Special Report on Monitoring of Preschool Institutions Project “Empowering of Child’s Rights Centre” 2014 – 2015

The methodology and Responses First ever systemic monitoring within the mandate of the Public Defender of Georgia 61 preschool institutions were monitored Creation of the methodology and instrument, overall 350 teachers and 120 members of administrative staff were interviewed Recommendations and proposals were prepared’ Case affair on 30 facts, 79 official correspondence were prepared

Key Legal Instruments for the Monitoring Analysis of legal framework and legal regulation The Standard for Protection from Violence and other Kinds of Inappropriate Treatment The Standard for Individual Treatment and Preschool Education The Standard for Safe and Relevant Physical Environment and Infrastructure The Standard for Sanitation and Hygienic Norms The Standard for Organizational Rules for Nutrition

Outcomes Safe and Adequate Physical Environment, Sanitary and Hygienic Conditions Physical and infrastructural environment is unsafe for beneficiaries The physical environment of facilities are not adapted for children with disabilities In 40 % there are no medical facility and the service of a nurse 50 % do not have the medicaments for emergency medical assistance 20% requires immediate rehabilitation, 35% – repair, 25% is partially satisfactory, 20% – safe and adequate physical environment

Outcomes Implementation of the Right to Access Preschool Education Flaws in the implementation of the right to geographical and physical – infrastructural access Is low in kindergartens in Marneuli, Kutaisi, Oni, Mestia, Khulo, Shuakhevi, Keda, Tbilisi For example, children of early and preschool age are registered in Marneuli, the kindergartens are meant for 890 children, in 2014, the figure of reception of children in preschool education institutes was children were left outside preschool educational service in Tbilisi

Outcomes – Violence and other types of Mistreatment 70 % of preschool education institutions – cases of psychological violence in 40% - the practice of physical and corporal punishment, 30% - reducing the food portion, 75% - restriction of the right to play A low level of in-practice use of child protection referral procedures Frequent cases of conduction of violence and other types of mistreatment, as well as intolerant attitude towards children with disabilities in the kindergartens of Tbilisi and Kutaisi

Outcomes – Violence and other types of Mistreatment Low level of knowledge of personal in the sphere of identification, effective response and prevention of all kinds of mistreatment

Outcomes Standard for Individual Approach The need for retraining of personnel in the spheres of prevention and management of difficult behavior towards children, rights of minors with disabilities, identification and prevention of discrimination According to words of 60% of interviewed teachers, they are limited in their capacities to carry out individual work with children due to the excessive number of children in groups Legal Rights of beneficiaries with disabilities – non–systematic nature of multidisciplinary team, non-inclusion of methodology specialist, speech therapist, psychologist and special education children, problems in adaptation of environment Positive indicators were recorded in kindergarten N 45 in Tbilisi: 15 beneficiaries were assessed by the multidisciplinary team, an individual program was elaborated for 10 children out of 15, systemic supervision is being conducted on implementation of the plan

Outcomes – Food Catering Regulations Deficient Diet – 35 kindergarten had deficient diet Individual dietary needs of children – Positive indicator – in 36 kindergarten Procedures of storage/processing of food products – there was violation of sanitary – hygienic mandatory norms of storage/processing of food products in 20 kindergarten Problems with provision of food products – inappropriate periodicity in highland regions: perishable products are delivered on the basis of once in two weeks, other products – once in month Personnel – kindergartens do not have a food specialist staff place, preliminary and daily menus are developed by kindergarten unions in cooperation with a kindergarten director

Outcomes – Right to Early Learning and Preschool Education Methodology materials– 60 % of teachers in preschool education institutions are not supplied methodology guide books and relevant assessment forms Qualification – Rising – 70 % needs in the sphere of implementation of current methodology materials. 90% considers that they need raising of qualification in the sphere of current programs operating in early learning /preschool education The indicator of provision of teaching and educational equipment is low in 70 % of kindergarten Size of teaching groups – Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Marneuli, Samtredia, 30 (20), 35 (25), 37 (25), 38 (25)

Recommendations To the local self – governing authorities: To allocate appropriate financial recourse to increase ensuring the physical – infrastructural and sanitary – hygienic environment, abidance of food catering regulations and accessing preschool education To take measures in order to raise awareness of personnel to prevent violence, discrimination towards children with disabilities and challenging behavior Conduct systemic retraining of early and preschool education teachers in order to implement quality and effective preschool education To the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia, the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia: To take active steps to ensure full implementation and enforcement of the child protection referral procedures in preschool education institutions