The people who did the work

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The field of early childhood is an extremely important political topic, as it is about educating the future society from the very beginning of a person’s life. During this period, human values are fundamentally formed.

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The Primokiz initiative was presented by a citizen and I thought it was very good. I am very grateful that our citizens recognised that they can come to us with new ideas.

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Above all, we decided to join this initiative because ever since the municipality was established, we have been constantly fighting, especially here along the border, to remain inhabited.

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Early childhood is the pillar of a healthy society. We cannot build without a solid foundation, therefore the investments at this stage must be assumed, consistent, integrated. This project put us in the position to analyse the situation actually existing in the community more carefully, to listen to the voice of the people of Moinești, and to undertake measures for efficient use of resources.

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In the process of preparing and accepting the situational analysis, we were surprised by how extensive the range of programmes and activities in the field already exists in our municipality.

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The situation analysis prevents us from making rash decisions, introducing something because ‘someone thinks it’s nice’. The document reflects the real needs from the field.

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We discovered situations in the community that we did not know.

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After the analysis of the situation, we have seen a very large increase in births in recent years, which requires some action from the authorities.

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We have an evidence-based document of what exists in the municipality and also what the needs are. We already knew about some of them, maybe we weren’t quite sure and didn’t pay so much attention — but now we have concrete data.

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I was surprised that the analyses and interviews with parents showed that there is clearly not enough information at the municipal level about all the activities intended for young families. Because in our community, for example, over six hundred events happen annually, which is a lot.

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Before starting the programme, we thought we were working well, but this programme revealed communication problems between professionals.

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Thanks to this initiative, we had the opportunity to meet in a more formal way with representatives of institutions that work with the same target group. Everyone works with the same target group but from a different perspective. We have a lot in common.

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For the first time we discussed the importance of this period in a child’s life. Through the situation analysis we realised that we do a lot of activities, but we often don’t know about one another.

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Instead of competition between organisations and individuals, they experienced the benefits of cooperation. […] If someone organised an event or a lecture, the other organisations helped to promote it.

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Stakeholders who work in the early childhood education field got to know each other. We could get together without an initiative, but we obviously didn’t. In other words, this initiative was the incentive that brought us together.

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We in the municipality and in the local action team have gone from, ‘Oh, there goes that extra work again’, to, ‘Wow, that’s really good!’ In fact, we were already quite excited after the very first meeting.

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Bringing to the same table specialists from the three sectors involved in early childhood — social, education and health — contributes to finding the best solutions for the development of services intended for this age segment.

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Now we have a different relationship with the local authorities, we have become more visible. Our word has been heard. […] As a rule, the kindergarten was a kind of Cinderella of education. They realised that early education was important, that things had to be put right from an early age. We didn’t stand in lines to sign up to talk to the mayor any more.

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I confess that the results achieved in this area exceeded my expectations, due in no small measure to the dedicated work of the professionals.

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I understood that early education starts from the crèche, and integration from an early age is for the benefit of the child and the family.

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I’ve learned not to be afraid of chaos. When I went out with the girls, they would get nervous, scream if I wasn’t paying attention for five seconds. I learned how to manage them, I learned from the ladies who taught me.

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We made ambitious plans, and they came to be realised. Early childhood services were improved and new ones were created, bringing the community together in the process.

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Through the project, we demonstrated to the community that, in addition to paying attention to the development of the infrastructure of services for children and parents, we can also make functional a complementary service such as PrimoHub.

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I have addressed many families, but the number of attendees did not reflect this. This is unfortunately typical of our municipality — in many cases parents are uninterested.

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The mayor has to be very involved, convinced and committed. If he doesn’t get involved and leaves things as they are — ‘Come on, you sort things out, go around and let me know from time to time’ — this doesn’t work.

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Volunteering doesn’t last forever, we are waiting for the authorities to apply for the ‘Community Kindergarten Project’ so that we can employ staff in PrimoHub centres.

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Finding time for meetings was always difficult because everyone has their regular job. Usually we met outside regular working hours. It was quite demanding to maintain enthusiasm and readiness.

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It would be important to formalise the work of the local action team. A person is more committed to certain tasks if they know that there is a contract behind them and, last but not least, some financial resources.

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The challenge remains how to reach families that are not included anywhere. We tried through the Red Cross, paediatricians and the medical centre, but there was no success. It was interesting to me that they did not see themselves in this initiative. I think it would be easier to reach those families if all services step together.

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It is very nice that we recognise and describe these — there is a study and material that can be used. The exciting question is what we will be able to maintain and operate.

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The keys to a society of the future are three: cooperation, integration and solidarity.

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If we manage to keep this way of working in the medium and long term — it is not easy — there are signs that give us hope. Then the project will have far exceeded its initial goals.

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In my opinion our measure of establishing an early childhood ombudsman is very important. I think it is crucial that we foresee someone who will make sure that the early childhood field remains visible.

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Regular network-building work has begun for the benefit of children and families, which must not be stopped. Our started programme can be a good practice for the surrounding settlements as well.

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The challenge that we see is the ongoing, continuous work of the local action team. During these two years we had deadlines, a plan to stick to, your support from outside. We must preserve the team.

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It is crucial that the measures are written down so that we can later check how they are implemented. It will be necessary to assemble a team that will periodically analyse the implementation.

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As a partner in the implementation of the project, we are proud to be able to ensure at the level of the local community the right of every child to a quality early education.

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We could organise a speech therapy session within Primokiz. We linked the programmes so that we could hold both the assessment and the session for children and parents in the Play Centre.

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The development of territorial and sectoral strategies is essential for the development of the community, but when the initiative starts from the bottom up, from practitioners and specialists to the authorities, the process is not only anchored in reality, but also internalised by those who will both use and benefit from this document, giving it sustainability. […] What can be more important for the beneficiary — children and their parents — than a coordination of efforts and a harmonisation of the interests of the various institutions involved?

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I think the topic is very important, but it is true that when we come to decide on some things in the municipal council, there are not many content-related questions. We communicate a lot about the price of kindergarten, the price of this and that. On the other hand, there is no substantive discussions about what our children need.

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It is important for all of us that the child grows up in emotional security, and that the road to school is balanced. Primokiz has confirmed to us how essential this is.

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PrimoKiz made it possible for the needs of young children to be highlighted at City Council, through the Situation Analysis developed by the local team, and to put into practice the necessary actions identified.

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Before, I did not believe that the programmes and performances organised for families with small children could move so many people into the settlement. […] Before starting the programme, we thought we were working well, but this programme revealed communication problems between professionals.

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Situational analysis is an important contribution. We have an evidence-based document of what exists in the municipality and also what the needs are. We already knew about some of them, maybe we weren’t quite sure and didn’t pay so much attention — but now we have concrete data.

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The topic of early childhood should not be a matter of politics. This is a topic that must be present always, on all levels. Because that’s the foundation for the future of our society.

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Facilitators are a great added value to the municipality, because we come from the outside, we are ‘neutral’ and we help other stakeholders to see the broader picture in a constructive way without any hidden agenda. We also have the knowledge on how to lead the process. This is something the municipalities usually just ‘do’, but it is a science behind it.

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I made it possible for their voice to be heard in the City Council through the Situation Analysis made by the project team, in order to prioritise necessary future actions.