FOSTERING INCLUSION AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDCARE INSTITUTIONS: LESSONS FROM THE VISEGRAD REGION

Children growing up in residential childcare often face restricted access to areas that are essential for their future. These include inclusive education, inspiring cultural experiences and, importantly, the benefits of emerging educational technologies. This study draws on long-term research in children’s homes and an international project supported by the Visegrad Fund, which created a framework for exploring innovative educational approaches. The aim was to identify and verify methods that can promote personal growth, social inclusion, and readiness for the digital era among children in residential childcare. Using a participatory action research approach with a qualitative design, the study involved children and educators from several Czech and Slovak children’s homes and a Ukrainian children’s home evacuated to Poland. Over three months, local educational activities were implemented alongside an international meeting centred on an inclusive sports programme and two parallel workshops. The analysis of the results, in the context of ongoing research, showed that combining cultural, sports, and educational activities enhanced collaboration, communication, self-expression, and interest in learning. Modern technologies played a key role, with artificial intelligence tools supporting project implementation and increasing inclusivity and personalisation in teaching. The study recommends integrating modern technologies into non-formal education in residential childcare while ensuring ethical and cultural sensitivity in the adoption of new educational approaches. Keywords: residential childcare, inclusive education, participatory action research, social inclusion