Preschool education for children under the age
of four is not covered by national education laws
because early childhood centres are classed as
belonging to local authorities. In these matters
each municipality has to resort to special
measures concerning the registration of refugee
and migrant children.
To fill these gaps, informal educational activities
have been organised and offered by non-gov-
ernmental organisations in most shelters and in
other spaces in big cities.
THE PRACTICE
The “Mellon” project was implemented by four
non-governmental organisations and focused
on providing accommodation and care services
to single mothers and unaccompanied and
separated children. Nostos was responsible for
operating the shelter and coordinating project
activities, including the provision of legal aid.
Psychosocial services were provided by IASIS,
health care services by Ergoerevnitiki, and
educational activities by EADAP. The project
was part of the International Organisation for
Migration’s programme entitled “Supporting
Organisations that Assist Migrant Asylum-
Seeking Population in Greece” (SOAM),
designed to increase the number of shelters and
improve reception conditions and the quality of
services available to asylum seekers.
The shelter accommodated asylum seekers
while they were waiting for a decision on their
asylum claims. Under national legislation,
asylum claims must be processed within a six-
month period, which can be extended in certain
cases; however, in practice the procedure can
take over 12 months. During their stay at the
shelter, the women and children could benefit
from a range of services, including educational
activities.
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The educational services provided by EADAP
include:
• Support for parents in applying for places in
state-run nursery schools for children aged
four to six years old
• Provision of informal early childhood edu-
cation activities for children under five who
were not enrolled in nursery schools
• Support classes for children attending local
schools
• Greek and English language courses
• Educational activities for unaccompanied and
separated children
Dedicated activities targeting unaccompanied
and separated children included psychosocial
support, Greek language courses, recreational
activities aimed at cultivating children’s talents,
activities to prepare them for employment, and
activities to strengthen their relationships with
the local community.
However, unaccompanied and separated
children, in particular young people, had
limited engagement and participation in the
educational activities provided by the shelter.
To overcome this challenge, the activities were
re-designed, in consultation with the children,
to better meet their specific needs and interests.