Author: Teacher Na Huang of Mowo No. 2 Preschool of Ximeng County

The first impression Na Xin gave me was that she was cute, but later I found that she did not like to smile and play with other children. After a family visit, I learned that her father died when she was one year old, and her mother remarried; in early March this year, her grandpa died, leaving her and the old grandma alone; the ensuing loss of relatives made the family suffer a lot financially and mentally. According to her grandma, although her mother often comes back after remarriage and gives some alimony sometimes, for a young child, what she needs is her mother's company and warm embrace.

Perhaps because of the ensuing loss of relatives made Na Xin suffer a lot, she was timid, introverted, lonely and depressed when coming to the preschool for the first time. The thinking of making her happy was always on my mind. Every child's family environment and living conditions, etc. are different. Therefore, we can’t take the “all-in-one” approach, and blindly providing the same material support and spiritual comfort cannot solve the problem fundamentally. After the teachers of the preschool understood the situation of the child, they consciously took the initiative to invite Na Xin to participate in the games and outdoor activities, encouraged her to speak up in class and share her feelings boldly, and listened to her demands patiently.

In addition to establishing close contact with the children, we also held parents training regularly to make them participate in the growth of their children, which would care for the children effectively. The preschool reasonably adopted the teaching resources Parents Training Manual to carry out training, and the teaching content was timely and targeted. It covered educational idea, language, society, children nutrition, science, art, nutrition, hygiene, health and safety. Most parents were migrant workers, so the participants were mainly the elderly and the teaching content was related to children's physical and mental activities, which was accurate and concise and convenient for present parents to remember. Each preschool shall have at least 3 times of parents training per semester.

After a period of time, Na Xin became cheerful, got along well with other children, knew how to share and loved others. Her change and growth were not only my best harvest and comfort, but also the meaning of the preschool.

About the Project:

The Ximeng Preschool of Future Project is funded by Huang Yicong Foundation and is supported and implemented by HUMANA PEOPLE TO PEOPLE. Meanwhile, the "Starting Work" program of China Charities Aid Foundation for Children is also granted to fund the children from poor families in the Preschool of Future Project.

The Project plans to support the preschool education for children aged 3-6 in rural communities in Ximeng County, Pu'er City, Yunnan Province. Further, the Project also focuses on the health and nutrition status of local children – providing a daily nutritious lunch for school children and cultivating children to form a good hygiene habit through courses of the Preschool. The Project is more aimed at sustainable development -- which is fully supported by HUMANA during the first three years of the Project while building community capabilities. The Preschool will be gradually handed over to the local community to operate on its own from the fourth year.

This project is supported by Huang Yicong Charity Foundation.

This article represents the author's opinion only and does not represent the opinion or standpoint of the donor.