Available data indicate that Moldova has more than 170 000 people with disabilities. Current approach of the public administration is focused on the medical aspects of disabilities, and the issue of social integration has been overlooked. A separate problem is the integration of the children with disabilities into the educational system and social life. The persistent stereotype from the times of the SovietUnion results in the exclusion of these children from regular teaching in nurseries and primary schools, and their placement to the special boarding institutions. Due to this approach, children are badly adapted to the social and personal life, they lose connections with families, and the majority of the society considers them inferior. This creates an environment of discrimination and mental stigma. Accession of the Republic of Moldova to the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities started the reformation process in this area, which is reflected in the national development strategy. In the area of integration of children with disabilities into the education system, the involvement of preschool children in normal kindergartens is crucial, where children with disabilities have either very little or almost no access. The administration of the kindergarten decides itself, whether to accept a child with disability or not. The main cause, leading to this situation, is the lack of technical equipment and facilities, and insufficiently trained personnel, who is not provided even with required basics for such education. Currently, several attempts to create integrated kindergartens, which would meet the standards of inclusive pedagogic, have been made, but only in an insufficient number, which covers only about 5 % of children with disabilities.

The aim of the project, realized in cooperation with the Adra, o.s. organization, is to prepare the children with disabilities and special educational needs for education in the normal elementary school. The project establishes the mechanisms, which facilitate the access of these children to education. The following normative documents will be the benefits of the project: Internal manual for inclusive kindergarten, educational curriculum and standards of inclusive preschool education. The model operation of the inclusive kindergarten in the town of Orhei has been taking place in the frame of the project, where the institution for children with disabilities was recently closed. Due to the Czech support, the kindergarten ensures the transportation and professional care (physiotherapy, speech therapy, etc.) for children with special needs. The project also includes training, focused on both the kindergarten staff and the parents of children with disabilities. The project aims to fulfill the international obligations of Moldova by providing the implementation mechanisms for inclusive preschool education and supporting the pilot operation of the inclusive kindergarten. The reconstruction and the supply of equipment for both selected kindergartens took place in 2012.