Tugispetsialistide vajalikkus koolieelsetes lasteasutustes

Varajane märkamine ja sekkumine on vajalik võimaldamaks lapsele paremat ja täisväärtuslikku elu. Laste esmaste erisuste märkajateks on lasteaiaõpetajad, kuid oma kõrvale vajaksid nad pädevaid tugispetsialiste. Tugispetsialistide töö koolieelsetes lasteasutustes on anda abi lastele, kes seda vajavad, samas toetada ja nõustada õpetajaid kui ka lapsevanemaid. Tugispetsialistide puudus on murekohaks olnud juba aastaid, kuid mida aeg edasi läheb, seda rohkem see teema muutumas aktuaalsemaks. Puuduse tagajärjel on tekkimas üha enam lastel probleeme juba lasteaedades, mis tõttu on väga oluline, et lasteaias pakutakse vastavalt vajadusele tugiteenuseid. Käesoleva lõputööga selgitati välja, et tugispetsialistide vajalikkus koolieelsetes lasteasutustes on suur. Üha enam on suurenemas probleemsete laste arv, kes vajaksid tugispetsialistide tuge ja abi. Enamus lapsi, kes abi vajavad, on jäänud sellest ilma, sest välja on valitud lapsed, kes seda kõige rohkem vajavad. Tugispetsialistid aitavad lasteaia personalil märgata ja lahendada probleeme, mis võivad laste arengut takistada. Nende toetus aitab tagada, et kõik lapsed saavad võrdsed võimalused õppimiseks ja arenguks ning suurendab laste võimalusi tulevikus edukalt toime tulla. Seega on tugispetsialistide vajalikkus lasteaias ülioluline. Lõputöö teoreetilise raamistikuks on ökoloogiline süsteemiteooria. Sellest lähtuvalt uuriti lapse endaga seostuvaid süsteeme – pere, lasteaed ning tugispetsialistid- ning nende mõju. Teoreetiline osa toob ka välja varajase märkamise ja sekkumise olulisuse. Samuti toodi välja tugispetsialistide vajalikkus koolieelsetes lasteasutustes, kirjeldati lasteaedades pakutavaid teenuseid ning tugispetsialistide tööülesandeid. Töö empiirilises osas kirjeldati uurimismeetodit. Antud lõputöös oli valimiks Järva valla lasteaedade direktorid, õppejuhid ja ühe rühmaõpetaja. Uurimisküsimustele vastuste saamiseks viidi läbi kvalitatiivne uurimus, kus kasutati poolstruktueeritud intervjuud. Intervjuud viidi läbi vahemikus 27.02-03.04.2023, intervjuude pikkus oli 15-25 minutit. Lõputöö autor leiab, et uurimisküsimused said vastused ning eesmärk täidetud. Uurimistulemustest selgus, et abivajavaid lapsi on väga palju, kuid väga vähene abi jõuab nendeni. Õpetajad on arvamusel, et tugispetsialist aitab kaasa koostööle kodu ja lasteaia vahel, andes mõlemale poolele abi ning nõu. Tugispetsialistidest on puudus kõige rohkem logopeedidest ja eripedagoogidest. Aastatega on suurenenud logopeediliste probleemidega laste arv, kellega tuleks alustada tegelemist juba lasteaedades. Mida hilisemalt probleemiga tegelema hakatakse, seda suurem on tõenäosus, et tulevikus vajab laps tugispetsialistide abi pikka aega. Lasteaia juhid peavad väga oluliseks tugispetsialistide ametikohta, sest sel juhul ei peaks rühmade õpetajad tegema sotsiaaltööd, vaid saaksid tegeleda oma põhitööga. Kokkuvõtvalt võib järeldada, et lapse erisuste märkamine ja sekkumine varases eas aitab tagada, et kõik lapsed saavad nii palju kui võimalik arendada oma potentsiaali ja valmistuda edukaks tulevikuks. Samuti on väga tähtis roll tugispetsialistil pere ja lasteaia vahel. Tugispetsialist on toeks nii lasteaiaõpetajale kui ka perele ning aitab luua sujuvama koostöö. Vajadus spetsialistide ametikohale on suur, eelkõige seetõttu, et aastatega on suurenenud abivajavate laste hulk. Õpetajatele on langenud suur koormus, milles neil puuduvad teadmised ja oskused, et abivajavatele lastele professionaalset abi osutada. Tugispetsialistide ametikohti on loodud, kuid need on jäänud täitmata, kas rahaliste võimaluste tõttu või pole piisavas mahus pakkuda täistööaega.

The following thesis is The necessity of support specialists in preschool childcare facilities. The lack of support specialists has been a concern for many years, but as time goes on, the more this topic becomes more topical. As a result of the shortage, more and more problems are emerging in children already in kindergartens, which makes it very important that support services are provided in kindergarten as needed. The aim of the thesis is to analyse the needs for creating support specialist positions and opportunities for early intervention and resolution of problems in kindergartens in Järva Parish. To achieve the goal of the thesis, I will set the following research questions:

1. How does early detection and the intervention of a support specialist contribute in a preschool child care institution?
2. How does the involvement of a support specialist help solve the problems of children and families in a preschool child care institution?
3. How do managers working in preschool child care institutions assess the need for the position of support specialist? This thesis established that the need for support specialists in preschool child care institutions is high. There is a growing number of problem children who would need the support and help of support specialists. Most of the children who need help have been deprived of it because the children who need it most have been selected. Support specialists help the staff of the kindergarten to notice and solve problems that may hinder the development of children. Their support will help ensure that all children receive equal opportunities for learning and development and will increase children's chances of succeeding in the future. Thus, the need for support specialists in kindergarten is crucial. The theoretical framework of the thesis is ecological systems theory. Based on this, the systems related to the child – the family, kindergarten and support specialists – and their impact – were studied. The theoretical part also highlights the importance of early detection and intervention. The need for support specialists in preschool child care institutions was also highlighted, the services provided in kindergartens and the duties of support specialists were described. The author of the thesis finds that the research questions were answered and the goal was fulfilled. The results of the research showed that there are a large number of children in need, but very little help reache them. Teachers are of the opinion that a support specialist contributes to cooperation between home and kindergarten by providing assistance and advice to both parties. There is a shortage of support specialists most of all speech therapists and special education teachers. Over the years, the number of children with speech therapy problems has increased, with whom you should start dealing already in kindergartens. The later the problem is tackled, the greater the likelihood that in the future the child will need the help of support specialists for a long time. The heads of kindergartens attach great importance to the position of support specialists, because in this case the teachers in the groups should not do social work, but would be able to engage in their main work. Summing up, it can be concluded that noticing the peculiarities of the child and intervening at an early age will help to ensure that all children can develop their potential as much as possible and prepare for a successful future. The support specialist between the family and the kindergarten also plays a very important role. The support specialist supports both the kindergarten teacher and the family and helps to create smoother cooperation. The need for the position of specialists is great, primarily because over the years the number of children in need has increased. Teachers have been subjected to a heavy burden in which they lack the knowledge and skills to provide professional assistance to children in need. Support specialist positions have been created, but they have remained unfilled, either due to financial opportunities or not enough to offer full-time work.