In the most poor and disadvantaged areas in Gaza Strip, those that underwent the most violent military incursions in the last four years, children born between 2000 and 2002 (beneficiaries of the project) do not know any other reality than the conflict and its consequences, since the first years of their life received fear, insecurity and threats as main inputs. As an example of the psychosocial consequences of the conflict on children we cite a study conducted by the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme, were, out of a sample of 994 children, 54% were found to be exhibiting serious clinical signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Children are sensitive barometers of social, political and economic change and the impact of those changes can be particularly devastating in situations of armed conflict and other emergencies. Children's earliest experiences Ð within the family and with other caregivers Ð significantly influence the future course of their development. The way in which children develop determines whether they will make a net contribution Ð or pose a huge cost Ð to society over the course of their lives.

As regards early childhood education sector KGs show common problematic: almost 90% of early childhood teachers do not possess a qualified background, and are not able to deal with the psychosocial consequences of the conflict on children and to play their educative role; bad condition of the buildings; lack of basic equipment, furniture, hygienic services and educative tools (toys, books, stationary etc.). The educative methodologies applied do not aim neither to psychosocial recovery nor to personal development of the child. On the opposite, in KGs the educative traditional methods mainly give priority to the precocious alphabetisation in order to prepare children for the school. In this way children are submitted to additional stress. KGs in Gaza Strip do not represent at all a place of entertainment, protection, and acceptance.

The general socio-political and economic crisis of oPt make too difficult to local community and institution to cope with the consequences of conflict and violence on children and infrastructures.

Ministry of Education:
Being early childhood education not direct responsibility of the MoE, the majority of KGs in Gaza Strip do not fulfill all the criteria requested by the Ministry. This do not have the capacity to establish early childhood educational structures, neither to support through public funds the existing ones.

Kindergartens teachers:
The majority of projects run by international or local organization most concentrated their interventions on providing teachers with skills on recreational activities only. KGs educators do not elaborate a general educative framework aiming to develop all the capacities of children but concentrated mostly on alphabetization. As a matter of fact, obeying to a discussable social expectation according to which KGs must prepare children to the future school activities, kindergartens apply the traditional standardized methodology essentially focused on writing and reading other than on playing and other creative activities.

Children:
In this context children are passive recipients of a precocious alphabetization without possibility of overcoming the psychosocial consequences of the conflict on their behavior and personality and to actively express other capacities that are complementary to their full development. Their need of experiencing and expressing emotions such as happiness or anger is often read as extreme liveliness or aggressiveness, therefore as problematic behaviours. The manifestations of such feelings is often suppressed by teachers and parents that see the KGs as a place where to develop socially acceptable behaviors more then as a place of free expression and experience.

Children Families:
Social and economic conditions of the families living in Gaza Strip have dramatically grown worse since the beginning of Intifada. People suffer the practical consequences of the hard socio-political situation. Adults are forced to dedicate energies on granting a daily meal to the family. Care, playing and education are not anymore priorities and the protection and wellbeing of their beloved is not in their hands.