The goal of the project was to learn new (alternative) methods and forms of work in the field of preschool education, thus increasing the quality of the educational process. In addition, we wanted to promote the professional development of educators, their readiness for innovation and flexibility through education. We wanted to transfer examples of good practices, new knowledge and methods from abroad into pedagogical work, of course taking into account the applicability and limits of legal possibilities or the possibilities of the local environment. By participating in the project we wanted to acquire the following competences: - improvement of foreign language skills, especially English, - the development of the European dimension in the kindergarten - increase of social and intercultural competences of the participants, - acquisition of new strategic partnerships, - increased motivation for further participation in European projects.
The Innovative Ideas for Effective Teaching Methods (IIZUUM) project is our first Erasmus+ KA1 project. It was born out of the need for a group of workers to network locally, nationally and internationally while acquiring new skills. As society evolves, its characteristics and needs change, making it increasingly difficult for workers to adapt. We are aware that for a quality educational process it is necessary to constantly introduce new methods and forms of work and to develop alternative programs. We see the internationalization of the kindergarten as one of the ways to achieve this goal, as well as other long-term goals of the institution (e.g. to maintain and develop the quality achieved through the training of professionals; to improve the quality of preschool education at the procedural, indirect and structural levels). After the training organized by CMEPIUS, we created Working group for International Cooperation. We identified our desires and needs, including increasing knowledge about alternative educational systems based on the play method and stimulating learning environments, and introducing new knowledge into work with children. In doing so, we also met the child's needs for different preschool educational programs.