Seeds for Success

Internationally acclaimed Prof. Pnina Klein, Bar Ilan University and 2011 winner of Israel Prize in Educational Research: "my dream is to see infants and toddlers…. integrated into frameworks which are suited for them, and that they grow up to realize their full potential – for their own good and for the benefit of society"

Background:
According to research learning difficulties that go untreated lead to academic failure, disruptive behaviors, increased school drop-out, unemployment, social difficulties, low self-esteem and depression.
Early intervention gives children with developmental delays a chance to become part of mainstream society, to benefit from an education, and to become self-sufficient adults in future life.
The Need:
Research shows that one third of children in low and middle income countries fail to reach developmental milestones. In some countries, by first grade 5 – 10 percent have a noticeable speech disorder, while some children suffer from a range of delays and learning problems. When assessment and treatment occur early, development in these children can be jump started.
It came to our attention that children in preschool settings, especially those who are at-risk for not receiving treatment early on in life, need to be identified and treated for problems in the area of developmental delays. It is especially beneficial to treat children in their natural setting, in this case, at preschool.
Working with Prof. Rivka Yahav from the Haifa University, and taking a multifaceted approach to prevent, reduce, and treat developmental and speech delays, emotional, social and behavioral problems  - a project has been designed for children 3 – 6 years old in local preschools. Disabilities can be overcome, especially when children are young enough to surmount difficulties and acquire skills that prepare them for reading, writing, and comprehension – the basic tools essential for academic accomplishments.
Especially at-risk populations are children from the lower socio-economic strata of society, children from large families, immigrants, and families where both parents work long hours. Delays in treating developmental difficulties put children from deprived backgrounds at a disadvantage when competing with peers in classrooms.
Unfortunately, both teachers and parents are sometimes unaware of delays and problems. In some cases parents think that as children go older, they will outgrow their difficulties. Most preschool teachers lack specialized training to identify and ascertain the severity and type of difficulty a child is experiencing. Untreated problems escalate to low self-esteem, behavioral disorders, substance abuse, and crime.
Project Description:
The program is scheduled to begin in September 2018 for the duration of one academic year. During the first month of the program professional staff will meet to build an assessment and intervention program designed for the children in their natural setting – their preschool environment.
After the initial observation takes place, children in preschools will be divided into groups of 5 – 7 per group.  Children with problems will be treated within the group of regular children in such a way that all the children will benefit from the enriching activities and attention. Children will not be singled out for treatment and will not have to cope with the stigma of being known as the "problem" child.
Group Activities will focus on:
Speech Therapy (one hour a week for each group): Language development, enriching vocabulary, phonological awareness, school readiness, cognitive skills, developing symbolic play, literacy skills.
Occupational Therapy (one hour a week for each group): visual perception, body image, gross and fine motor development, hand-eye coordination, organizational skills, and sensory motor development.
An additional component of the program will be to identify children who are victims of abuse and violence and refer them for treatment.