Global Trends in ECE

Early Childhood Trends Around the World Twentieth Annual Status Report on For Profit Child Care by Roger Neugebauer

We asked members of the World Forum related to readiness for school. This year Family and Consumer Affairs started an community to share their thoughts on is not quality early childhood practice; evaluation of the teaching plans. The early childhood trends around the moreover, it is not always accessible to first report from March 2006 shows high world. Here is what they had to say: children from disadvantaged families. implementation. Seventy-four percent of Other problems include the high all day care centres have already Eastern Europe, Caucasus and number of children in classrooms and worked out a teaching plan and 23% are Central Asia the fact that in some cases day care is in progress. Only 2% have not yet Liana Ghent, International Step by Step viewed as a business and provided by started. Association, Budapest, Hungary private non-professional individuals. Under the educational system of former Most of the nursery express communist countries, the care and There are two main tasks for early satisfaction with the plans and say that teaching of children 0-7 years was a childhood care in the region: 1) to raise the plans help increase the educational service provided by governments in awareness about the importance of child quality and the professional conscious- financed and run by the development in early years and the role ness, create a common language among state or by big enterprises. After the of quality care, and 2) to secure equal the staff, and more focus on learning. political and socio-economical system access to care and . The trend is that the idea of learning has changed, many either There is also a need to support teachers’ moved into the day care centres without closed down or started charging parents professional development, including having moved out play. significantly higher amounts for their knowledge and skills for working with services. All of the above has had the diversity in their classrooms. One of the themes is nature. The basis unfortunate effect of reducing access to for understanding the world is also to child care and leaving it and school Denmark understand the nature which human readiness in the hands of non-profes- Helle Nebelong, Sensehaver, Gentoffe, beings live in and are responsible for. sionals in early childhood. The families Denmark Nature experiences in childhood that have been most affected by these Since 2004 it has been provided by contribute both to the child’s emotional, changes are those with low socio- statute that every day care centre in mental, and physical development. economic status, language differences, Denmark should work out teaching General comes from from rural areas, and with challenging plans focusing on six themes: personal experiences, interests, and knowledge of personal issues. and social competences, language, body nature in an environment which offers and motion, nature, and culture. In the space for wonder, asking questions, and In an attempt to improve the situation, teaching plans methods, activities, and finding answers. in some countries a compulsory pre- aims should be described. It is a part of school year has been introduced in the work of documentation of 0-6 year When children have the chance to be in, primary schools; however, it usually old children’s learning and develop- sense, and experience nature every time focuses largely on cognitive issues ment. In 2005 the The Ministry of of year, in different kinds of weather

58 Exchange May/June 2007 Single copy reprint permission from Exchange, The Early Leaders' Magazine Since 1978 PO Box 3249, Redmond, WA98073 • (800) 221-2864 • www.ChildCareExchange.com Multiple use copy agreement available for educators by request. Global Trends in ECE and varied landscape, their senses and essential. In Turkey, there are currently 552 motor skills are strengthened. kindergartens and 13,305 in Italy service. In the 2004-2005 academic Nature is a unique playground for body Amelia Gambetti, Reggio Children, years, there were 326 private kinder- and mind. When children are playing in Reggio Emilia, Italy gartens and 241 preschools in service. natural surroundings, their imagina- Current early childhood trends in Italy: Pre-school institutions providing tions and being together with other educational service for children in children are having free rein. • poor image of the child; children seen Turkey according to their age groups are as empty containers to be filled as follows: Nature is a treasure chest of knowledge. • low profile of teachers’ professional In the forest, the field, and at the beach development • day nurseries provide care and children have possibilities to get a first • immigration and multiculturality not education for the children from hand expression of animals, plants, and seen as a resource, rather as a risk 0-3 years of age. materials. They can construct, create, • low trust and confidence in the and explore materials and techniques. Institutions (government, etc.) and • kindergartens aim to educate children lack of values in young generations from 3-6 years of age (from 36-72 To use nature as an exploration and a • country economic problems and months old) space to play form the basis of a lasting consequent drain of resources in early interest, respect, and responsibility for childhood services — risk of poor • preschool classes aim to educate the nature and the environment. quality of services, going back to children from 5-6 years of age (from early childhood education seen as 60-72 months) Around 95% of the employees in Danish assistance and care and not as day care centres have been involved in educating communities • practical classes are the ones aiming working out the plans. • anticipate lowering the age for first to educate the children from 3-6 years grade to 5 years (currently 6) of age (from 36-72 months old) in The Netherlands schools under the supervision of the Betsy van de Grift, Partou Kinderopvang, Turkey Ministry of National Education. Amsterdam, the Netherlands Ebru Aktan Kerem, Canakkale Onsekiz Mart , Canakkale, Turkey The aims of these institutions are: 1. The government considers child care In Turkey, the significance being as an integral and essential part of attached to early childhood education is • To raise the children as the Atatürk, economic growth. The fact that a large increasing day by day, activities on father land, nation, flag — family and part of the working population is family consciousness are being human lovers — and to lay the middle-aged makes it necessary that performed, and the studies on the foundations to bring them up as mothers with young children should get elevation of training quality and modern, considerate, and tolerant the opportunity to participate in the the expansion of early childhood adults of the future within the economy and thus increase the education are being carried out as well. cultural diversity of the country; economic wealth of the nation and their Since in our country, particularly social own emancipation. purposes are influential in opening • To realize the children’s physical, preschool education institutions, in mental and sensory development and 2. Child care is used as a route to regulations and acts by Ministries of enable them to form good habits; children who suffer from cultural and Labor and Health (apart from Ministry educational deprivation by working of Education), it has been stated that • To help them develop their power of with programs such as Headstart, preschool education is a special field. imagination and gain skills of: SureStart, and High/Scope. These pro- Thus in Turkey, Early Childhood creative and critical thinking, grams are financed by the government Education General Management was interacting and expressing their and aim at fighting or preventing founded within the Ministry of feelings successfully; segregation within the peer groups. The Education in 1992 to actualize the early method here is evidence-based: prove childhood education studies in a more • To enable them to speak Turkish well; that the child prospers from the organized way and to meet the need education that is offered. Cooperation increasing in the society. • To prepare the children for primary with the national educational system is education.

