A National Round Table and a conference in Sofia launched the first in Bulgaria Family Center “In the world of early childhood”. The center was created in Ruse by “Equilibrium” with the financial support of the Velux Foundation.
A round table on childcare in Bulgaria, organized by the NGO “Equilibrium”, took place in Sofia on the 12th of September. The partners of the organization from Scotland and Sweden – inspirers of the idea of the family center, as well as partners from the country interested and working on the topic – “Tulip” Foundation and “Hope and Homes for Children” – the Bulgarian branch, took part in the discussion meeting. The participants discussed their observations on the Bulgarian system and the established practices for childcare in early childhood. Conclusions and decisions were drafted and will be presented to the stakeholders at a national level. (You can find the entire document in the same section of our site.)
On the next day – September the 13th in the “A-Hub” hall in the NGO house was held an international conference on “Creative Parenting: Creation of the first in Bulgaria interactive center “In the world of early childhood” – in support of parents, educators and social workers “, organized by “Equilibrium”.
The aim of the conference was to present the way the new interactive center of the organization will function and the tasks that the team puts in place. The Center is an informal meeting place for families with young children (0-7 years old) and for those working in the field of early childhood development. In the child center things happen differently, with different groups at different times. Activities focus on the game and the way it helps children to learn and develop. The team practically directs parents on how to give their children the freedom to explore; how to make personal choices and how to take risks. The environment is designed in a way that helps them.
Representatives from Scotland and Sweden also took part in the conference, sharing their experience in providing early childhood development services. The event was also of great interest to representatives of the institutions – the Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Policy, Mrs. Rositsa Dimitrova, representatives of the Agency for Social Assistance, the State Agency for Child Protection, NGOs from the whole country and the academic community.
On the 14th of September, the official opening of the family center was held in Ruse and many guests came from all over the country. There were guests also from the town and from the region, as well as many officials from Ruse Municipality, Ruse Regional Administration, MES Regional Inspectorate of Education and others.
The size of the Center fascinated everyone and the new training room became a natural place where guests, in an informal setting, asked questions about the concept of the center, the team’s future plans and the opportunities for partnership with “Equilibrium” on issues related to childcare in the earliest ages.
The team of “Equilibrium” expresses their sincere thanks to everyone who has made this place unique and magical: Jens-Jörgen Pedersen and Christian Holtet of the Velux Foundation, who believed and supported financially the whole venture; Mr. Vladimir Radkov and Mr. Ventseslav Dachev, whose main merit is the repair and transformation of the premises; Yavor and his team, who created some unique furniture and turned the spot into a fairytale for children and parents; Media partners – Dido, Tzvetta, Ventzi and Theo – who created the sound and the visualization in the Center so that it can be truly interactive and up-to-date with modern audio and video trends and last but not least our friends from Sweden and Scotland, especially Lin and Terisa, who still inspire and help us a lot.
