The partnership between San Diego State University and Georgia’s education system to strengthen the education system has taken an important step in its initiative to empower the nation’s youngest generation.

Georgia Department of Education and Science to lead efforts with World Bank funding of $4.19 million to transform early childhood education focused on children ages 2-5, including preschoolers as young as 5 I chose SDSU for SDSU was selected in a contract that was finalized last week as part of a competitive proposal process that has attracted multiple international bodies.

“For the past eight years, SDSU Georgia has been a beacon of hope and opportunity for many Georgian students and their families,” said the SDSU president. adela de la torre“Working with Georgia’s educational leaders provides an important foundation for SDSU to address this new focus on early childhood education, as well as our role in supporting the strategic goals of the Georgian nation. We will continue our sustainable partnership to strengthen.”

Over the past decade, SDSU has had a strong presence in Georgia, located in the Caucasus region at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. In 2014, the university partnered with the US Millennium Challenge Corporation and the Georgian government to open a campus in the capital, Tbilisi. The following year, his SDSU Georgia opened, offering degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

The latest project involves a team of faculty from the SDSU College of Education. Nancy Frey, Professor of Educational Leadership, and other US experts who work with Georgian academics, caregivers, educators, and community members to develop approaches for developing young Georgians. The team outlined her four goals:

• Building a framework for quality assurance, including developing standards and plans to reach children with special needs and ensure access for ethnic and linguistic minorities
• Creating systems for data collection and reporting that do not currently exist
• Strengthen teacher development by advocating for training, certification and professional development
• Implementing school readiness programs that focus on developmentally appropriate practices and trauma-informed care

“Even though early childhood education (ECE) is not compulsory in Georgia, the country is interested in expanding both the range and quality of children’s educational experiences,” Frey said. “The Ministry of Education has made progress in setting policies to initiate activities. Like many countries around the world, the ECE does not have strong professional licences, but it is an exciting and We have passionate educators across the country who make it possible.”

Christina AlfaroSDSU’s vice president for international affairs, said cooperation with local stakeholders was important to ensure the creation of a system that works within the Georgian context.

“One important thing we all agree on is that this belongs in Georgia,” Alfaro said. No. We really want to consider the cultural, community and geopolitical aspects of the Georgian placement and work from there.

“Ultimately, I hope that Georgians will be able to sustain this educational transformation and continue to evolve the work of early childhood education.”

The early childhood component is one of Georgia’s larger efforts to transform the PK-12 education system. SDSU is submitting another proposal for teacher preparation and professional development.

“We have long been leaders in early childhood education and are thrilled to see our faculty poised to extend their impact globally.” Y. Barry Chong, Dean of the Faculty of Education. “I am very grateful to Nancy Frey. Douglas Fisher (Professor and Chair of the Department of Educational Leadership) for work with the Georgia Initiative. Our university is excited to play an even bigger role in contributing to educational reform in Georgia. ”