Pod stromom o.z.

Our organisation runs community based daily flexible care centre (informal school) for children aged 4 to 10 years old. The mail goal is to support reconciliation of family and work life and to support employability of people with parental duties by providing care centre for home-schooled children. The centre exists for 2 years as a full-day centre, before that, it was 5 years a activity club for children (run mainly in the afternoons). Activity club in the afternoons is still open for children outside of our mini-school. Day-care centre is all about the children, their day is structured around two 90-min blocks in the mornings, where they learn Slovak language (reading, writing, speaking), Math, English language and Biology (nature class), with classes rotating across the week. Children spend a lot of time outside playing and sporting, on trips and regular visits of a nearby farm. Afternoons are dedicated to free play, playing sports and games, playing on instruments (flute), art classes and rehearsing annual theatre show. The main focus is on the health and happiness of children, on them not only learning the content of curriculum advised by Ministry of Education, but also "connecting the dots" - understanding of what it is behind the stated facts, learning how they can use their skills and knowledge in their real lives. Primarily, the aim is to support them to find their own way and understanding of themselves, to support them in cooperation and interpersonal responsibility and in creatively solving the problems they may face in life. They learn rather informally, more by experiences than by books, with hands-on approach with teachers, who act as their mentors, accompanying them on their paths to knowledge. Process of teaching is therefore also process of constant learning for the teachers.