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POLICY AND PRACTICE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION COUNSELING: A LEGISLATIVE AND CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS IN ROMANIA
Abstract
In recent years, early childhood education has become a central priority in the reform of the Romanian pre-university education system, emphasizing the critical importance of intervention from birth or even prenatally. National educational policies have increasingly focused on improving early education quality, addressing the initial and continuous training of educators, caregivers, and school counselors, as well as on preventive strategies for challenges that might hinder later school integration. Legislative changes have introduced significant shifts, such as the gradual inclusion of preschool groups in compulsory education; however, these measures raise challenges related to resource allocation and human capital development. Despite the growing legislative framework, participation rates in early education remain low, especially among disadvantaged groups. This study analyses the legislative documents regulating early childhood counseling in Romania, identifying the involved educational actors and the practical challenges of counseling implementation. The findings underscore the need for comprehensive evaluation of counseling needs in early education, highlighting gaps in resources, training, and coordination. The study proposes future directions for policy and practice to enhance the quality and accessibility of counseling services for young children and their families, thus supporting their developmental trajectories from the earliest stages.
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References3
The researched documents, to which we will refer, are the following: Law no. 272/2004 on the Protection and Promotion of Children’s Rights; Pre-university Education Law no. 198/2023. Text published in the Official Gazette, Part I no. 613 of July 5, 2023, effective from September 3, 2023; National Education Law no. 1, which replaced Education Law no. 84/1995; Law no. 17/2022 on the Establishment and Organization of Nurseries, with subsequent amendments and completions, replacing Law no. 263/2007; Social Assistance Law no. 292/2011, updated in 2024; Law no. 133 of July 15, 2020, amending art. 83 of National Education Law no. 1/2011; Government Decision no. 566 of April 28, 2022, published in the Official Gazette of Romania, Part I, no. 437 of May 4, 2022, approving the Methodology of April 28, 2022, for the organization and functioning of nurseries and other early pre-school education units; Government Decision no. 1252/2012 on approving the Methodology for the organization and functioning of nurseries and other early pre-school education units; Government Decision no. 1604/2022 approving the Methodology for the organization and functioning of complementary early education services; Decision no. 994 of November 18, 2020, approving provisional operation authorization standards and standards for accreditation and periodic external evaluation in pre-university education; Order no. 5555 of October 7, 2011, approving the Regulation on the organization and functioning of county/Bucharest municipal centers for educational resources and assistance; Minister of Education Order no. 5701/2024 approving the Framework Regulation for organizing and operating county/Bucharest municipal centers for educational resources and assistance; Ministerial Order no. 6072 of August 31, 2023, approving transitional measures applicable at the national pre-university and higher education system levels; Order no. 4018/2024 of March 15, 2024, approving the Framework Methodology for enrolling children in pre-university educational units with legal personality that have preschool and/or pre-preschool groups and in complementary early education services; Order no. 4143/June 29, 2022, approving Standards for teaching-learning materials in early education and the Minimal Equipment Norms for early education services for children from birth to 6 years; Order no. 3851/October 17, 2010, approving the Fundamental Benchmarks for Early Learning and Development (RFIDT); Order no. 4694/August 2, 2019, approving the Curriculum for early education; Order no. 5726/August 6, 2024, approving the Framework Regulation for organizing and functioning pre-university education units; Order no. 3363/March 10, 2022, approving the composition of the Coordination Commission for the allocation of preschoolers/students to educational units where they can carry out educational activities and receive psycho-pedagogical assistance and counseling, the organization and functioning procedure of the commission, and approving the procedure for enrolling minors from the armed conflict area in Ukraine, present in Romania, as listeners in educational units; Order no. 6235/September 6, 2023, approving the procedure for managing cases of violence against pre-preschoolers/preschoolers/students and school staff, as well as related situations in the school environment and suspicion of violence against children outside school; Order no. 5707/August 1, 2024, approving the Student Statute; Order no. 5726/2024 – Regulation for organizing and functioning of pre-university education units (ROFUIP); “Educated Romania” Project, initiated by the President of Romania (https://www.romaniaeducata.eu/); International Standard Classification of Education, ISCED 20211, UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Educational System in Romania, synthetic data, https://insse.ro/cms/ro/tags/sistemul-educational-romania; World Declaration on Education for All and Framework for Action to Meet Basic Learning Needs; Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development; 2023 Country Report on Romania. Brussels: European Commission; World Declaration on Education for All and Framework for Action to Meet Basic Learning Needs; Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.
Stan L. (coord.), Educa?ia timpurie. Probleme ?i solu?ii, Polirom, Ia?i, Romania, 2016, p 19;
Butnaru S., Marcu E.M., Consilierea psihopedagogica. Considera?ii teoretice, prevederi legale ?i situa?ii intalnite in practica, Univers pedagogic, Chi?inau, Moldova, nr.1 (73), p 34, 2022.
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