A Day at Little Ripples
- Jessica Birzin
- Mar 8, 2016
- 2 min read
Little Ripples is a refugee-led early education education program that is adapted to the unique needs of refugee children, their community and the humanitarian context. What is most important about Little Ripples is that the program does not compromise quality, despite working in heavily under-resourced and complex settings. We believe every child has the right to state-of-the-art preschool education. Here’s what a typical day and schedule looks like for Little Ripples in refugee camp Goz Amer, eastern Chad.
Teacher Arrival
6:30 am: Each morning, teachers arrive early to ensure their learning space is safe for their students, plan their daily lessons together and organize their educational material.
Welcoming students
7:00 am: As parents drop off their children, teachers ensure every child is greeted upon arriving to Little Ripples each morning. The in-home Ponds have allowed Little Ripples to be even more accessible and engaging for the community.
Mindfulness
7:30 am: At the start of each day, teachers lead their students through a mindfulness exercise to create inner and outer peace for the school day.
Small group learning
7:45 am: Through small group learning, teachers use educational materials to foster the creativity, imagination, fine motor skills and cognitive development of their students.
Hand-washing
8:30 am: Students learn to wash their hands before and after a meal and after using the latrine. Here, a student washes her hands under the watchful eye of her teacher before the Little Ripples daily meal.
Daily Meal
9:00 am: Every student is a provided a nutritious meal during the morning break at Little Ripples. A meal is imperative for the development and learning of these children living in food insecure refugee camps.
Outdoor Play
10:00 am: Play is central to the early development and education of young children at Little Ripples. Teachers lead children through ball, relay races, peacebuilding and obstacle course games each day.
Closing Circle
10:45 am: The school day at Little Ripples ends with a peaceful circle, during which teachers highlight the Little Ripples peace, helping and sharing pillars, play drums and have their students sing along.
