To support the development of open society, they operate and support an array of initiatives in education, civil society, independent media, Internet and e-mail communications, publishing, human rights, arts and culture, and social, legal, and economic reform. In an effort to address the decline in services for young children in the region, caused by the economic upheaval after the fall of communism, the Open Society Institute embarked upon the Step by Step Program in 1994. Step by Step is an education reform program that introduces child-centered teaching methods and supports community and family involvement in preschools and primary schools. The aim of the program is to engender democratic ideas and principles within young children and their families. The Step by Step methods encourage children to make choices, take responsibility for their decisions, express their ideas with creativity, help each other, develop critical thinking skills, and practice independent thinking.
Parents actively participate in the education of their children.
The program promotes the rights of all children to a quality education, and provides materials and training to insure equal access for children of minority families, children with disabilities, Roma, refugee and families living in poverty. The goal of all technical assistance to the program is to transfer expertise to each country team as quickly as possible, so that they can continue the program with their own resources in the future. The program has a five-year developmental cycle in each participating country. Initially, intensive training in the methodology is provided to a team of early childhood experts, responsible for developing the program in their country. Strategically, the program begins by implementing model classrooms in preschools and primary schools, and then works to promote low-cost expansion to new classrooms, relying on matching funds from communities.