For this blog assignment, I selected Bulgaria Step By Step Program Foundation as my international website. As for my contact person with the program, I have established contact with Emil Buzov. Emil answered my email asking me what she can do to help me with my blog assignment. Emil is a faculty teacher preparing future students in UNI. She also is an executive director of education NGO. She seemed eager to help me learn more about initiatives and policies of her organization. I am grateful that she answered my email.
Assoc. Prof. Emil Buzov, Ph.D - Executive director
доц. д-р Емил Бузов - Изпълнителен директор
Step by Step Program Foundation
Bulgaria, Sofia - 1000, str. "Bacho Kiro " 14,
office phones: 00 359 9804942 or 00 359 9805712 or cell phone: 00 359 888 215779
International Step By Step Association
http://www.issa.nl/network/bulgaria/bulgaria.html
Step by Step Program Foundation/Bulgaria is a non-governmental organization working in the field of the Bulgarian education since 1994.
Vision
Quality education for the XXI century
Mission
As an educational model, the Step by Step Program - Bulgaria spreads ideas concerning the implementation of the following activities through using democratic principles for education:
- Offering educational technologies and strategies connected with interactive teaching methods and organization of the school environment;
- Monitoring, evaluation and research of educational projects;
- Developing specific projects in the field of permanent education as well as training and re-training teachers.
Connected to this, the Step by Step Program Foundation conducts the following projects:
- Infant and Toddler Groups Project
- Preschool Project
- Primary School Project
- Higher Education Project
- Children with Special Educational Needs Project
- Boards of School Trustees Project
- Municipality - Model Site Project
- Special Schools Project
The things that caught my attention about their website was they conduct a lot of projects. They seem to cover a lot of educational ground from infant through higher education to children with special needs to special schools projects. They also invest in re-training their teachers to better their academic skills. I believe that is a brilliant idea because in order to produce successful children, they must have well qualified teachers to teach them. I also believe that if more programs invest in their teacher’s education, then they will be able to prevent a lot of the issues that they have with their children developmental growth.
Reference
Buzov, E. (2010). Step by Step Program Foundation Bulgaria. Retrieved January 14, 2012, from http://www.issa.nl/network/bulgaria/bulgaria.html
Erica,
ReplyDeleteI think it is interesting that you found a web site from people from other countries that not only embrace early childhood education but also focuses on the developmental growth of children as well. I am happy to see that the desire to see children succeed in life is common denominator that unites people from all over the world.
Nicky
Erica,
ReplyDeleteHaving a non-governmental organization provide training and retraining of teachers is wonderful. Do you know if they do it for free or is their a fee? It seem this organization is interested in children's education throughout their lifetime hopefully creating continuity of learning and curriculum, something we are striving for here in the US.
Dear Michele,
DeleteI don't know if they do it for free, but I will ask Proffessor Emil. I hope we can come to a basic plan to promote educational growth for all children in the US.