Mother And Child Program
The program fosters a creative learning and playing environment (3-5 years old) providing pre-school education for 492 children, as well as educational summer activities for 600 children (6-14 years old) in the seven KGs in five camps ( Tyre- Sidon- Beirut- Tripoli- Beqa a ).
The program is based on the Child Rights Convention, where it emphasizes the promotion of consciousness and creativity through:
interactive games, sports, theatre, reading trips, awareness of cultural heritage, children s rights, health and environment.
It also engages parents, especially mothers, in their children s education and community activities. The program also tackles social, health, educational and environmental issues with the mothers of the KGs children who elect their own parental committees and participate actively in the daily activities of the KG. Moreover, graduate children are followed up by the animators after they are enrolled at UNRWA schools, with the help of the mothers.
According to the increasing pressure from the parents and UNRWA schools to teach English and to prepare children for the basic elementary program in UNRWA schools, since children at the elementary level are facing great difficulties in learning the English language. Thus, Najdeh s KGs introduced the English language book to the five years old classes, with requiring staff training in order to develop an appropriate teaching curriculum. The start of the 2002-2003 school year saw the introduction of an English language textbook for five-year olds and a simplified Arabic language book for 4 year olds. The children were very receptive and enjoyed the language sessions.