About Step by Step

With this website we celebrate the Step by Step Program by sharing stories of some of the alumni who have attended Step by Step schools and kindergartens throughout Eastern Europe and Central Asia. All the alumni we have spoken to, have described the program as a life changing experience that helped them to develop as human beings. It is a testament to the impact the program has had on children, families, and ultimately on the society!

“My teacher was like a mother to me,” says Gansuld Bayartulga, alumnus from Mongolia.

“I’ve learned to be self-confident and responsible,”says Sarvinoz Akilova, alumna from Tajikistan.

Twenty-five years ago, the Open Society Foundations (OSF) launched the Step by Step program, an early childhood education reform initiative in 15 countries in Central Europe and Eurasia. Initially conceived as a two year program, Step by Step introduced child-centred practices and community and family-based approaches into existing early education systems, through a series of pilots in public kindergartens and primary schools. Soon after it was launched, the program was implemented in close to 30 countries.

In 1998, OSF began a process of building a civil society sector in early childhood education and spun off the program into independent NGOs supported by OSF. In October 1998, a founding coalition of Step by Step NGOs voted to establish an association. The International Step by Step Association (ISSA) was established in 1999 to serve as a regional network which would both support the national Step by Step NGOs and provide a voice for professionals promoting progressive early childhood approaches.

Today the Step by Step Program continues to be active in over 25 countries.