Abstract:

This paper makes a presentation of the impact assessment results in the case of support intervention implemented in the Ready Set Go project (RSG)! The overall outcomes show that such a support intervention deserves to be considered, taken over as a best practice and multiplied as a public policy by the governments around the world in order to equalize educational opportunities and reach for a sustainable social development.

In order to assess the RSG project’s impact and the results thereof we used a methodological design which complies with the requirements imposed by dedicated literature, by collecting longitudinal data, panel survey (N=840 respondents), both before starting the actual intervention, and at the end of it, respectively. Data were collected from both the group of preschool children who benefited from the intervention, but also from other two control groups, in order to be able to assess adequately the impact of the intervention. The tools used to collect the data were a specially designed questionnaire (applied to parents/ tutors of children) and IDELA (International Development and Early Learning Assessment) instrument developed by the Save the Children Foundation.

RSG project has been implemented in Romania by the Roma Education Fund (REF) Romania with the financial support from the Norwegian Grants. It was working to address the early learning gap between Roma children and the mainstream pre-school aged population. Through this project support intervention was provided to 570 vulnerable children (of which about 80% Roma) aged 2 to 6. Access conditions to pre-school (kindergarten) education were provided, and parents were trained to develop their children's cognitive abilities (by reading bedtime stories, using toys, or by having donated story books and toys).

This project has been a follow-up of recent results in the field of educational studies, specifically those that highlighted the mechanisms by which equal opportunities in education can be ensured. Inequality of educational opportunities for the Roma minority in Romania begins early in life. Well substantiated studies have shown that the ideal age to step in to increase the educational chances of children from vulnerable backgrounds is the pre-school age (0-6). The attainment failure of vulnerable children in education has its roots in a social context which is unfavourable to cognitive acquisition. Alongside the lack of decent financial state, the parental ability, motivation and capacity to make use of cultural items that are stimulating for the cognitive development of the child, such as story books, toys, play and writing instruments, or various learning materials (crayons / coloring pencils and books, markers, drawing paper, etc.) matter.

Sometimes the reflex of some less documented or ignorant people is to place the entire responsibility at the individual level, on the shoulders of family adults. Things are never like this, there are always social, historical, geographic determinations, etc. outside of the individual control. However, a child can not be held accountable for the situation of his / her family, and when family conditions impinge on child normal education and development, on fulfilling his/ her native potential, a modern, civilized state in accordance with contemporary norms MUST intervene through an appropriate, steady and tailored support.

Keywords:

Early childhood education (ECD), inequality of opportunities in education, preschool education, early learning gap for children, impact evaluation, panel survey.