engleski

Early intervention of children with disabilities in preschool institutions in Croatia

The right of a child to quality care and education should be ensured from the first day of life because the Right to quality education is a basic precondition for improving the quality of life of a child and his capacity to function as a constructive member of society. During the early years, the child needs support in its development and should receive that support from their parents and community. The environment in which a child lives is a significant factor in the quality and effectiveness of the child's early development and subsequent advancement. Early inclusion embodies the values, policies and practices that support the right of every child and his or her family, regardless of their child's abilities, to participate in a wide range of activities as full members of the family, community and society. The goal of this paper is to emphasize the importance of early intervention for children of early and preschool age and the importance of early involvement in preschool institutions. Medical model in Croatia is still prevalent, in terms of categorizing children with the disabilities, and the social community continues to look at them through their impairment, but not through their skills and abilities. Early inclusion of children with the difficulties into preschool programs should be accepted as an integral part of education as the first and crucial step in the path of overall development of an individual. Social community is responsible for creating a network of preschool programs that ensure, through quality early development, the realization of children's rights.

children's rights, early intervention ; children with disabilities ; preschool programs

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