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Today, pre-school education is a sub- the quality of teacher training, increas- dence. ranks among the department in the Primary Education ing teacher wages (average salary poorest countries in the world. UNDP Department of Education Faculty. The $18US/month), and providing better human development index in 2005 department has its own master and facilities and materials. Holistic child ranked Tajikistan 127 out of 174 doctorate programmes. It also has an development and quality educational countries. associate-professor post. resources are being implemented in some educational institutions. They also As a result, this frustrating situation has Throughout Turkey, present (2006-2007) want to implement a compulsory, one brought not only short-term suffering to preschool enrollment rate is between 25 year of preschool education prior to thousands of families, but also long- and 30% for children 5 to 6 years old. attending the first year of primary term consequences for the human There are now 20,675 schools with education (6 years of age). development and especially, the most 24,755 teachers serving 640,849 children. vulnerable part of it — children, who Since Vietnam has embraced market have been: Nepal reform, more opportunities have been Kishor Schrestha, Tribhuvan University, created for the country’s children, • deprived of homes and parents, of Kathmandu, Nepal especially from poor families in remote identity and security; During the eleven-year long armed and mountainous regions, to receive conflict in Nepal a large number of access to health, education, and employ- • deprived of access to proper educa- people living in rural and remote areas ment. Poverty, malnutrition, poor water tion; of the country migrated to the urban quality, poor sanitation, and preventable areas, mostly to the Terai (plain) areas. accidents are prevalent, so there are • easily involved in the worst form of As a result, the number of students in many basic issues to tackle. In general, child labor, because children are a the schools in the hilly regions has families in urban areas have more funds cheap labor force and could easily dropped. In some schools there are available to provide their children with have their rights disregarded; more teachers than students. On the better education, both in the public and other hand, the number of students in increasing private sector. • traumatized by different forms of the schools in the urban plain areas the violence, including psychological and students’ number has increased dispro- Vietnam (2003-2015) plans to increase physical violence by exposure to portionately. A single classroom has to the accessibility and level of education often dangerous conditions for their accommodate more than 200 students of many children, (many parents have health (e.g., agriculture works and/or and be taken care of by a single teacher. little or no formal education), along family business or by forced marriage This has led to a shortage of physical with information for families about the at early age). facilities and teachers and adversely suitable care and education for their affectis the academic environment of the children. Once widely supported, 1. Situation of Education in Tajikistan schools as well as the overall perfor- Ministry of Education policies for Early Education system has gradually deterio- mance of the children. On top of that, Childhood Education, will have far- rated due to lack of appropriate infra- the school authorities and teachers are reaching benefits regarding the safety, structures/schools, lack of education not trained to deal with the psychologi- health, well-being, and education of all equipment, education materials and cal trauma the children are living with children in Vietnam. textbooks, brain drain, poor level of because of their exposure to different educators’ training and refresher violent incidences during the conflict. Tajikistan courses for teachers, low payment Interestingly, even after the restoration Ibod Sharifi, Coordinating Child Centre for (average $10-15 per month) and lack of of peace, people are not willing to International Development, , motivation of education and other return to their original places. Tajikistan sectors’ workers who are responsible for Since its independence in 1991, child education and care, social support. Vietnam Tajikistan has been experiencing a For example, the per capita education Nicole Knock, International School of transition from centrally controlled expenditure is officially less than $1US Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam economy to the free market economy for the entire country (equivalent to less Vietnam has a population of 80 million, following the outbreak of civil war in than $5US of GDP) compared to of which 41% are children. Education 1992-93. With such a rapid economic between $130US and $200US before has always been a major focus in Viet- decline, the country’s GDP is now only their independence. nam, but recently the focus is regarding about 40% of its level prior to indepen-

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During winter time, most schools and Legislation allows children to work The national responses to combat child educational institutions have no electric- part-time if this work does not bring labor mainly focus on adherence to ity and heating, while the GoT annually harm to their health and physical and internationally accepted standards and promises to change the situation to the mental development starting at the age policy level action. Tajikistan has better. In spite of the adoption by the of 16 years), poor functioning of ratified the United Nations Convention GoT, the Law on “Free of charge relevant institutions, such as the on the Rights of the Child (CRC), primary and secondary education Rayon/City Education and Health International Covenant on Civil and throughout the country,” most of the Departments, Commissions on the Political Rights, ILO Convention 138 on schools’ (mainly in cities) teachers Minors’ Affairs in Hukumats, etc., Minimum Age of Employment, and charge student fees ($1-3 per month), which are rather more willing to Convention 182 on the Worst Forms of