LabOOOratorium. Education and Business Cooperate in Win-Win-Win Model

LabOOOratorium in the Kropelka kindergarten in Wrocław. Photo: foundation Ogólnopolski Operator Oświaty

LabOOOratorium is a project that innovatively combines the development of education with corporate social responsibility. It enriches activities for children, showing them that learning can be interesting and engaging, while also setting innovative trends in education. For businesses, it provides valuable, systematic knowledge about product reception by demanding users.

The principle of the program is simple: the company donates its products (which must of course have the necessary certifications) to foundation-operated kindergartens and schools. Teachers and educators use them during educational activities and play. All of this follows scenarios that align with the curriculum, but in an innovative, attractive, and creative format.

“For our children, it is an opportunity to be among the first to play and learn using devices or technologies that are not yet widely available. For our business partners, the value lies in the fact that we share professionally developed conclusions, opinions, and suggestions for improvements, sometimes pointing out new, non-obvious applications,” explains Barbara Wiśniewska, project coordinator of LabOOOratorium at the foundation Ogólnopolski Operator Oświaty. “We know the education sector inside out; we run 67 schools and kindergartens across Poland. The benefits of such collaboration are multidimensional—for preschoolers, students, teachers, and the foundation`s partners. In business, this is called a win-win situation. We say: win-win-win.”

The Mechanical Musical Computer Under the Kindergarteners` Microscope

A practical example of LabOOOratorium`s operation is the ongoing tests of the Musicon device in public kindergartens Kropelka and Columbus in Wrocław, Octopus in Gdańsk, and Rozgwiazda in Kowale, developed and produced by the Polish company M sp. z o. o.

This is a mechanical musical computer that children program themselves by simply pressing or squeezing buttons on a large rotating drum. As a result, a melody is created, played like a music box by a randomly composed arrangement of instruments.

The Musicon set consists of the device and scenarios developed during research and development projects for working with children. The goal is to support cognitive, motor, emotional development, as well as ingenuity, creativity, and collaboration among children. Teachers and preschoolers from Kropelka, Columbus, Octopus, and Rozgwiazda will explore how these assumptions work in practice.

“Testing in LabOOOratorium is an opportunity for us to closely examine elements of the entire educational-therapeutic ecosystem. To find out how the device, its additional modules, and sets are actually used,” explains Paulina Kowalik, project coordinator from Musicon. “We also pay a lot of attention to the application, which is constantly evolving. We hope that this experience will help us improve its functionality and enhance its substantive value and attractiveness for children and teachers.”

Innovative Business and Children`s Creativity

The authors of the program from the foundation Ogólnopolski Operator Oświaty emphasize that schools and kindergartens can be places where learning is not just theory but also real-world experience.

“Our LabOOOratorium thoroughly tests, fairly assesses, and issues credible quality certificates. Above all, it enhances the attractiveness of learning in kindergartens and primary schools,” emphasizes Barbara Wiśniewska from the foundation. “This is our proprietary, pioneering CSR project on a national scale. We want to show how education and business can collaborate not only in a philanthropic model but also bring concrete value that goes beyond the traditional model.”

“We have always wanted to know how children use Musicon, how teachers and therapists perceive its application. This has been, and still is, the design of every element of the Musicon set,” explains Kamil Laszuk, CEO of Musicon. “Meeting technical requirements and certifications is very important, but it`s not enough for us. Only programs like LabOOOratorium can prove that what we do is valuable and makes sense.”

LabOOOratorium tests of Musicon will continue until the end of May this year. Their outcome will be a professionally prepared substantive report and, if the product meets high tester requirements, a certificate that the company can use in its communication.

The foundation OOO invites companies interested in improving the quality of education to collaborate within LabOOOratorium and to submit their products for evaluation by the most demanding users.

More information about LabOOOratorium is available on the program`s website at:

• https://operator.edu.pl/pl/laboooratorium-tworz-z-nami-innowacje/

The Foundation Ogólnopolski Operator Oświaty has been supporting local governments in the implementation of educational tasks and projects for 22 years. The foundation is a public benefit organization. It operates free kindergartens and schools across Poland. Over 8000 children are educated in the 67 facilities currently run by the foundation OOO.

Musicon is a Polish company creating innovative educational and therapeutic tools that support the psychophysical development of children and adults. The Musicon device is already used in almost 300 facilities in Poland to enhance the effectiveness of learning and therapy through play, analog activities, and stimulating multiple senses simultaneously.

* * *

When settling your PIT for 2023, you can support the projects of the Foundation Ogólnopolski Operator Oświaty: the creation and development of the Virtual Educational Counseling and the program Speech Therapist in Every School and Kindergarten. The foundation has launched an informational page about both projects and the support of their funding with 1.5% of tax at https://operator.edu.pl/pl/1-5-procent-podatku-pit/. Through the foundation`s website, you can settle online for free, download a free settlement application, or fill out and print active forms of PIT 28 • PIT 36 • PIT 36L • PIT 37 • PIT 38 • PIT 39 • PIT OP.

You can also support the projects of the Foundation Ogólnopolski Operator Oświaty by settling on the Twój e-PIT platform and in any other form. Just specify KRS 00000 44866 in your settlement.