Stella Mission: supporting families

The number of children enrolled at the “Nido d’ape” (Beehive) kindergarten from March 2015 has increased to 19, and the kids regularly attending the school are now 15, 2 of whom joined the kindergarten right after Easter Holidays thanks to a strengthening of the educational team. Thanks to the daily care of the two children, their mums were able to go to work while they were experiencing new emotions and enjoying the kindergarten’s structure and toys. In fact, one of the two kids who is 15 months old, comes from a very difficult situation as his family lives in a really small flat. As a consequence, he always had to sit in his stroller or lay in his bed, therefore not being able to play or learn to walk. Thanks to the possibility of joining the kindergarten, he learnt to stand upright and began walking just a month after he started attending it.

With regards to the activities of the 2 to 3 years old group, as teacher and volunteers noticed that children had learnt the class routine, they decided to invite them to participate to moments such as setting and clearing the table, tiding up rooms and toys and deciding together which activities to do. Another interesting activity is “Born to Read” initiative, where once every two weeks a volunteer comes from a library to the kindergarten in order to read stories to children in a creative way

The Counseling Center dedicated to the parents and families of the young children is open every Wednesday from 9am to 1pm, with the possibility of booking an appointment at a different time.  There, two educational and supporting figures collaborate with the kindergarten in order to assist parents in need. A special reunion was also organized for the parents of 3-year-old children who will in September attend the 3-6 kindergarten (scuola dell’infanzia), so as to ensure a smooth passage.

Last May, parents were asked to fill an assessment survey and the outcome was no doubts positive. They are grateful for the improvements they could notice in their children with regards to their speaking abilities and the education they are provided with. They are also thankful for the economic support received in paying the fees for the kindergarten. Some of them recognize in this opportunity an important help for their social integration in the country. Moreover, the kindergarten has helped 5 parents to keep their job, 2 to extend their working hours and 1 to find a new job.

On March 25^th we had the pleasure to receive an on-site visit from the Global Giving In-the-Field Representative who summarized her experience as follows:

“Mission Bambini is an excellent foundation that funds innovative projects all over Italy and the world! I got to visit one of their partners in Roma, Cooperativa Sociale L'Accoglienza, which identifies needs in a gap among public social services for children under age of 3 with parent(s) with socio-economic difficulties. They seem to run the Nido very efficiently with great staff members, professional and local volunteers. Their training for parents and focus on sustainability through integrating back to available public services seem excellent! Even though it was a short visit, I grew confident about Mission Bambini and their partners' work.”

Mission Bambini will continue to support the “Nido d’ape” kindergarten during the 2015-16 school year, therefore facilitating the access of children and helping the kindergarten with the purchase of educational supplies.

 A Nursery for Every Child Program on Mission Bambini's Website 

Thanks to your generous donations in the school year 2014-15, fourteen children aged 6-36 months have been able to participate regularly in the daily caregiving activities offered by Kindergarten ‘Nido d’Ape.’ These children all come from difficult social backgrounds: most of them are immigrants facing integration problems or come from single-parent households. So as to provide the greatest support to struggling families, the nursery’s opening hours are flexible - standard hours are from 8am-4pm.

The premises for the Kindergarten were provided by the San Fulgenzio Parish, on a free extended loan. Since then, renovation works have been carried out, to ensure the suitability and safety of the Kindergarten buildings: a kitchen was created, the bathroom was adapted to be suitable for 0-3 year-old children, the heating and lighting systems were upgraded, the walls were painted and the floors covered with linoleum to improve hygiene.

The following recreational and pedagogical activities are ongoing: language activities, such as name and object games; making foot and hand prints; activities linking mental and physical processes; playing with natural materials; role playing and free play-time.

It is not only children who have benefitted from the project: Parents receive daily parenting guidance, through contact with teachers, weekly support from a social worker and periodical parents meetings (5 so far). These focus on issues such as children’s health and nutrition, which is supported by voluntary visits from a pediatrician. A special Christmas event was organized for Friday December 19^th on the nursery premises, as well as a party on Sunday 21^st, where Santa brought gifts for all the children from Kindergarten ‘Nido d’Ape’ and ‘Casa Betania’ mother-child community. These activities aim to help mothers feel less marginalized and to increase their self-esteem and self-confidence.

After a settling-in period for the children, new volunteers started collaborating with the Kindergarten, bringing the total number of volunteers to 20. A volunteer training course is ongoing: 7 meetings have taken place so far, focusing on ‘welcoming culture’, solidarity, disadvantage, first aid and fire training. Some volunteers also carry out additional services, such as bringing children home, pointing out job advertisements to parents and collecting food and medicine for poor households.

Having played an important role in the renovation processes, Mission Bambini continues to provide support to the Kindergarten: we help by covering the costs for nursery teachers (particularly those connected with parenting guidance) and the costs of educational and sanitary materials.

Thank you for all your support, please feel free to contact us for further information or any questions you may have about the project.

Links:

• A Nursery for Every Child Program on Mission Bambini Website