Our accelerating and continuously changing world has set new challenges to educationalists concerning both leaders and teachers. There are new perspectives on the horizon, which require flexibility from the institution. One of the main inspirational and image creating factors is the pedagogical culture of the institution with the professional and personal competencies of its educators; in addition the educational institution itself as an organization, with its objectives, institutional culture, traditions and values. The health of a nursery-school group is mainly dependent on the mental health of the nursery-school teachers who are often exposed to idealistic requirements. Representatives of assisting professionals work with their whole personality therefore they get especially impregnated with problems. Consequently, their own mental hygiene will come to the front. Some of the negative effects that influence our institutions and organizations: fluctuation; the increasing number of disadvantaged children, children of low social-economical status often disabled or with different cultural background, or – on the contrary -with outstanding abilities. We are struggling with the lack of nursery teachers. There is a massive number of them who are in their forties, struggling with their mid-life crisis period; while on the other hand, there are the career entrants who have to face work insecurity. The burdens of administration have also increased. Fluctuation assumes continuous cooperation and adaptation to new employees, and contributes to the constant growth of strain mainly on the shoulders of the stable work force. The pedagogical career fosters the development of burnout and performance distress. The renewal of kindergarten pedagogy means the acquirement of new competencies by which the new scope of duties can be fulfilled (e.g.: tendering operation, maintenance of foundations, cooperation.) It is only possible with motivated, well-balanced, mentally stable employees. Throughout the realization of this project about 2,000 people are involved. We consider the mental health factor especially important regarding the kindergarten as an institution. Leaders and employees experienced in mental hygiene can serve as models for children, their colleagues and parents, direct and indirect partners. Leaders, being in key position, are the guardians of mental hygiene as it is their job to operate the social network, which ensures the mental health of the institution. Social activity, serving as a model, practising and experiencing altruism appear in the project as long-term objectives focusing on equal opportunities and emotional welfare. It includes programmes like the ‘Special Days Programmes’ (The Day of Embrace; The Day of Mental Health; The Day of Philanthropy). The goal of the mental hygiene programme conducted in kindergartens is to insure that every employee feels comfortable at their work place, and is satisfied, as well as enjoys work. Thus develops institutional welfare. In order to achieve our goals we want to implement the following activities: - enlarging self-knowledge, the detailed exploration of the inner self, turning to each other (close and wider environment: family, colleagues, institution, society); surveying stress level, burnout prevention with the aid of art therapy) - increasing the efficiency of leaders and the institution: group measurement, online questionnaires; planned methods, knowledge contents, trainings to achieve the increase of efficiency: TET, VET, coaching, assertive communication, leadership, motivational techniques, FLOW: concentration and feeling control is very high, one can feel that their energy level has multiplied therefore will be filled with self-assurance, self-realization and satisfaction. This feeling can be generated by any activity: sports, art work as well as work itself, the main thing is to have some concrete goal. To succeed we need a new kind of approach and not in the least, differently thinking educators. It is believed that the most determining factor to achieve mental health is the FLOW-experience. FLOW can be extended to both persons and institutions: the more educators are able to experience it, the more efficient the particular institution will be. ‘Our job considerably determines our life quality. It may contribute to the development of the conviction that our existence has a useful goal and is valuable.’ (Csíkszentmihályi Mihály)
According to the already completed projects and the observations and experiences of the kindergarten-psychologist in the Kindergarten of Kertváros,mental healthcare gets into focus–bodily and mental health of children, the impacts of kindergarten teachers’ and employee’s mental health to children. Our institutions are at a stage,that the support of mental health both on a personal and institutional level is necessary. Institutional development, acquiring and applying a more up-to-date views, increased attention to employee’s health and mental state were needed.The personal mental hygiene gets into foregroundOur accelerating and continuously changing world has set new challenges to educationalists concerning both leaders and teachers.There are new perspectives on the horizon, which require flexibility from the institutio –todays institutions and people beyond flexibility have to be resilient in order to adapt to the shock-like external circumstances.With the appearing of the pandemic, the priorities of the project (institution development, reform of the own professional profile, mental healthcare, confirming competences, broadening of professional relationships)–especially efforts for preserving mental health – has become more important.We shaped and changed the instruments and methods of the project’s realization according to the new perspectives. One of the main components of the kindergarten is its pedagogical culture, which includes the professional and personal competencies of the educators, the educational institution, the aims, culture, traditions, and values of the institution. In the image of the Kindergarten of Kertváros and its partner-institutions the effects of the project have appeared. The health of a kindergarten group is mainly dependent on the mental health of the kindergarten teacher. Our educators are often exposed to idealistic requirements. Representatives of assisting professionals work with their whole personality, therefore they get especially impregnated with problems. Consequently, their own mental hygiene will come to the front.During the project the energy sources, that decreased the internal damaging factors both of the organization and the individual, and helped how to fight with psychic burdens, were insured. We put emphasis on changes and the ability of reacting to changes and highlighted the strengthening of the inner functioning of the institution. The following definitions were reinterpreted: values, culture, strategy- and crisis management, risking, leader-communication, value-orientation, dealing with generation gaps, quick reactions, adaptability, self-training, innovation, flexibility, renewal, strategy planning, knowledge sharing, cooperation, collaboration. In the pandemic situation we offered alternatives in order to solve the stress and crisis situations. Constructive and non-violent conflict solving and mental balance and healthcare with new methods and tools were accomplished, the knowledge of the participants was expanded.Dealing with negative feelings, anxiety, helplessness was supported and helped. Learning how to get balance back by offering different methodologies, redefining our aims, learning the technique to regenerate body and soul.Coming to know new ways of getting energy.We are now able to accommodate to the continuously changing requirements, remain optimistic and keep our bodily and mental health. The project provided plenty of energy sources and opportunities, from which the participants could develop their knowledge and skills: trainings, profession-days, workshops, therapy-activities, mutual free-time programmes, conferences, discussions, partner meetings, virtual challenges. (In every case we provided the opportunity both for personal and online accomplishment of the meetings, according to the current pandemic prescriptions.) Some of the negative effects that influence the institutions and organizations: fluctuation, the lack of experts, difficulties of living, the increasing pandemic situation leads to more stress, burnout, anxiety. We are emphasizing the mental health of the kindergarten, as an institution:A leader and educator with mental hygiene knowledge can function as a model for children, colleagues, parents and in indirect and direct ways to partners. The leader, as a key figure is like a mental hygiene guard, because his/her task is to organize an effective social net, which ensures the institution’s mental health. The followings are accomplished as long-term goals: representing social roles and models, selflessness, experiencing altruism, feast-days during the project, by which the focus were on equal opportunities and emotional welfare. Our aims were supplemented with the goal to support our fellow-beings, who have increased bad living conditions (lonely, single, pensioner) because of the pandemicThanks to our project, now we are on the way, to create institutional welfare, every employee to feel good, and them to feel important, to consider themselves as a member of the community.