despite the fact that many parents support any outside initiatives than to Child Labor. cannot afford even this amount. develop their own strategies and Education, furthermore, implies indirect identify resources and means for the Hong Kong costs that parents often incur, (e.g., initiatives’ implementation. Maggie Koong, Victoria Kindergarten and parents have to pay for textbooks, fees Nursery, Hong Kong to repair classrooms and to decorate 2. Problems of Child Labor in Tajikistan Hong Kong is in the midst of a them, electricity heaters procurement, After the collapse of the Soviet Union thorough education reform program etc.). and its respective consequences — the that has recognized early childhood as civil war, economic collapse, drastic an integral part of education, as the As a result, these and other barriers decrease of the living standard — the foundation of lifelong learning, and as increase social exclusion of a growing problem of child labor in Tajikistan has the first stage of all-round development. number of children, a majority of which become even more urgent than before. This reform is deeply affecting the pre- constitute girls, who lack access to To survive and to help their relatives, primary sector in several ways. compulsory primary and secondary war orphans and children from the education. While a number of girls and families that lost their breadwinners had • It has called for the harmonization of boys at each age group is nearly equal to work. The government has been early childhood services and this has (average 49.6% girls and 50.4% boys), trying to resolve the problem by placing provoked a paradigm shift towards the difference between boys and girls children in state institutions; however, integrated or coordinated ECEC attending schools in both sites goes up these measures have turned to be systems leading to improvements in from 20% (a number of boys attending ineffective. professional training, greater financial schools is higher than a number of girls) support, better monitoring, and less at the age of 13 years to 30% in The growth of destitution and poverty disparity between child care centers Dushanbe and 40% in Kurgan-Tube at brought a great number of families to and kindergartens. the age of 17 years. such disastrous situations that thou- sands and thousands of people have • The need to educate the new The situation with the described groups become a part of informal or “shadow” generations to be biliterate (Chinese of girls, a potentially high risk group of economy (trade and business, labor in and English), and trilingual the population, which could be easily low paid works). Children form a (Cantonese, English, and Putonghua) involved into the worst forms of child considerable portion of these employees is causing curriculum compression labor, is exacerbated. There is virtually in the sector. Working children can be that has reached all the way down to no efficient protection system in place to met in all forms of work, both in rural preschools, which now have greater respond to their needs: they are not able and urban areas. Sectors affected by literacy and linguistic expectations of to protect themselves or/and to solve child are the following: petrol station their students. problems they face during their lives, (children are engaged in filling tanks or due to the lack of access to education washing cars); selling sweets, cigarettes, • To enhance the quality of early child- and lack of knowledge about the laws and newspapers on busy streets or in hood education, ease the financial (Constitution, Labor Legislation, Family the stalls; work as porters of goods or burden on parents, and increase Law, Criminal Law and Legislation, luggage in the markets, railway/bus choice in education, the government, etc.), their civic rights (Declaration on stations, airports; loading and unload- as of this year, has expanded its Human Rights, Convention on Chil- ing trucks; cleaning shoes; begging; voucher program to the ECEC sector dren’s Rights, etc.), lack of professional prostitution. by annually providing a HK$13,000 skills to find a proper job (Tajik Labor (US$1,667) subsidy to every child

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studying in local non-profit making professional care providers for their Globally, India is being recognized as a kindergartens and child care centers infants and children during the nation whose time has come, for 3-6 year old children. workdays. New Zealand Singapore India Toni Christie, Childspace, Wellington, Lily Wong, Advent Links-SAUC, Singapore Reeta Sonawat, SNDT Women’s New Zealand The demographic trends in Singapore University, Mumbai, India In New Zealand early childhood is are delayed first marriage, decline in India is a vast multi-lingual, multi- attracting a great deal more funding fertility rate, and staying single, which cultural, and multi-religious country than ever before. The government has is due to the changing status of women with an under-five population of made provision for free ECE for up to with higher educational levels. The approximately 150 million children as 20 hours a week for 3 and 4 year olds changing expectations of marriage is per 1991 census constituting 17.5% of starting July 1 of this year. Funding is that women no longer need to marry for India’s population. A large number of based on the number of qualified economic reasons. The changing value them live in an economic and social (degree trained) teachers as well as the of child care and family life because of environment that impedes the child’s number of children attending the lowered infant mortality and thus a physical and mental development. service. Very soon at least half of all prevailing view of “sacred” helpless and These conditions include poverty, poor teacher in-services will be required to be precocious child and that child care is environmental sanitation, disease and qualified and by 2012 all teachers will very time consuming. infection, inadequate access to primary be required to be qualified and health care, inappropriate child caring registered. Our curriculum, Te Whariki, The trend of individualistic life styles and feeding practices. The programme continues to be a guiding document for through