Counselling service in our kindergarten provides support and help to teachers, teacher assistants and parents all in the best interest for the children’s development. Counselling services are:
- Help oriented: we offer support and help in case of problems during the introductory period in the nursery or in the transition to primary school, in situations like divorce, moving, death in the family, birth of a sibling in case of behavioural problems, eating problems...
- Developmental and prevention oriented: helping adults to understand children
Counselling services work with parents is based on parents free will, mutual agreement and confidentiality. We pay special attention to children with special needs. Most of them are enrolled in our two special need groups. Meetings take place in form of individual meetings and counselling, or workshops and lectures for parents.
All of the parents are invited to lectures, known as »School for parents«, which is a project supported by the City of Ljubljana and its Office for Prevention of Drug Abuse. Lectures on various topics suggested by parents and staff are held by outside lectures.
WORKING WITH PARENTS
Parent participation in is very important. There are several different types of cooperation, some are listed here:
- Individual talks with pre-school teachers before child’s enrolment and his/her presence in the play-group during the settling-in period;
- Daily exchange of information about the child;
- Monthly open hours for in-depth discussions about the child;
- Parents’ participation in the play-room (assistance, sharing of individual talents and interests; accompanying children and teachers on excursions...);
- Written information about the current focus of the curriculum in the play- group - shown on the notice board - and ideas for continuing and extending learning at home;
- Parental meetings within the play-group;
- Parental meetings before child’s enrolment;
- Lectures, discussions and workshops with psychologists and other child specialists;
- Joint celebrations, events, workshops for staff, parents and children.
Parents can also participate through the “Board of parents”, which consists of one-parent representative from each group. Involvement in the Board of Parents means playing an active part in the decision-making process at the kindergarten. The tasks of the Board are:
- Proposing of and giving consent to extra programs;
- Approving the Annual Work Plan and the Plan of Development;
- Dealing with complaints;
- Voting representatives into the Nursery Council.
