Shoes outside preschool
The Sri Lankan chapter of Room to Read was born prematurely: originally scheduled for a 2007 launch, the Indian Ocean tsunami prompted Room to Read to start a country office in 2005, just months after the disaster. Five years later, the organization has come a very long way. My visit with Room to Read Sri Lanka was 48 hours of nonstop driving action, and as a result I got quite a thorough overview of its various endeavors. One of the most unique, important, and photogenic projects was the early childhood development program, which works with the government to build preschools where they are most needed.
RtR preschool in Medagama
The Sri Lankan government does not fund preschool education, but the benefits to the community and the children are many: not only do kids get a safe and stimulating environment to learn and develop in, their family members (especially older sisters) are freed for a few hours to go work or learn themselves. In the regions of Sri Lanka recovering from the tsunami or the recent civil war, preschools are especially important as safe, nurturing environments that help to restore a child's sense of normalcy.
Room to Read is not the only organization constructing preschools, but theirs have been recognized by the government as exemplary models--this is because RtR contracted experts from India to create a new, more child-friendly design for the preschools. Bright colors and playful shapes dominate these rooms to stimulate learning and curiosity. Walking into the schools, this cheerful atmosphere was contagious, especially once I noticed the children's assignment for the day was...
...drawing PINEAPPLES!
Not only does Room to Read build the school, it also helps to train the teachers; after all, a generation of better-trained teachers means dozens of generations of better-educated kids. The training curriculum, created by Room to Read, includes the latest information on effective methods for healthy child development and encourages teachers to be creative and nurturing with their students. In the classroom, assignments, projects, and activities are especially designed USING SCIENCE to promote the development of certain motor and cognitive skills important for young children.
Two teachers in their classroom
Past assignments, each designed to teach the children a skill, are displayed for parents to review
One of the biggest challenges for the preschool project is educating parents and keeping them engaged and proactive in their childrens' education. As with their school rooms projects, the actual construction of the school is done by the community, so the pioneering generation of parents receive a lot of explanation about why Room to Read does the work it does. However, as each class of children graduates from preschool, they take their converted parents with them, and Room to Read has to start from scratch with the new batch. Every year, new parents must go through an orientation session where they learn about child's rights and the importance of promoting learning at home--hopefully, what they learn at these sessions continue to benefit their children throughout their education!
We left as school ended, and got to witness a cool community solution to a logistics problem. The preschool services a pretty large area, but if the parents can't go all the way to the school to pick up their kids, no problem! The kids just have to get into one of the many designated school tuk-tuks (the parents and the school share the cost, and the tuk-tuk drivers are happy to get consistent work for a slightly lower rate) to get dropped off closer to their homes.
I don't think this kid is old enough to drive...