The Village Without a Kindergarten: Parents Teaching Children

Did you go to kindergarten? And did you carefully choose a preschool for your children? This is the story of a village in Moldova without either. 

Grandparent and grandchild

The local pastor and his wife are concerned. The children in this Roma village have enough difficulties with school. The children often go with their parents to Russia for part of the year. Instruction in the village school is in Romanian. The children speak Ursari Romani* at home. The village has no kindergarten/preschool. The children have few if any of the educational toys that littered our own living room when our children were young. 

Kindergarten candidates

Some teachers at the school are also concerned. Together, they agreed to try the Parent-Child Club. This program was developed by preschool educators with just such a situation in mind. Parents teach preschool skills to their own children, in their own language. Few if any materials are required. The leaders of the club do not need any previous teaching experience.

This coming Monday, parents will go to school . . . to begin providing their children with the kindergarten/preschool. That's Beloved Community. 

*One of many languages in the Romani (NOT ROMANIAN) language family.