New training centre to provide Ukrainian educators with fresh ideas and modern teaching methods

There are 571 kindergartens and over 4,000 teachers in the Zhytomyr Region. Given the current situation in Ukraine, it has been a significant challenge to introduce innovative teaching methodologies and create opportunities for them to implement these approaches in their daily work. EDUHUB offers an environment where teachers can learn, share experiences and develop their skills, thereby giving the children in their care a better start to their education.

"Zhytomyr EDUHUB is one of the first methodological centres of its kind in Ukraine. It is a place where kindergarten teachers can test new approaches and share their experiences with colleagues. This type of centre helps bring innovative teaching methods into everyday life, increasing teachers' self-confidence and professional capabilities. When teachers' skills and confidence grow, children benefit, as their daily learning becomes more exciting and practical and they develop life skills," said Kristi Kulu, ESTDEV's Programme Manager for Education.

This week, a Ukrainian EDUHUB delegation visited Estonia to meet with various educational institutions and experts, including the project partners at Tallinn Teachers’ House, to gain inspiration and new knowledge.

"Tallinn Teachers' House is honoured to be a partner in the development of early childhood education in Zhytomyr. International cooperation in education is extremely important to create lasting value that extends beyond borders. We are committed to supporting Zhytomyr teachers by providing them with training from the best experts in the field of STEAM and first aid," said Kaidi Klaas, the training manager at Tallinn Teachers' House. "We hope that EDUHUB will become a place that inspires teachers, gives them new tools and creates a strong network, which will benefit children in particular.”

"We have taken a big step forward by establishing the centre. The Estonian approach to early childhood education shows that your children are independent and initiative-oriented and are already exposed to digitalization at the kindergarten level, which is important for developing logical thinking at a young age. Our pedagogical team had the opportunity to learn and see a lot of new things, and now our task is to think about how to best implement all this in Ukraine. Our goal is to ensure the well-being of our children, and EDUHUB allows us to offer a modern approach to this, which we hope can be expanded to other regions of Ukraine," said Galina Šimanska, the mayor of the Zhytomyr City Council, during her visit to Tallinn.

The project will include renovating and furnishing 125 m² of teaching and activity spaces, where teachers will receive training in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) and first aid techniques. The goal is to train at least 100 teachers and establish a robust network that fosters collaboration among kindergartens.

EDUHUB is not an isolated initiative; it is a model that has the potential to be expanded to other regions of Ukraine. Estonian experience has shown that these types of professional development centres create systemic and sustainable change.

Signing of the EDUHUB contract at the Zhytomyr City Council.