The Center for Inclusive Education (hereinafter „Inklucentrum“) is an advocacy, educational and counselling expert organization, operating at a national level in the field of inclusive education. It is dedicated to supporting quality education in the school environment for the benefit of all children, families and school staff. The support is provided primarily to pedagogical and professional staff, schools and local governments. We rely on humanistic and human rights values and comprehensively support the fulfillment of the needs of every person in the school environment.
Since February 12, 2020, Inklucentrum has been an authorized provider of innovative education for all categories of pedagogical and professional employees in the area of: „Professional development in the field of acquiring professional competencies for pedagogical and professional staff, necessary for the implementation of inclusive education“.
Registration number: 1/2020 – IV. Validity period: until 31 December 2025. Decision of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic on the authorization to provide innovative education. The Decision (pdf version in slovak).
Our Vision: An inclusive environment being the support for the needs of all participants in education, enabling the development of students, teachers and parents in accordance with humanistic principles.
Our Mission: Promoting inclusive education as a principle of education through advocacy, information and educational activities.
Our Principles are based on Person-centred approach (PCA), Nonviolent Communication (NVC), Maslow´s Hierarchy of Needs, Inclusion Index, multidisciplinary comprehensive approach, cooperation, transparency and democracy.
History
Inklucentrum was established on August 19, 2019 in response to the fall of 2017, when an informal Coalition for Joint Education (hereinafter “Inklucoalition”) has expressed their frustration with the worsening quality of education for all children.
The founder of Inklucentrum, Miroslava Hapalová, together with co-founders Lucia Rosáková and Viktor Križo have successfully brought this project to its existence through the support of the Children of Slovakia Foundation from Opera Ball.
The ambition to be a leader and coordinator of Inclusive Education also serves as a response to the unfulfilled needs of children, parents and teachers at schools and kindergartens, which seek to coordinate joint education of children with diverse needs, but face various obstacles in practice and do not receive any or only a minimal support within the system.
Focus of our activities
Providing informational and methodological support for schools in the field of inclusive education and inclusion of children with diverse needs (publications, methodologies; translation of foreign methodologies; didactic materials, FAQ and methodological portal;
Conducting educational courses, experiential training, workshops, mentorship, supervision and seminars for schools and their staff (teaching assistants, professionals and teachers), focusing on the area of inclusive education;
Providing direct assistance, consultation and support to schools, municipalities and self-governing regions in order to find solutions together and set up a process of joint education of children with diverse needs in a region, school or classroom;
Promoting systemic changes in the development of inclusive education in Slovakia (self-governing and national strategies and policies).
Operating at 5 levels
1.INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT
Supporting our teachers, assistants, and professional staff through education and supervision. The Inklucentrum offers long-term courses, webinars (accredited), group supervisions designed for individual applicants from kindergartens, primary schools and high-schools within the whole country.
2. SCHOOL BASED SUPPORT TEAM
Educating our professional teams as a whole, support with setting up competencies and coordinative support to children with diverse needs, and supporting teamwork. The topics of seminars are precisely made to suit each participant specifically. Our education is available for any and all interested parties within Slovakia, with the condition of a certain number of participant in the case of team training from one school environment. More information is available in the course section.
3. SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT SUPPORT
Working with the schools on active change towards increasing the inclusiveness within the school environment and improving readiness for education of children with diverse needs, working with the overall school climate, self-evaluation, management and setting up support services at school (possibility to use the Inclusion Index as one of the tools), providing assistance in solving specific issues, etc.
4. SUPPORT TO LOCAL AUTHORITIES
Providing assistance and counselling for local authorities and institutions in local/regional policy-making; efforts for systemic changes.
5. NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT
Consultation and participation in the creation of national and international strategic documents in the field of inclusive education, networking, cooperation and support for systemic change, participation in national and international projects.
Our team consists of experts from various fields of educational process.