Overnight kindergarten. How Vitebsk educators work with children in an all-day group

In the Vitebsk region, 28 preschool institutions have groups where parents can leave their children overnight if necessary. There are several such kindergartens in the regional center. At kindergarten No. 92, a mixed-age group has been operating since its opening.

This year, kindergarten No. 92 celebrated its 35th anniversary. For a long time, it was a structural unit of the Vitebsk branch of Belarusian Railways. Today, it is a large preschool institution of the Department of Education, Sports and Tourism of the Zheleznodorozhny District, attended by 200 children organized into 11 groups. Excluding special preschool institutions, this is the only kindergarten with round-the-clock stay in the district.

- In Soviet times, we even had two round-the-clock groups – a nursery and a preschool group, recalls the head of the kindergarten, Natalia Tyushkevich, who has dedicated her entire working life to it. - They were created to help railway workers' parents who often worked night shifts. When mothers were granted a three-year parental leave, the night nursery was closed, but the mixed-age group is still in demand today.

The night group has 12 children aged 3 to 6 years. Many would like to join it, but priority is given to parents working on a 24-hour shift basis. Also, if there are available spots, children whose parents are in difficult life circumstances are sometimes admitted. Preschoolers can stay at the kindergarten from Monday to Friday, are provided with meals, and adults can pick them up at any time if they wish, without disrupting sleep and rest schedules.

As reported by the education department of the regional executive committee, parents of preschoolers today pay only the full cost of meals – 500-600 thousand rubles per month, depending on the children's age; other services are funded from the budget. By the way, the cost of children staying in night groups is also about half a million rubles.

- The round-the-clock group has always employed the most experienced and creative educators, says Natalia Tyushkevich. - It is very important not only to organize activities for children of different ages, but also to find an individual approach to each child, to develop, to teach, and to be able to create a home-like atmosphere. This requires a special talent. Therefore, we are very meticulous in selecting staff. Our experienced teachers Svetlana Nikolaevna Rymdenok and Diana Arsentievna Borodulina have been working with children in this mode for many years.

According to the head of the kindergarten, special educational conditions are created in the round-the-clock group, aimed at the personality-oriented development of minors. Various developmental centers function, and each child can choose an activity to their liking. For example, when we visited the kindergarten, the children were playing "drivers and pedestrians" with the educator, simultaneously learning the basic Rules of the Road. Like other pupils, for a small fee, they also attend additional classes: choreography, English, drawing, and preparation for school.

Natalia Tyushkevich emphasizes that such a versatile activity is possible to organize thanks to a cohesive and competent team. Although the head does not hide that, as in many preschool institutions, there are problems with staffing: the older generation is retiring, and young people are discouraged by modest earnings and the painstaking work with children and parents. Moreover, the mandatory requirement of specialized preschool education hinders the influx of specialists, as they cannot claim qualification categories, and therefore, salary increases.

- Therefore, we train our own staff, - Natalia Tyushkevich is not discouraged. - Recently, young, diligent, and promising educator Alesya Sukhorutchenko received her specialized diploma, and the assistant educator Svetlana Kapuza enrolled in university. In general, we really hope that more specialists will come to us from VSU.

Alexander Kutynko, "Vitebskiye Vesti"