational inequalities.
Pilot project in Vrchlabí region
At the beginning of 2023, in cooperation with our expert partner Step by Step, o.p.s., we launched a programme in Vrchlabí region that offers kindergartens a range of development activities for the management of kindergartens as well as for teachers and responds to specific mapped needs of the region. Through the programme, the pedagogical leadership of kindergartens gains further opportunities for professional development and individual methodological support for their work, for example in the area of personal and social development in the preparation of activities for parents.
The project also involves the regional methodological centres Začít spolu - ZaS centres in Trutnov and Turnov. Within the framework of the project, they help with sharing professional experiences from kindergartens outside the Vrchlabí region or with exploring other topics related to pre-school education and early care.
In addition to the kindergartens, other local educational actors are involved in the cooperation, such as the regional MAP (Local Action Plan for the Development of Education for the Vrchlabí administrative district) or social organisations dealing with early childhood care.
The quality of teaching work in the programme is clearly defined by the standards Competent Teacher for the 21st Century: the ISSA International Professional Quality Framework. The Starting Together project in Vrchlabí is also consulted by the Advisory Expert Committee, which, in addition to representatives of the Škoda Auto Endowment fund, includes the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic as the main institution responsible for the education system in the Czech Republic, as well as the research non-profit organisation PAQ Research, which provides unique data on key problems in the Czech Republic in the field of education and social policy, SOFA, which strives for quality and accessible education for all and focuses on mental health and helping children at risk, and last but not least, the National Pedagogical Institute of the Czech Republic, which ensures the transfer of educational innovations from the central conceptual level to school practice in the regions.