Black-and-white portrait of Lika Kurtsikidze.

Lika Kurtsikidze

Helping Children Flourish

About

At the intersection of research and practice, I dedicate my work to unlocking the creative brilliance of children by exploring the neural and emotional foundations of learning, growing, and thriving.

Experience

Research

Over a decade of applied research with UNICEF, the World Bank, USAID, PPMI, Caritas, World Vision, and Georgian ministries — mixed-methods work that turns classroom evidence into national policy.

Selected projects: a World Bank diagnostic of early childhood education across seven municipalities, using the Instrument for Assessing Quality Practices in Early Childhood Education Services and the Leuven Involvement Scale; a UNICEF study of caregiver attitudes toward inclusion in Tbilisi, Batumi, and Kutaisi, the first to apply the vignette method in Georgian early-childhood research; and a national survey of 8,856 teachers across 701 schools on university admissions policy for the National Assessment and Examinations Center (NAEC). As a Shota Rustaveli Foundation grantee, I led a two-year design-based study adapting the Pyramid Model in four kindergartens — coaching forty families and their teachers over seven months into an evidence-based, culturally grounded programme for social and emotional development.

I move fluently between the large dataset and the single child, working across SPSS, NVivo, and MAXQDA.

Teaching

Programme Co-head and Invited Lecturer at Ilia State University, where I help build the programmes I teach.

I co-designed the new BA in Early Childhood Education from its objectives and learning outcomes up, and lead the 60-ECTS Special Education Teacher Preparation programme — writing its curriculum and syllabi and coordinating its teaching team. Across the BA and the integrated Teacher Education Programme (BA and MA), I teach Action Research in Early Education, ECE Research, the Fundamental Principles of Inclusive Education, and the Development of Social and Emotional Competencies in Schools, alongside courses on observation methods and social-emotional development.

My aim is simple: to prepare teachers who can both read the research and read the child in front of them.

Professional

A path that runs from the classroom floor to national policy.

I began as a kindergarten psychologist and a special teacher in one of Georgia’s first autism integrated classes, writing individual education plans one child at a time. As Inclusive Education Team Leader for the Ministry’s New School Model, I went on to coordinate twenty-four specialists extending inclusive practice across more than 600 public schools. As a Curriculum Expert in the Department of Early Education, I coached municipalities and kindergartens through Georgia’s new early-education curriculum, trained preschool teachers nationwide for the Teacher Professional Development Center, and accredited university psychology and education programmes.

The constant thread is keeping frontline insight and national policy in the same conversation.

Education

Publications

Academic articles

  1. 2025 The pyramid effect: Reframing parental perceptions and strategies for children’s social and emotional development. Problemy Wczesnej Edukacji / Issues in Early Education, 60(1).
  2. 2023 Supporting young children’s social-emotional competence in the Republic of Georgia: a focus group study. Early Child Development and Care, 193(8), 992–1006.

Books & guidelines

  1. 2025 Inclusive education guidebook. Ministry of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia. Read →
  2. 2024 Developing social and emotional competencies in school: Supportive approaches. Ilia State University. Read →
  3. 2022 Developing students’ social and emotional skills at the basic education level: A practical guide for teachers. Consultation and Training Center. Read →
  4. 2022 Social and emotional learning. Consultation and Training Center.
  5. 2022 Kindergarten yard: A guide to the importance and design of outdoor spaces in preschool institutions. World Vision Georgia.
  6. 2021 Special education teacher’s guidebook. Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia. Read →
  7. 2021 Special education teacher’s portfolio. National Center for Teacher Professional Development. Read →
  8. 2021 Inclusive education guidebook: Individualized education plan. Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia & Caritas Georgia. Read →
  9. 2020 Recommendations for parents of children under six years old. Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia. Read →
  10. 2018 Supporting the learning of students with learning disabilities: A guide for parents. Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Georgia. Read →
  11. 2018 Supporting the development of students with intellectual disabilities: A guide for parents. Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Georgia. Read →

Contact