career advancement and of the Integrated Child Development practice and the recently released economic security over family value is Services (ICDS) was launched in 1975 self-review guidelines are ensuring prevalent. by the central government seeking to services are striving for continual provide an integrated package of improvement. With the increasing labor force partici- services in a convergent manner for the pation rate of married women, the holistic development of the child. Jordan prevalence of dual-career couples has Lara Hussein, The National Council for continued to a rise in the last five years. On the one hand, it is well known that Family Affairs, Amman, Jordan The combined income has boosted the though ICDS is impressive in its scope, Jordan is amongst the first countries in financial situation of dual-career aims, and reach, the quality of services the region that developed an Early couples and the increased participation are poor. On the other hand, in the Childhood Development Strategy (ECD) of married women in economic activi- private sector, though there are and a plan of action (2003-2007). The ties has also helped to meet Singapore’s undoubtedly a few outstanding ECD Strategy has adopted a definition increasing manpower demand institutions doing wonderful work, the of early childhood that includes the (Singapore Department of Statistics majority are little more than teaching period extending from pregnancy up to December 2006). Wives spent long shops, where ignorant management below nine years of child age. The ECD hours at work — up to 47 hours a week. compel untrained and underpaid Strategy encompasses 14 themes Those wives with higher educational teachers to force formal learning down covering a range of aspects aimed at levels earned at least as much as the the throats of unwilling children with providing children with protection and spouse and contribute to 50% of the inappropriate curriculum and archaic an appropriate environment that total income. methods in ill-equipped classroom. enhances their growth and develop- The state does not have any body to ment. Since then, Jordan has witnessed The trend is having more child care describe standards and/or persons a noticeable development in its policies options for working parents, to the tune running centers to submit documents and programmes relating to early of expanding infant and child care that they meet the standards and then childhood in the different sectors. facilities to 3,000 centers by 2009. As of register the center. The existence of Another important policy document is 2004 there were about 670 child care center accreditation, which brings the the National Plan of Action for Children centers in Singapore with only 25 highest standards of quality into early (NPA) (2004-2013) that is based on the centers offering infant care services. childhood programmes, is out of UN document “World Fit for Children” This will alleviate some of the burden question. and the League of Arab States on working women who are seeking document “Arab Plan for Childhood.”

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The NPA includes a sub-component on Wisconsin University training program mented by a network of 13 govern- ECD. The National Council for Family “Working with Children.” mental and non-governmental institu- Affairs (NCFA), that is headed by HMQ tions; delivering parenting education Rania Al-Abdullah, is mandated to Nurseries, which provide temporary training that promotes providing a follow up on the implementation of the care and play activities for a few hours stimulating environment for children ECD Strategy and the National Plan of daily to the youngest and most crucial at home to ensure their holistic devel- Action for Children. age group, are extremely limited. opment. By 2006, the programme Despite the rapid growth of the number reached more than 70,000 parents and With regard to pre-school education, the of nurseries, they cater only for 2% of caregivers particularly targeting percentage of children enrolled in children in the age group from birth to urban and rural disadvantaged kindergartens (KG) (4-6 year-olds) has below four years. It is worth noting that families. risen from 23% in year 1990 to 29.4% in of the 795 nurseries in Jordan, 57% are 2002, and reached 37.9% in 2005 (23.4% governmental, 38% are private, and Jordan also witnessed a continuous in KG1 and 51.5% in KG2). The total 4.6% are affiliates of the NGO sector. improvement in relation to child and number of KGs increased from 545 in There are several challenges in the maternal health. Maternal mortality 1991 to 1595 in 2005, of which 70% is particularities of these nurseries and of dropped from 48 to 41 per 100,000 provided by the private sector, 15% by the manpower working in this field. births between the years 1990-2002. NGOs; and 15% by the public sector. Again, the quality of programmes and The number of mothers who deliv- The Ministry of Education (MOE) the standards of services vary from one ered with the assistance of qualified oversees the establishment and licensing nursery to another. The Ministry of medical supervision has reached more of KGs, and establishes public KGs in Social Development (MOSD), who than 98%, regardless of geographical disadvantaged and remote areas. In supervises the nurseries, developed in location. The under-five mortality rate relation to developing the institutional 2005 a legislation for establishing and was reduced from 39 to 27 for every capacity, a national KG interactive licensing nurseries and is currently 1,000 live births between the years curriculum was developed in year 2004 working on relevant instructions. In 1990-2002, while infant mortality rates by the MOE and NCFA, was tested in addition, standards to license and dropped from 34 to 22 for every 1,000 the field and an updated version will be establish child care centres for children live births during the same period. printed for the next scholastic year. A deprived of parental care were recently This decline in infant and child curriculum framework is also under developed. mortality have resulted from expand- development. ing mother and child health services To achieve the objectives of the ECD throughout the