Education India Project #19559

Help 30 first-generation learners begin school

by Ashraya Initiative for Children, Inc.

Project Report | Nov 10, 2015
Spreading their Wings

By Elizabeth Sholtys | Director

Storytime!

Five months into the new school year at AIC's Education Outreach Centre, our littlest students have truly blossomed into a confident gang! Equally, the mothers have realized that the weekly sessions are a combination of fun and learning, for them and the children alike, and have even been requesting more frequent classes (twice a week instead of once a week).

"It is a great escape from our daily rut of household responsibilities," says the mother of two-year-old Twinkle. "And it gives us a wonderful opportunity to learn and have fun watching our children learn, which is otherwise rare."

Playground teacher, Vaishali, can not stop raving about the transformation that she has seen in the children - from timid toddlers, many of whom refused to leave their mothers' laps, to boisterous, active children who bring down the roof when they participate in nursery rhymes, dances, and hilarious multi-lingual skits. Volunteer Valerie has been an asset to the class, and another former volunteer, Nelia, even Skyped after returning to Canada so that she could participate via live video feed and give long distance feedback on lesson plans and activities. Bhanu, a caregiver at AIC, and a former playgroup mother, has moved into the role of assisting Vaishali and the volunteers with classroom support.

So far this year, the children have been exposed to a wide range of activities for the first time, including:

fingerpainting
making shapes with play dough
lacing buttons onto a string
puzzles
stamping
yoga and relaxation
basketball
"fishing" with magnets
playing with water, sand, seeds

Vaishali, who also teaches the AIC nursery class, is excited knowing that this bright, active lot will graduate from playground in six months and will enter the AIC nursery class next June with their little minds full of knowledge and their little feet walking proud, confident steps!

Basketball

Mothers and children

Nursery rhymes

Beading - such concentration!

Taking this whole education thing very seriously

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Aug 11, 2015
Starting School

By Elizabeth Sholtys | Director

Neelam and Rahul

After last year's playgroup class graduated to nursery school in May, playgroup resumed in June with a new batch of little ones and their parents!

AIC playgroup supervisor, Barnali, reports that parents and their children are initially a little timid about jumping in and participating, but with encouragement from her and teacher Vaishali, begin to take part in activities like play dough, beading, story sessions, and active play. As the school year goes on and the little ones become more comfortable in the classroom setting, this repertoire of activities will grow to include many other things as well.

One mother, 25-year-old Neelam, is a shining example of an AIC community mother who has taken an extremely active interest in helping her 2-year-old son, Rahul, get a head start on his education by attending weekly playgroup classes.

Sadly, Neelam herself was denied an education because she was orphaned at a young age and stayed with her alcoholic grandmother along with a handful of her cousins who had also been orphaned. Neelam's grandmother sent her grandchildren out begging on the streets every day to provide for the family and finance her alcohol addiction. Though Neelam was one of AIC's first contacts in the Waghri community, and AIC directors and staff tried countless times to convince her grandmother to allow Neelam to be enrolled in school, she was not permitted to give up begging to attend school.

As a result, she has worked doubly hard to ensure that her own children, 5-year-old daughter Kinjal and son Rahul, will always have access to ample educational opportunities. Recently, Barnali sat down with Neelam to talk about her experience with the AIC playgroup, and learn more about how it fits into Neelam's hopes and dreams for her children's futures.

Barnali: Why did you choose to enroll Rahul in the AIC playgroup?

Neelam: School is very important. Rahul will just sleep at home and do nothing, but if I take him to playgroup, he will learn something and play a bit. Although Rahul is new to the playgroup, I have seen the changes in Kinjal. She studies on her own, and does her own homework, so Rahul will also learn like this. He is already opening up and trying to express himself.

Barnali: Which parts of the playgroup session do you find the most interesting?

Neelam: I like the story time. And activities for hand-eye coordination like beading and putting straws through holes are also good.

Barnali: How about you? What have you gotten out of the sessions?

Neelam: I have learned the rhymes, and I enjoy watching my son play and also being able to play with him during some of the activities.

Barnali: What are your goals for the future?

Neelam: I want my children to study and become financially independent so that they have a better life. I will not allow early marriage for my children, and I want them to study as much as possible. I want a good life for my children. Ashraya has changed my life completely and I am happy here.

We look forward to continuing to watch Rahul grow and develop as he and his sister make strides toward the milestone that his mother could only dream of: becoming the first educated members of their family.

Neelam has big dreams for her children

Admission time - gearing up for playgroup again!

Bright, colorful story books ready for use

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May 12, 2015
Graduating to Nursery School!

By Elizabeth Sholtys | Director

Music and movement

At the end of April, AIC's playgroup students graduated to nursery school! While this may seem like a small victory, the importance of this transformative, foundation-building year for our littlest learners cannot be understated. After completing AIC's birth-to-2 Mother-Baby class, 2-year olds join the playgroup, where they complete a transition year before starting AIC's formal Monday-through-Friday nursery program at age 3.

Playgroup is, as the name suggests, learning through play. As all of AIC's children come from nearby urban slum communities, having a safe, clean, child-oriented environment to explore and enjoy is a novelty for them. In playgroup this year, AIC's children benefited from a wide range of activities and services, including:

songs and rhymes
instruments
dance
yoga
active play
pretend play
meditation
counting and early math activities
arts and crafts
stories
literacy activities
games
slate work
health and hygiene activities
meals
comprehensive healthcare coverage
bilingual instruction (Hindi and English)

As you might imagine, the effectiveness of any program is dependent upon the quality of its staff - we have really lucked out in that department. Ms. Vaishali's cheerful, engaging, nurturing demeanor has made her a huge hit with both children and caregivers alike. Vaishali prides herself on being able to connect with every child in a unique way, drawing even the shyest of students out of their shells. She is also famous for telling stories with such expression that every child (and parent!) in the room sits in rapt attention, waiting with bated breath to hear the ending.

It has been an amazing year of growth, discovery, and development for the students in AIC's playgroup. Please join us in wishing our budding scholars the best of luck in their new nursery program, and in welcoming a new class of playgroup children in June!

Vaishali, demonstrating an activity

Singing

Making friends

Beginning slate work

Fishing game

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