Yuxin has a fair start in education
UNICEF China and partners are supporting and expanding pre-school inclusive education.
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The sun is already blazing at 7 a.m. on this June morning in Zhengzhou. A sprinkler truck moves slowly down the street, its mist offering a bit of relief. At this early hour, five-year-old Yuxin is still sleeping.
"Yuxin, sweetie, it’s time to get up,” her mother, Hu, says softly. "Let's go to kindergarten and play with your friends, okay?" Yuxin, rubbing sleep from her eyes, lets her mother help her get dressed. As Hu braids Yuxin’s hair, her attention is drawn to a picture book. Her eyes flicker across the pages, as she tries to understand the story.
Hu watches Yuxin with a mix of emotions. "Now, Yuxin is keen to do things she enjoys, like reading. She also loves drawing, though her scribbles often spill onto our walls when she runs out of paper." She glances at the walls, now fully covered with Yuxin’s artwork, with a slight embarrassment. "Yuxin was diagnosed with global developmental delay. She started speaking late, and her intelligence maybe lower compared to other children her age,” Hu says, “She has communication and social interaction issues. Sometimes, when she gets frustrated, she lashes out physically. I was worried that she might not be able to fit into groups and society in the future."
Determined to help Yuxin, Hu enrolled her at Qisehua Kindergarten, an inclusive kindergarten, last September: “I was worried that we would have to take her out of this kindergarten, just like at previous kindergartens, because of her aggressive behaviour. "
Qisehua Kindergarten is one of the pre-school institutions supported by UNICEF through its inclusive education programme. Nearly 15 per cent of the children at Qisehua have special needs. "At the beginning, Yuxin was anxious and struggled to express herself. Our primary task was to help her manage her emotions, teach her how to communicate and express her needs, and to build trust with both teachers and classmates," Yuxin’s teacher Zhang Yanfang remembers.
“The teachers assessed her, made plans, and broke these down into daily and monthly goals,” Hu explains. “They also encouraged Yuxin to learn independently through play. Her classmates were incredibly supportive, reminding her of the daily schedule and playing with her. Yuxin has made great progress and fits in very well now."
Inclusive early childhood education
Every child has the right to quality education and learning, yet children with disabilities are often overlooked. Globally, these children are among the most likely to be out of school, facing persistent barriers, such as discrimination and stigma as well as exclusion.
In China, there are around five million children with disabilities, but only half of them is enrolled in mainstream schools. The rest may attend special education schools or be educated at home, particularly in the central and western regions where educational resources are scarce.
To address this challenge, UNICEF works with the Ministry of Education and other partners to promote and expand quality inclusive education throughout China: “Throughout the country, we are supporting 37 kindergartens directly through our inclusive education programme. Inclusive education requires teachers who are able and well prepared to provide personalised learning and support to children with and without special needs. UNICEF China provides both pre-service and in-service teacher training, enhancing their professional skills in inclusive education. Materials are provided to help kindergartens better implement inclusion in play,” UNICEF China Education Officer Lou Chunfang explains.” UNICEF China aims to improve people’s understanding of inclusive education to create an inclusive social environment.”
The early years from birth to age six are the most critical period of growth and development in a child's lifetime. Inclusion in education must start in early childhood – the earlier the better. Evidence shows that quality early inclusive education can significantly improve disadvantaged children’s development and help them make best use of their potential.
UNICEF is advocating for all young children, including those with disabilities, to have access to essential early learning services that address their specific needs. UNICEF China and partners recently launched the national campaign 'Parent with Purpose, Nurture their Future' to provide parents and caregivers with practical guidance on how to best support their young child’s development and give them the best start in life.
Getting the foundations of early learning right offers significant benefits in the future, which also result in major social and economic gains for society.
“She’s so good at playing on the swing!”
As Zhang Yanfang starts playing the piano, the children quickly find their seats for indoor activities. Yuxin dashes to the drawing area, takes a paintbrush from a friend, and proudly introduces, “I’m drawing a bunny and a rainbow. I love drawing.” A stack of her previous artwork already covers the wall beside her. After finishing her piece, she moves to the science area and begins to build a tower and starts reading an inclusive picture book. The teachers are around, ready to offer help and guidance.
"We discovered that she loves drawing. She also became very interested in making crafts. We used visual supports to help her make crafts which gave her a sense of achievement.” Zhang Yanfang says, " What touches me most is seeing Yuxin express her needs and develop a wide range of interests."
As the scorching sun starts to wane, Yuxin and her classmates excitedly run to the outdoor swing area. Yuxin leaps onto the swing. Her five-year-old friend, Yifu, stands behind her, pushing with all his strength. As the swing arcs through the air, Yuxin shouts with excitement, “Wow,” and asks for another go. Yifu giggles and pushes even harder, saying, “I like playing with Yuxin. She is so good at playing on the swing!”
"Other children's empathy and social skills have also improved significantly by playing with children with disabilities. This also makes our class more united." Zhang Yanfang noticed positive changes in the other children in the class, as well.
Better every day
Yuxin's progress goes beyond just fitting in at kindergarten. Hu says, "I used to struggle a lot to communicate with Yuxin, but now this has changed. She listens and understands more, and her emotions are also more stable. I’m thrilled that she now asks to go to kindergarten and is keen to learn."
Seeing these changes fills Hu with joy. "I am very happy because Yuxin is improving every day. I believe she will be able to go to primary school and do whatever she likes in the future."
