Open Academy "Step by Step" promotes a vision of a society where families, communities and professionals in education and child care work together to empower each child to reach their unique potential and embrace values of social justice and equity. We support professionals, leaders and community members to deliver high-quality early years services equitably and through a child-centred approach.

Since 2000, and earlier through the Step by Step programme of the Open Society Institute in Croatia, we have trained and mentored thousands of educators and professionals in developmental-informed practice, quality services and embracing diversity in kindergartens, schools and informal centres.

Outline of OASBS training:

DEVELOPMENT-INFORMED PRACTICE

• Introductory Step by Step programme - this fundamental and internationally licensed*. The training programme is designed and implemented in the following versions: for professionals working with children from 0 to 3, from 4 to 6, from 7 to 10 and from 10 onwards.
• Psychological first aid, mental health of children and self-care of practitioners - this internationally licensed* training supports practitioners in their work with children, strengthening their mental health, while implementing self-care and avoiding burnout
• Inclusion of children with disabilities - supports practitioners in working with children with developmental difficulties and building inclusive services in their classrooms and kindergartens.
• Child participation - developed in cooperation with the UNICEF Croatia, the training promotes participation of children in democratic kindergartens using Step by Step approach
• Learning environment - supports practitioners with practical solutions for creating educational environment for child-centred learning
• Integrated teaching - invites practitioners to engage in integrated teaching or teaching that supports child interests
• Formative assessment - supports school practitioners in implementing formative assessment for child-centred learning
• Observing, monitoring and documenting the development of children - supports child-centred and development-informed observation and documentation
• Development of pre-reading, prescribing and pre-mathematical skills - offers development-informed methodology for mathematics and early literacy learning of preschool children
• Partnership with parents - training offers strategies of establishing cooperation with parents and turning it into a real partnership for the benefit of children
• Managing a classroom - offers concrete strategies for a child-centred and democratic learning environment that is alternative to disciplinary approach.

HIGH QUALITY EARLY YEARS SERVICES

• Successful kindergartens - this training engages kindergarten team leadership to reflect on all levels and rebuild their kindergarten based on the child-centred approach, respect for diversity and full inclusion
• Successful schools - this training engages school team leadership to reflect on all levels and rebuild their organisation based on the child-centred approach, respect for diversity and full inclusion
• Teamwork - training for pedagogical collectives and teams that want to build democratic and supportive institutional culture
• Quality transition from kindergarten to school - training promotes cooperation between kindergartens and schools for providing better support to children and families

DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

• Embracing diversity (for practitioners working with children up to 10) - this internationally licensed* training supports creating an environment for children that promotes equity and embraces diversity
• Persona Doll - this internationally licensed* training equips professionals working with preschool children to tackle topics of bias, discrimination and injustice, and to empower them by building their self-esteem through the use of persona dolls.
• Teaching CSL (Croatian-as-second/foreign-language) Children - this research-informed training equips teachers and others who work with CSL and children who do not speak Croatian with resources on how to harvest from children's multilingual potential and teach based on their needs.

INTERSECTORAL COOPERATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

• Embracing diversity (for general participants) - this internationally licensed* training for community members and leaders, different sectoral professionals, policy makers aims at uncovering biases, promoting social justice and harvesting the potential of diversity.
• PLAYHUB Local Action Team training - this internationally licensed* training is a part of establishing Toy4Inclusion Play Hubs as community centres of informal child-centred services
• Intersectoral cooperation - training for representatives of different sectors whose cooperation is crucial for providing quality child-centred services
• Language course of Bayas Romanian Language for adults - training for professionals working with Bayas Roma children.

In addition to our training programmes, we provide mentoring of institutions and support to Professional Learning Communities willing to engage in reflective practices (peer observations using “Step by Step” principles, WANDA, Videocoaching):

REFLECTIVE PRACTICE

• Mentoring institutions using ISSA principles
• Mentoring institutions using Videocoaching method
• Professional learning community using the WANDA method
• Training for WANDA facilitator
• Training for ISSA principles facilitator

*The Open Academy "Step by Step" is one of the twenty founding members of the International "Step by Step" Association (ISSA), whose licensed programmes we continuously implement. OA SBS is also one of the founding partners of the TOY4INCLUSION initiative that includes establishing and supporting of TOY Play Hubs.