Pioneering

In 1991, an initiative group was founded to create a Waldorf kindergarten in Erivan, Armenia. With the support of the anthroposophical oriented center of cultural and economic initiatives, "Shem", it was possible to get the approval from the Ministry of Education to form an experimental group in the context of the public kindergarten. The group was founded with the assistance of Mrs. Regina Hoeck from Germany.

In the summer of that year, Mrs. Olga Saroyan began to work with this experimental group, after she had attended an introductory course at the Waldorf training seminar and an internship of one month in Überlingen, Germany.

During this period lectures were conducted and handicrafts were made, organized with the help and the assistance of colleagues from Germany and Switzerland.

In 1994, the Waldorf group left the public kindergarten and began working as an independent kindergarten. In the following years, the kindergarten existed mainly on the basis of support and enthusiasm of parents and educators. The "Ararat" Foundation and friends from Germany and Switzerland rendered substantial support.

 

Becoming independend

Today the nursery is fully funded by the parents, except for some individual restricted donations. It started as a private kindergarten, with only 5-6 children, but today there are 2 groups of 25 children aged from three to six years and the kindergarten has been licensed by the government.

The children spend the whole day in the kindergarten - from 8:30 am to 6:00 pm.
They go to the countryside and on excursions, celebrate festivals both in the kindergarten and outside in nature. At Easter and Christmas, bazaars are organized, and the income is spent for the needs of the kindergarten (utensils, materials for handicrafts, etc.).

The work is entirely focused on the Waldorf method: training of teachers, seminars for assistants and parents, working group on crafts, eurythmy, and music.  
In the kindergarten a teachers committee works on a regular basis and decisions are made on a collegial basis. The kindergarten has close contact with the “Aregnazan" Waldorf School in Eriwan where most of the kindergarten children go on to attend school.

 

A need for deepening the work

A problem for the work is that there is little contact with other kindergartens. The training of the kindergarten teachers is already long finished and there is a feeling of swimming ”in their own juice".  Support for organising mentoring visits of experienced kindergarten for the kindergarten teachers is very much wished for.

Currently we have a real need to expand the kindergarten. Even more parents want their children to attend Waldorf kindergarten. Today we arrange our kindergarten in a small rented building, and we spend most of the money on rent. That is a major impediment to the expansion of the kindergarten. Also for this support is needed.

The acquisition of own building, roomy enough for the further development of the kindergarten, will be our first task. And we hope that the work will be successful!

Contact person IASWECE and project leader
Regina Hoeck
e-mail:regina.hoeck@arcor.de