Setup a Learning-along-lifespan Community Center in Pristina: Researched based early childhood education with living labs across vertical and horizontal borders

The project addresses the need for evaluating current trends in the elementary education in Kosovo. While many large scale studies and assessments have been carried out for other levels of the education system in the country, there are no data on the elementary education. To that end, the current project, due to its focus on development research, will establish a knowledge base that will drive and guide policy making in the elementary education level. This project is also highly relevant as it will provide workshops and modules to currently employed teachers and future teachers. This project aims to support the modernization of the pre-primary education by (a) designing interventions to address issues raised by research findings (b) improving the quality of education and teaching with a special focus on learning and teaching tools, methodological and pedagogical approaches that lead to an inclusive and equitable elementary education system, (c) developing manuals and other documents that guide teaching in practice and finally (d) providing workshops for teachers and current students in improving their teaching approaches as to ensure learning for all and overall inclusive learning environments (e) promoting lifelong learning in the elementary education systems, a concept that is currently inexistent in the country Another need that the project will address is the improvement of the position of women in the society. The project will provide workshops and trainings for current senior year students in order to enhance their employability skills. In the meantime, students will also benefit from an accelerated entrepreneurship program that provides participants with key information on how to develop a business plan, register and begin a business in the elementary education in Kosovo. This is of particular importance as there is a lack of female entrepreneurs and since female students compose 100% of the students enrolled in the elementary education there is a potential to promote entrepreneurship initiatives among them. This will in the short term improve the situation of female graduates by make them self-sustainable, and in the long term this will contribute to the change in community perceptions towards female entrepreneurs.