Supervisors info:
Δασκαλάκης Δημοσθένης, Καθηγητής, Παιδαγωγικό Τμήμα Δημοτικής Εκπαίδευσης, ΕΚΠΑ
Μπαμπάλης Θωμάς, Καθηγητής, Παιδαγωγικό Τμήμα Δημοτικής Εκπαίδευσης , ΕΚΠΑ
Μπαμπούνης Χαράλαμπος, Καθηγητής, Παιδαγωγικό Τμήμα Δημοτικής Εκπαίδευσης, ΕΚΠΑ
Summary:
This essay concerns the welfare services for preschool children of Greece, since the foundation of the new Greek state. Emphasis is given to the kindergartens, that were established in order to take care and protect the orphans and helpless children and those whose parents worked and were unavailable to take care of them.
There is a historical retrospection of these institutions from 1830 to the 21st century. The majority of these foundations are orphanages, that were established by philanthropist native Greeks, Greek emigrants and philhellenes. They aimed not only to protect children from poverty and hunger, but also to defend society itself from these minors. The first institution was establish by the governor Ioannis Kapodistrias, but unfortunately stopped functioning after his murder. The state's presence in childcare took time to become visible. Individuals, who had lived abroad and had acquired a sense of charity, were on the forefront. Welfare in Greece remained the same until the end of the Second World War, when the official state began to take responsibility. However, the absence of the state is indicative to the fact that in 1977 there was not yet an official state agency for the institutions of the country (Dimopoulou, 1977). Nowadays, the aim of these institutions is for children to return to their birth families and when is not possible, to be adopted by another family or go into foster care. In addition, for those children who have not managed to complete these processes, there are smaller institutions which cause the children to feel more like part of a family, than in the past, in order to avoid institutionalization. These children are socialized, enter society early and do not face social exclusion. The first step for this is their hospitality in the kindergartens and nursery schools and then the smooth integration into the school environment.
Furthermore, the establishment of the kindergartens and nursery schools, their presence and support they provide to the parents are presented. They are initially created to protect children of needy families and workers. Later industries established such institutions for the children of their employees. In difficult times for the country, such as land annexation, kindergartens and nurseries were a means of preserving national beliefs. Their welfare role was obvious, since they were intended to provide care. However, as time passed and social circumstances changed, these structures developed a more child- like character and children of all social strata were given the opportunity to attend. They provided treatment, care and socialization. Also, nowadays, that the country faces a financial and social crisis, kindergartens and nursery schools cater for the development, feeding and care of not only the offspring of workers as before, but also those of disadvantaged families (unemployed, low-paid, single parents e.t.c.). The importance of pre-school foundations is also reflected in the reviews of modern scientific data, which indicate that they prevent learning difficulties and early school leavance, reduce the social gap, lessen the money the state invest in the long run and prevent social and employment exclusion.
Pre-school education and care must be primary concern of any social policy, as the bases for shaping human patterns and habits are built in the early years of life (European Commission, 2011). It has also been recognized as very important in eliminating socio-economic disadvantages and for successful child development in the future (UNICEF, 2012).