kingdom, sustained Many challenges still prevail in early Strategy in relation to improving the vaccination coverage, implementation childhood education as the quality of services provided for children in of programmes to control diarrhoeal programmes varies. Most private nurseries, a comprehensive project will diseases and acute respiratory infec- preschools do not abide by the condi- be undertaken starting in 2007 by tions, in addition to tackling micro tions of establishing and licensing of MOSD and NCFA that aims at develop- nutrient deficiencies by supplement- preschools, as monitoring tools are ing curriculum and training manuals; ing children with vitamins and weak. Hence, the KG licensing prepare guidelines and tools for assess- implementing national programs such standards were updated in year 2004, ing the learning and physical environ- as salt iodization and flour fortifica- and is being tested in the field by MOE ments in nurseries and child care tion with iron. and NCFA to determine their applicabil- centres; devising national occupational ity. MOE also initiated work on standards for caregivers; developing One of the important milestones is the developing a comprehensive KG tools for assessing care giver perfor- development of ECD standards and accreditation system. Another challenge mance; building the capacity of care- indicators that outline the expected is that most KG teachers lack needed givers and expanding parental outcomes of Jordanian children in the educational specialisation, and do not education and support. early childhood stage. These stan- receive comprehensive “in-service” dards serve to assess the progress of training on early childhood education. Alongside the institutional approach to individual children; guide the In order to tackle this issue, a profes- ECD, Jordan has strengthened the development of curricula; and sional development system has been support system for community- and evaluate programme effectiveness. put in place by the MOE to train family-based care. Since 1996, the Better Jordan was selected as one of six pilot teachers on the KG curriculum and on Parenting Programme has been imple- countries by UNICEF New York to

May/June 2007 Exchange 63 Global Trends in ECE participate in this project in collabora- form the two • direct and indirect exposure to tion with Columbia University that aims main areas to focus in the curriculum, violence is causing a severe mental at developing global ECD indicators. leaving minimal or no space for health problem for children; this This key national level achievement is personality development activities general statement becomes more true acknowledged as a valuable contribu- and psychosocial support activities for children in Gaza strip, where tion to the regional and global ECD highly needed in the case of Palestine military operations during the last knowledge base. year have increased in intensity and • the previous point is supported with were aggravated by the internal Palestine the parent’s perception about early clashes affecting most of the Ali Shaar, Public Health Specialist childhood education institutes as population in the Gaza strip. Jerusalem, Palestine being the pre-school phase of the General trends: academic life of the child; other Egypt aspects related to parents is the Ahmed Al Damrawy, National Union for • early childhood care and education perception that early childhood ECD, Cairo, Egypt programs are far from being compre- institutions are the place to leave the Situation in Egypt Micro Level: hensive, coordinated, and the quality children safely while going to work. of these services is not evaluated, ECD is one of the most critical interven- controversial and in many aspects Specific issues related to children 3-6: tions to ensure that all children succeed such as the qualifications of staff, in school and fulfill their potential as physical and social environment, and • this age group is extremely marginal- citizens. EC education investments are existence of policies to govern the ized in terms of access to care; efficient, compensating for lack of delivery of service is modest and not children 0-3 are covered by the health development in later years is both diffi- implemented in a structured manner. insurance policy and those in the age cult and expensive. ECD is becoming group 6-18 are covered by the school important in Egypt as more women join • only about 20% of children in the age health policy ensuring all school the workforce and families do need 3-6 are enrolled children; the age group 3-6 falls additional help and support with child outside the insurance policy and care in the first years of child’s life. • early child care and education hence has no formal right to care, institutes are run by NGOs and except within the private health sector The foundation of learning and the private providers; the later enjoys greatest effects of learning on brain better standards of quality, especially • while the under-5 mortality in structure is made up in the first 6 years in large cities Palestine is 28 per 1,000, infant of child’s life. Recognizing the impor- mortality accounts for 22 of this tance, Egypt has been seeking interna- • although huge investments have been number. The rest of the figure is tional support to invest more in early allocated to support this sector, affecting those 2-5 with preventable childhood education. Egypt on the other buearocracy within the governmental home and road accidents being the hand, had made very strategic invest- sector, municipal system, and NGO major cause of mortality and ments in the last couple of decades that sector hindered the ultimate utiliza- morbidity in this age group drastically brought down infant and tion of early child care and education child mortality rates. Basic education facilities • de to severe deterioration of economic coverage stands at almost 100%, and the situation and poverty affecting about goal of universal primary education • lack of community mobilization and 60% of the Palestinian population, creates an urgent need for EC education proper involvement of marginalized malnutrition in its different forms is to ensure that children from illiterate communities resulted in aggravated now the major physical health and isolated households can succeed in marginalization of the poorest problem facing children in the early school and the caring and education children and most of the institutes childhood period; with the continua- system can operate efficiently and created to serve the poor population tion of the current political and socio- effectively. ended being used by the higher class economic conditions, it is expected that further deterioration in Costs of KG: • the content of programs addressing nutritional status is underway The great demand for KG services has the early childhood period is widely led schools to regulate the intake of variable; academic education and children by increasing fees. One unfor-

