Dream Shaping Reading The Progressive Movement believes that the ages of 2–6 years are critically important for the physical, mental, and emotional development of young children. Taking care of children during this age is as crucial as, if not more important than, education at other ages. However, most
Early Childhood Development Centers in Thailand lack sufficient good quality storybooks for children and teachers. Having well-structured buildings, good hygiene, cleanliness, enough play areas, and adequate toys is already hard to come by. Not to mention the need to equip teachers at these centers with knowledge and proper educational tools to care for the children in their communities, given the limited budget allocations. To address this, the Progressive Movement initiated the Dream Shaping Reading project in collaboration with several
municipalities and
Subdistrict Administrative Organizations that the Progressive Movement advises. This project involves providing quality storybooks, donated by the
private sector, to 100 participating Early Childhood Development Centers at a time. Additionally, teachers are trained to use storybooks as tools to enhance the development of young children.
Kullada Rungcharoenkiat, the Director of the Progressive Movement Foundation, led the team to train and distribute storybooks and essential learning materials to the teachers in several provinces, including
Udon Thani,
Mukdahan,
Lamphun,
Nong Bua Lam Phu,
Kalasin, and
Roi Et. The Dream Shaping Reading project has been well-received by teachers, who now have more resources to support young children's development. The children enjoy the storybooks, exploring the pictures, using their imaginations, learning new vocabulary, and reading with their friends and teachers. The books can also be borrowed to take home for parents to read to their children, or in some cases, for the children to read to their parents. This creates a collaborative activity between children, teachers, and parents, fostering the development of young children in their
communities. The Progressive Movement subsequently provided "Dream Shaping Reading" cabinets to several Early Childhood Development Centers, containing more than 100 quality storybooks and teaching materials for young children. The Dream Shaping Reading project aims to distribute carefully selected books and teaching materials designed to create a friendly learning environment and develop various skills in young children, which are vital for their future education.
Kullada Rungcharoenkiat, the Director of the Progressive Movement Foundation, along with
Yaowalak Wongpraparat, a member of the Progressive Movement executive board, traveled to
Udon Thani to deliver Dream Shaping Reading cabinets to 13 Early Childhood Development Centers in the
Pak Ko Subdistrict Municipality,
Sri That Subdistrict Municipality,
Ban Yod Subdistrict Municipality, and other municipalities supported by the Progressive Movement. These cabinets are intended to enhance the learning skills of young children and address the lack of appropriate teaching materials in local areas. Currently, the Progressive Movement has distributed Dream Shaping Reading cabinets to 8 Early Childhood Development Centers and plans to expand to 13 more centers. Recently, the Progressive Movement provided Dream Shaping Reading cabinets to two subdistrict municipalities, including the
Mueang Chai Subdistrict Municipality and the
Thakarn North Subdistrict Municipality, with 7 Early Childhood Development Centers participating in the workshops and receiving the cabinets. Additionally, Dream Shaping Reading cabinets were distributed to the Progressive Movement-supported subdistrict municipalities in
Udon Thani, including the
Pak Ko Subdistrict Municipality,
Ban Yod Subdistrict Municipality, and
Sri That Subdistrict Municipality, totaling 13 cabinets.
Baby Box The Progressive Movement initiated the Baby Box project, starting with the Kamphaeng Saen Subdistrict Administrative Organization in
Nakhon Pathom Province. The Baby Box contains essential items for mothers and babies, along with a user manual. The staff of the Kamphaeng Saen Subdistrict Administrative Organization, Kamphaeng Saen Hospital, and Kasetsart University Medical Staff provided guidance on child-rearing to ensure children grow up healthy and develop appropriately.
Drinkable Tap Water After the mayoral and municipal council elections, the Progressive Movement launched the
Drinkable Tap Water policy, starting with the
Ach Samat Subdistrict Municipality in
Ach Samat District,
Roi Et Province.
Thepporn Champanuan, Mayor of Ach Samat Subdistrict, stated that he and his Progressive Movement team aimed to make tap water drinkable within the first 99 days, or approximately the first 3 months, of their term. On November 16, 2021, six months after the announcement of the Drinkable Tap Water policy, the
Department of Health of the
Ministry of Public Health (Thailand) awarded the municipality a certificate for meeting drinking water quality standards. On August 31, 2023, Ach Samat Subdistrict Municipality received the award for Outstanding Subdistrict Municipality in Good Governance for the fiscal year 2023, with a first-place prize and a cash reward of 3,200,000 Baht. The municipality won the first-place award again in 2024. On September 25, 2024, Ach Samat Subdistrict Municipality won first place in the Clean Drinkable Tap Water competition organized by the
Ministry of Interior (Thailand), receiving a cash prize of 50,000 Baht.
Pannika Wanich announced the areas where the Drinkable Tap Water project was successfully implemented and received certificates from the Department of Health for meeting drinking water quality standards. These areas include: •
Ach Samat Subdistrict Municipality,
Ach Samat District,
Roi Et Province •
Phon Subdistrict Municipality,
Kham Muang District,
Kalasin Province •
Nong Khaen Subdistrict Municipality,
Dong Luang District,
Mukdahan Province •
Don Ngu Subdistrict Administrative Organization,
Borabu District,
Maha Sarakham Province •
Na Bua Subdistrict Administrative Organization,
Phen District,
Udon Thani Province Fondue Application The Progressive Movement traveled to the Kamphaeng Saen Subdistrict Administrative Organization in
Nakhon Pathom Province.
Thongchai Chokdamrongsuk, the Subdistrict Administrative Organization's chief executive, attended the training session and initiated the use of the "Fondue" application. This application allows the residents of Kamphaeng Saen to report various issues. On April 30, 2022, after Thongchai Chokdamrongsuk was trusted by the residents to serve as the chief executive, he promptly began implementing the core policies of the Progressive Movement, as promised to the public. The Fondue application was launched in mid-2021 in collaboration with 16 municipalities supported by the Progressive Movement and has been well-received by residents, with usage statistics increasing every month. This success has led many other municipalities and subdistrict administrative organizations to train their staff to adopt Fondue for their areas. In addition to Kamphaeng Saen Subdistrict, the Phon Sung Subdistrict Administrative Organization in
Ban Dung District,
Udon Thani Province, under the leadership of Chief Executive
Pongpipat Khotkamkha, also initiated the use of the "Fondue" real-time problem-reporting application. This application has effectively addressed and resolved issues reported by residents promptly and efficiently.
Progressive Waste Management Project The Progressive Movement has promoted environmental policies in all subdistrict municipalities it supports through the "Progressive Waste Management Project." The project was piloted in
Khwao Subdistrict Municipality,
Selaphum District,
Roi Et Province. The initiative included workshops to educate residents, as well as vendors in the municipal market, on effective waste management practices that add value and reduce environmental pollution.
Progressive Waste-to-Welfare Project In the area of
Nong Khaen Subdistrict Municipality,
Dong Luang District,
Mukdahan Province, supported by the Progressive Movement, the "Waste-to-Welfare" project has been implemented. This project allows residents to bring unused or valuable waste to the waste bank, where the proceeds from selling the waste are accumulated in a members' funeral fund. This fund will help offset future costs for religious ceremonies. During its first collection, the Nong Khaen Subdistrict Municipality's waste bank received 1,185 kilograms of waste, approximately 1 ton. Initially, the waste bank and funeral fund had 132 members. On the first collection day, 19 more residents joined, reflecting strong community interest. Most of the waste collected was mixed plastics, with over 36 households from three villages participating enthusiastically. == See also ==