In the autumn of 2010, 4- and 5-year-old children from 12 Wrocław kindergartens participated in the first classes under the "Entrepreneurial Preschooler" project.
For the purposes of the project, the original lesson scenarios had been prepared, approved by the preschool education experts from the Wrocław Teacher Training Centre. The partner of the City of Wrocław in this project is Nordea Bank Polska S.A., which – in order to support theory with practice – made a special ATM machine for preschoolers. The children were given the ATM cards, being perfect copies of those real ones, used by their parents. The mock-up ATM is 80 cm high and has a window with colourful selection options. There is also another window, through which you can look inside and see that it is not always full of money.
fot. Miłosz Poloch
The idea was enjoyed so much that since 2011 it has been systematically extended by another establishments. Currently, the economic education covers 24 city kindergartens and more than 1.5 thousand children. During the classes, the children learn, inter alia, denominations of coins, meaning of the purchase-sale concepts, various types of shops, methods to save and store money. The children's guide in the world of economy is friendly Złotóweczka the Dwarf – the plush messenger of King Ekonomiusz the Great.
Every year, as part of the project the preschoolers take part in two competitions: artistic competition entitled "My dream money" and "I advertise my kindergarten".
Also, every year, in May, the summary of the project is organised – the Entrepreneurial Preschooler Tournament. The event has a form of a review: the children's teams from individual establishments, guided by their tutors, prepare 5 – 10-minute economy-related stage performances, using various means of expression. There are no winners and losers here – each establishment receives the same set of prizes in a form of games, educational games or teaching aids.
So far, the Marshal's Office of Dolnośląskie Region has made use of the lesson scenarios developed for the purpose of the project; the materials were also made available to the Commune of Nowa Dęba in the Podkarpackie Region and social workers from Morąg, who, since the beginning of this year, have been using them to conduct the classes with children.