64 Exchange May/June 2007 Global Trends in ECE tunate consequence is that the neediest physical development. To that end, with throughout the country. With support children who most benefit from KG are support from UNICEF, and the Bernard from UNICEF the Nigerian Educational being excluded. The Government of van Leer Foundation in the Nether- Research and Development Council (a Egypt, with support from the World lands, a number of child care centres federal government agency) undertook Bank and later joined by CIDA and were established and linked to the - the training of caregivers, and devel- WFP, has been developing an EC Primary Health Care Centres in some oped training manuals and pre-school national project to target children in the communities in the country to take care readers to improve the quality of ages of 4 and 5 years old. The five years of the need for early stimulation of the delivery of early child care and develop- project got rolling late in 2006 and is child aged 0-5 years. Before Nigeria’s ment programmes in the ‘90s. expected in a phasing approach to cover attendance of the Education for All needy children in 18 governorates out of (EFA) Conference in Jomtien, Thailand Advocacy and sensitisation visits were Egypt’s 27 governorates. For the com- in 1990, early learning for children also undertaken to get states and com- munity-based, the National Union for below the age of 6 years was in private munities to establish early child care Early Childhood Development, through hands, and established by private and centres nationwide. The centres/facili- the Children of the Nile Project, is religious organisations mainly. Govern- ties so established were low-cost and biggest non-governmental in the coun- ment’s role then was in the establish- community-based with minimal or no- try. The neediest children in the ages of ment of guidelines for setting up the contributions from parents, especially in birth to 6 years old, in some 720 com- centres (which were referred to as poor rural communities and amongst munity-based associations in 14 gover- Nursery Schools), and the giving of urban-poor families. Predictably such norates are served. Still, the current approval for their operation. Predictably centres were established in market- annual cost estimate to the government the then National Policy on Education places, churches, mosques, and in for each KG pupil varies between LE (NPE, FGN, 1981) clearly puts the estab- homes, to take care of the needs of 80-400. After the new regulations are lishment and operations of Pre-primary children aged 0-5 years, for early care instituted the annual cost is expected to Education in private hands. To that end, and stimulation. Such facilities be within the range of LE 35. However, most children from poor families and in established were encouraged with the the reality now is that families are pay- the rural areas could not benefit from provision of locally made toys and ing LE 200-400 annual fees, with fees early childhood education and these books by UNICEF. In some states, the ranging from LE 100 in poor areas to LE form the majority of children aged 0-5 eearly child care centres were linked to 800 and much more per year for foreign years in the country. local primary schools, to ease the language KGs, which are most popular transition of the child from home to among upwardly mobile parents. After the country’s attendance of the school. Education for All (EFA) Conference in Nigeria Jomtien, Thailand in 1990 and in line Present scenario: Olasumbo S. Apanpa Ph.D., NERDC, with the EFA declaration, the Govern- Early child care and development is Lagos, Nigeria ment came out with a “National Frame- now widely practised in the country, Early child care and development work of Action for the Survival, and with the Dakar Declaration on started in Nigeria in the ‘80s as part of Development, and Protection of the Education for All (2000), Early Childcare the Survival Strategy, and was linked to Nigerian Child” in 1992 (FGN/NPC and Development was to be expanded the Primary Health Care system, which 1992). The role of the Nigerian govern- to make it universal. With the new was introduced to improve 1) the ment with regards to Early Childcare National Policy on Education (NPE: maternal health and wellbeing of and Development, then changed to be FGN 2004), early childcare and develop- mothers; and 2) the under-five mortality that of an active participant and sponsor ment was no longer to be solely in rate in the country. With mass immuni- of Early Child Care and Development private hands, but was to have the sation, and subsequent drop in under- programmes for the overall benefit of active participation of the government five mortality rate, parents were the Nigerian child. With the provision of at all levels. Also with active participa- sensitised to take proper care of the counterpart funding provided by the tion of NGO’s Community-Based health of their children under five years Nigerian government, both at national Organisation (CBOs) in order to univer- of age. and state levels, for early childhood salise the delivery of Early Childhood programmes, donor agencies such as Development in Nigeria and to benefit At the height of the Survival Campaign UNICEF increased their own funding, many Nigerian children who, hitherto, was the call for early stimulation of the and expanded their operations to could not benefit from early stimulation child to improve their mental and include many more communities and learning.

