Berliner Tageblatt - St Francis School Leads €60,000 EU Project to Transform Early Childhood Education

St Francis School in Birkirkara is coordinating a €60,000 European-funded initiative through the Erasmus+ programme to enhance early childhood education. The project unites five schools across Malta, Slovenia, and Slovakia to develop new teaching strategies and educational materials for educators and parents.

The initiative, titled Online Professional Development Modules, focuses on helping teachers adapt their approaches to meet individual children’s interests and needs. It brings together three Maltese institutions—St Francis School in Birkirkara, St Paul’s Missionary College in Rabat, and Bishop’s Conservatory Junior School in Victoria, Gozo—alongside one school each from Slovenia and Slovakia.

The project involves educators exchanging experiences and observing different teaching methods to develop practical resources that can be shared beyond the participating schools. These materials include at least 15 professional development videos for educators, five videos for parents, an online course, and a professional learning community.

Each online module incorporates a knowledge test before and after a practical teaching video, allowing participants to assess their learning progress. The resources will be uploaded to a virtual learning platform and made available to educators and parents.

Speaking at an event about the project, European Funds Minister Keith Azzopardi Tanti highlighted the importance of sharing knowledge gained through international partnerships. “When an educator visits a European school and returns with new ideas, the value of that experience is reflected in the changes made in the classroom and the benefits for students,” he said.

St Francis School head Daniela Demicoli explained that the project also aims to help parents adopt effective teaching practices used in classrooms. The initiative forms part of wider efforts to strengthen professional development, encourage collaboration between European schools, and improve learning experiences for young children.

O.Bulka--BTB