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Five year old Catalina M?ndrile likes coming to school. ¡°When we finish an activity, before going to lunch, we draw,¡± she explains. ¡°I like it here: we sleep, eat, play and make puzzles. The educator teaches us things that we, being small, don¡¯t know.¡±

Viorica Istra?i runs the kindergarten.  She says her village of about 3,500 residents will survive and prosper, as long as her kindergarten is filled with laughs of their children. ¡°We are proud of our kindergarten ¨C it¡¯s the nicest place in the community. And it¡¯s not only a building ¨C but this is also an environment where children feel well, free and can develop their creative potential,¡± says Istra?i.

Until recently, the kindergarten was festooned with broken windows and doors, without electricity and water. For ten years, like many kindergartens in Moldova, it was shut down entirely. Only in 2005 did work begin to repair it.  Three years later, the P?n??e?ti kindergarten was one of 50 in Moldova to receive part of  two grants from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE, formerly Education for All ¨C Fast Track Initiative), of US$4.4 million each, administered by the World Bank. Moldova is currently implementing a third GPE grant and continues to address the needs of more kindergartens especially in disadvantaged communities.

A long-lasting impact

Much of the impetus for the rebirth of the kindergarten came from people in the village. ¡°We wanted our new kindergarten to have a long-lasting impact on the life of our village, so we decided to engage our community to define future steps,¡± explains Istra?i.  

And the community got engaged. Of the total cost of the school¡¯s renovation, which totalled to about US$35,000, people from and around P?n??e?ti have donated over US$11,000. The rest came from the local authorities and from the Global Partnership for Education. Moldova has been a leader in its focus on early childhood education, and has worked closely with UNICEF and the World Bank.

Effective early childhood education is an important tool for creating a skilled workforce and for enhancing Moldova¡¯s competitiveness in the 21st century. This is why strengthening access to quality education is a priority for the World Bank in Moldova.

As part of the improvements to Moldova¡¯s school system, the project is helping design modern teaching and learning materials, including books, toys and furniture; and renovate preschool facilities, equip play-grounds, and train teaching staff across the country.

As a result, about 10,000 children have benefited from preschool services in over 50 renovated kindergartens. About 37 percent of the country¡¯s other preschools received books and other teaching materials.

Teacher training targeted at both experienced and new teachers plays a vital role. Over a third of Moldova¡¯s preschool teachers were trained in new ideas and teaching techniques. 

Skill comes with practice

In P?n??e?ti, the Romani?a kindergarten brings local kids together each day for school. Natalia Bunciuc, one of the kindergarten¡¯s 12 teachers, says her students are making progress as they become ready to leave for elementary school.

¡°Preschool education is one of the most important investments you can make in children,¡± says Bunciuc. ¡°I find it rewarding to work with our kids ¨C they are growing bigger and becoming brighter every day.¡±

¡°Our life, and also the life of our children, has changed to the better. Being busy at our work we cannot afford to offer very much time and to educate them. In the kindergarten, however, they learn and are engaged in different activities,¡± says Gheorghe Yatsco, who has a three-year-old daughter in preschool.

The new kindergarten is also a haven for children whose parents left Moldova for jobs abroad. Out of 170 kids, 35 children have at least one parent working abroad.

¡°I had a dream of being able to bring all our kids to the kindergarten, especially, children with special needs and children lacking their parents¡¯ care because they left the country to work abroad. Every child is important and every child needs attention,¡± says Istra?i. ¡°Everything we aimed for became a reality here. And the parents know that their children are kept in a secure, neat and friendly environment where a new generation is growing.¡±