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Sub-Saharan Africa secondary level we have over 120,000 South Africa has over the last 12 years Emily Vargas-Baron, The Rise Institute, orphans. experienced significant transformation Washington, DC in the field of ECD. Most of the trans- In Sub-Saharan Africa, the major chal- • A big percentage of the children formation has occurred in the area of lenges to good child development are affected spend a lot of learning time policy development across the different disease, severe malnutrition, and devel- taking care of the sick family sectors and government departments opmental delays. Wars, famine, poverty, members, hence affecting their class that deal with programmes and services migrations, domestic violence, and a performance. for children. Various government and lack of basic social services have all non government collaborations and taken their toll on vulnerable children. • There are increased drop out cases partnerships at different levels over the Increasingly, African nations are formu- thus affecting EFA goals. years have lead to the production of lating ECD policies with strategies to different policies that are currently develop integrated community-based • The number of teachers dying is influencing ECD trends in the country. programs that provide parent education increasing rapidly while others are The long policy development process in and support, child stimulation, too sick to work, thus denying the ECD was as a result of the need to preschool education, health care, education sector of vital skilled redress the Apartheid government ECD nutritional supplements, community human resources. status which had very few and sanitation, potable water, and protective discriminatory policies and regulations services. Vulnerable children in Africa • Implication of all the above is the in place for children. urgently require more intensive and weakening of the quality of educa- higher quality services to reach their tion. It is interesting to note that The new ECD policies, together with potential. For this reason, special teachers who are HIV positive have other relevant political and economic attention must be paid to formulating formed an association, Kenya frameworks, have influenced the ECD and implementing ECD policies, Network of Association of Positive trends in the country that are leaning increasing national and international Teachers (KENEPOTE). towards: investment in ECD, establishing effec- tive national ECD resource centers, Measures: • Supporting and strengthening building pre- and in-service training families and communities as primary systems, and forging public/private • The ministry of Education has caregivers and educators of young partnerships for children and parents. developed a policy on HIV/AIDS and children. Different programmes and support the establishment of volun- services are in place through various Kenya tary counselling and Testing (VCT) providers, addressing particularly the Henry Manani, Kenya Institute of Centres. needs of orphaned and vulnerable Education, Nairobi, Kenya children, especially those affected and Kenya as a country has greatly been • The Ministry of Education is also infected by HIV and AIDS. affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic encouraging and overseeing the which was declared as a national development and implication of • Poverty alleviation through job disaster by the President in 1998. All HIV/AIDS policies in the various creation in the ECD sector and Government organs have developed service autonomous government increasing of access to quality and various mechanisms and interventions agencies. equal ECD services as well as to control the menace. The Ministry of provisioning of Social grants and Education has been affected greatly and • The Ministry of Education has now subsidies. has taken a number of measures as put in place systems to strengthen its follows: capacities to provide HIV/AIDS • Professionalisation of the ECD sector, prevention, care, support, and through the review and development Effects mitigation interventions. of the ECD qualifications including HIV/AIDS pandemic has affected the the development of training education sector in various aspect: South Africa programmes and accreditation of Juliana Seleti, Early Childhood private ECD training providers. • Kenya’s children population in Development Directorate, Pretoria, primary schools is 7.5 million, of South Africa The above trends mark the ECD land- which over 900,000 are orphans. At scape in the country, which is in the

66 Exchange May/June 2007 Global Trends in ECE

ECD policy implementation stage with directions: public, private, or commu- Access with quality is the main focus, the participation of various role players nity-based organizations. In poverty budget allocation is still a no win battle, from government and non government contexts no initiatives can be refused. still a long way to consider an invest- sectors. The country is going through ment within the overall human develop- some challenges in relation to the Peru ment dimension. Teacher training is delivery of ECD services and pro- Martha Llanos, Human Development focusing on improving the content and grammes. This is mainly as a result of Specialist, Lima, Peru interaction with local governments is an the long time it takes to establish Peruvian early childhood education is ongoing effort. There are interesting government systems and mechanisms facing great challenges. In the early ‘70s modalities if attention in different required to be in place for effective and the Educational Reform had a very regions and the NGOs and the civil efficient provisioning, particularly in the special recognition and organization society are increasingly becoming aware context of government’s decision to use was considered a Directorate within the of the need to continue advocacy and the integrated/intersectoral ECD Ministry of Education. Emphasis was mobilization for a greater coverage — approach. placed in development of different especially for improvement of quality. models for the education and care of Bolivia younger children. In the ‘90s it was México Roxana Salazar, National Council of cancelled as a Directorate and joined Ivan Galindo, Instituto High Scope México, Women, La Paz, Bolivia with the Primary Education; then the Queretaro, México In Bolivia 58% of children between one overall number of children attending The general trend in basic education in month and six years of age live in was diminishing and also the quality of México, for maybe six decades, has been poverty conditions, in risk to die or to the programmes were a main issue of incrementing coverage of the popula- get an avoidable disease, due to high concern. In 2006 a major event took tion. Up to 1993 universal education rates of malnutrition, low access to basic place because, after 16 years, it was was only six years (primary school); services, and lack of education and early again recognized as a main Directorate. some secondary (middle schools) care and stimulation. Only four of each existed but they did not pretend to 100 kids, have access to integral The current situation of Peruvian cover the whole population. Since 1993, attention, and only 16 of each 100 kids children is very critical, levels of is compulsory for all between 4 and 6 years old attend a malnutrition and lack of facilities for the children in México. Since 2005, one year preschool centre. In addition to this, number of small children (especially of preschool is obligatory and for 2008, there is a wide cultural and socio- below three years of age) is a focus of three years of preschool will be obliga- economic diversity in the Bolivian attention. There are many efforts that tory for all children in México. Coverage population. This topic is not a priority are currently being redimensioned or in general is around 65% in preschool for government, society, not even the revitalized as the Wawa wasi pro- (3-5 years), 92.9% in primary school families care too much about this age. grammes (non formal early childhood (6-12 years), and 88.2% in secondary care for children under three) under the school (13-15 years) for a total popula- The challenge is enormous, but not Ministry for Women and Development tion of 104 millions. Preschool coverage impossible. The answer must contain an and the Ministry of Education is setting should increase to more than 90% in the integral answer. Not only surviving, but different community strategies to bring next 4 years. This may imply over- also giving the children the opportunity about integrated efforts for the population in many school buildings. of living. And that means education. It education of young children. goes through searching strategies and In the push for coverage, quality has initiatives to achieve equity and to A special feature is the children in rural suffered and private education has been promote a unique childhood develop- areas and the indigenous children; increasing. Private education in ment culture across the diversity of emphasis is currently ongoing in the preschool is 12.81%, primary 8.1%, and cultures. In order to respect the area of research and finding method- secondary is 7.5%; in the urban areas diversity, it is important to diffuse all ologies for appropriate intercultural this percentages can easily double. Five that early education means for human . There is quite a decades ago, most urban middle class development as a whole. To improve variety of creative programmes in small sent their children to public schools but opportunities by implementing pro- scale promoting play, libraries, open now choosing a private school is neces- grammes and projects with local actors. spaces for development, child to child, sary for many middle class families. All the ways to serve childhood must be and many more. This is because they feel they get better supported in formal and non formal quality in general. The participation of

May/June 2007 Exchange 67 Global Trends in ECE private schools will keep growing. Intellectually speaking, México is in a (Organisation Mondiale pour l’Éducation trend of more open, whole child con- Préscolaire), Step by Step, CES (Centre To improve quality the government has structivist education; in practice, these d’Éducation Spéciale). The Haitian gov- changed programs in preschool to are dreams yet to be achieved. ernment is working with them in design- emphasize competences and more ing programs and policies to offer “constructivist” style of learning in Haiti adequate services to young children classrooms. In addition, this program Carolyn Hudicourt, Step by Step, throughout the country. promotes a more open, reflective, Petion-Ville, Haiti flexible, and creative practice from Institutions offering educational services Source: “Analysis of the early childhood teachers. Nevertheless, the implementa- for early childhood have spread situation in Haiti and proposal for an tion of these new programs is far from throughout the country during the last active and integrated policy for children satisfactory. There is a huge gap 10 to 15 years: in urban areas, 53% of the between 0 and 6 years of age” by between intention and implementation. children attend preschool programs and Dominique Hudicourt Riboul (Step by There is a great lack of good training 47% in rural areas. About half of school- Step), Colette Vilgrain, Me. Dilia LeMaire. and capacity building for teachers on age children in Haiti do have a chance to the job. Programs have changed but not go to school and 55% of the adult popu- Canada “waterfall” training (in two days 10 lation is illiterate. Although 70% of the Dr. Laurie McNelles, Mothercraft, Toronto, genius train 100 not so genius, and in the people live in rural areas, only 20% of Canada next two days these train 2,000 average the educational funds go to rural areas. In Canada, municipal, regional, and citizens then train 30,000 mortals and so federal governments vary in their com- on); by the time the real training gets to Part of the reason for the recent spread mitments to early care and education. the local school, the message is diluted of preschool programs in Haiti is the The Canadian federal government has in confusion and contradiction. It is entrance examination of elementary pro- chosen to put early care dollars directly in easier to change education on paper grams which favor children who have the hands of parents in the form of $100 than changing 200,000 preschool already received some degree of formal per month for each child under 6 years of teachers. education. The tendency of these pro- age. Many municipal and regional gov- grams is to function like small schools in ernments have questioned this approach The level of education has increased which small children start learning the to a universal commitment to Canadian and now four years of college is basics. It is common for toys to be com- children, preferring to invest in strong required to be the main teacher in a pletely absent from these settings. community networks for children and preschool classroom. You can be a families that include community pro- preschool teacher, educational psycholo- There are now about 30 schools in Haiti gramming and child care services. gist, or study to work as the that train pre-school educators and a main teacher. Assistant teachers have a few NGOs offer their services to the Most regions in Canada are concerned shorter technical training. existing institutions. A lot of teacher with increasing the level of professional- training is done through seminaries for ism associated with the care and educa- Another important trend is trans- teachers already working in the system. tion of young children. As we know, great parency through national evaluation. In Eighty percent of these teachers have training contributes to great program- the past, educational evaluations were not completed high school and have ming and positive outcomes for children. not known by the public, but since received no formal pedagogical training. Many regions in Canada are experiencing México started participating in interna- a shortage of qualified early care and tional evaluations like PISA about ten The great majority of the pre-schools education professionals. Predictably, years ago, the results were very poor. and schools in Haiti are private. Only some of these shortages are associated The last government (in 2000) initiated a 4% of the preschool population attends with low wages and poor benefit pack- public national evaluation program in public schools. Most of the financial ages offered throughout early care and the primary and secondary school. This support for these programs come from education. In addition, these shortages year, anyone can consult all the results the parents’ limited resources. are also related to specific cultural consid- by school and classroom through the erations as ethno-cultural groups build Internet. We do not yet know what kind Among the NGOs involved in Early their internal capacity to meet the early of influence this is going to have in Childhood Education in Haiti are care and education needs of children preschool programs and practice. UNICEF, Save the Children, CRS within their communities. (Christian Relief Service), OMEP

68 Exchange May/June 2007