Early Childhood Development (Ecd) Programs As Protective
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EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT (ECD) PROGRAMS AS PROTECTIVE ENVIRONMENTS FOR CHILDREN IN EMERGENCIES: A CASE OF DAYCARE CENTERS IN IWATE, JAPAN DURING THE 2011 EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI DISASTER By Chiharu Kondo Bachelor of Arts, Kobe Shoin Women’s University, 1995 Master of Education, University of Pittsburgh, 2000 Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of School of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Pittsburgh 2014 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH SCHOOL OF EDUCATION This dissertation was presented by Chiharu Kondo It was defended on April 1, 2014 and approved by John C. Weidman II, Ph.D., Professor, Administrative and Policy Studies Maureen K. Porter, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Administrative and Policy Studies Pilar Aguilar, Ph.D., Senior Education Adviser, UNICEF / Docente, Fundación Henry Dunant América Latina Dissertation Advisor: Maureen W. McClure, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Administrative and Policy Studies ii Copyright © by Chiharu Kondo 2014 iii EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT (ECD) PROGRAMS AS PROTECTIVE ENVIRONMENTS FOR CHILDREN IN EMERGENCIES: A CASE OF DAYCARE CENTERS IN IWATE, JAPAN DURING THE 2011 EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI DISASTER Chiharu Kondo, PhD University of Pittsburgh, 2014 The 2011 East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami suddenly took the homes, family members, friends, and familiar neighborhoods away from the children of Iwate. In the midst of this difficult situation, early childhood development (ECD) programs provided protective environments for the young children to access continuous care and development opportunities. This case study examines how these daycare centers in Iwate prepared for, responded to, and coped with the severe natural disaster, providing physical, cognitive, and psychosocial protections to these children. The study re-affirmed that daycare centers in Iwate had integrated the national standards for disaster risk reduction (DRR). On the day of the disaster, personnel safely evacuated the children while practicing monthly drills. Despite the challenges, the daycare programs quickly re-established normalcy in children’s lives, ensuring continuous access to care. Not only did daycare personnel act in loco parentis for these children, but also re-installed daycare programs during the recovery. iv The study revealed that local governments also faced serious challenges in their leadership and coordination roles. Their response capacities had been severely affected by the disaster. Governments’ appropriate and timely guidance was most beneficial for the daycare providers. Among other recommendations, I assert that in the future, local governments could take more active roles in coordinating the massive influx of humanitarian organizations. This interpretivist research was based on my one-year fieldwork in Iwate immediately after the disaster, and employed a series of survey instruments (questionnaires and interviews). This case study contributes to the field of education and ECD in emergencies through the use of qualitative, ethnographic research. It also recognizes significant and complimentary contribution of qualitative inquiry methods, including on-site fieldwork, ethnographic analyses, and follow-up interviews, for better understanding of crisis situations. While pre-school programs are not compulsory in Japan, the study calls attention to the valuable protection that they provide for both young children and their childhoods in emergencies. A recovery strategy that focuses on protective environments for children has great potential as a harmonizing approach, rather than as a parallel one, in the complex nature of humanitarian assistance. Keywords: education in emergencies; early childhood development (ECD); disaster risk reduction (DRR); child protection; protective environments for children; mixed method case study. v TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 STUDY BACKGROUND ........................................................................................... 4 1.2 RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND STUDY STRUCTURE..................................... 12 2.0 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORKS................................................................................... 15 2.1 HUMANITARIAN EMERGENCIES IN RECENT DECADES .......................... 16 2.1.1 Natural disasters and armed conflicts .......................................................... 17 2.1.2 Complex emergencies..................................................................................... 19 2.1.3 Impacts on people and governments ............................................................ 21 2.2 NEW HUMANITARIANISM AND HUMAN SECURITY .................................. 22 2.2.1 Humanitarian principles................................................................................ 23 2.2.2 From national security to human security ................................................... 24 2.2.3 Humanitarian responsibilities ....................................................................... 27 2.2.3.1 (Affected) governments and communities ........................................ 27 2.2.3.2 Humanitarian community and coordination ................................... 30 2.3 EDUCATION IN EMERGENCIES ........................................................................ 34 2.3.1 International legal frameworks and global commitments.......................... 35 2.3.2 Complex frame works of education in e mergencies..................................... 38 2.3.2.1 Education as humanitarian assistance .............................................. 39 vi 2.3.2.2 Education as a development activity ................................................. 42 2.3.3 Critical roles of education in crisis situations .............................................. 44 2.4 EDUCATION AND CHILD PROTECTION IN EMERGENCIES .................... 48 2.4.1 Protective environments for children ........................................................... 49 2.4.2 Early childhood development (ECD) programs as protective measures .. 56 2.5 SUMMARY ................................................................................................................ 60 3.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................... 62 3.1 RESEARCH INQUIRIES IN EMERGENCY EDUCATION .............................. 62 3.1.1 Knowledge base development in humanitarian assistance......................... 63 3.1.2 Quantitative measurements and qualitative inquiries ................................ 67 3.1.3 Relevance of ethnographic research ............................................................. 69 3.1.4 Ethical and practical challenges in conducting research in e mergencies . 72 3.2 STUD Y PROCEDUR ES ........................................................................................... 74 3.2.1 Qualitative and interpretivist research perspective .................................... 75 3.2.2 Study site and sample..................................................................................... 76 3.2.3 Data collection and research instrume nts .................................................... 80 3.2.3.1 Multiple-choice survey questionnaire ............................................... 84 3.2.3.2 Open-ended survey questionnaire ..................................................... 85 3.2.3.3 Se mi-structured face-to-face interviews ........................................... 87 3.2.3.4 Direct or participant observation ...................................................... 91 3.2.4 Qualitative research analysis......................................................................... 93 3.3 SUMMARY ................................................................................................................ 98 4.0 RESEARCH FINDINGS ................................................................................................... 99 vii 4.1 DAYCARE CENTERS TO PROTECT YOUNG CHILDREN IN DISASTERS ... ................................................................................................................................... 103 4.1.1 Pre-disaster preparedness measures .......................................................... 104 4.1.2 Safe evacuation of young children .............................................................. 107 4.1.3 Post-disaster recovery challenges ............................................................... 111 4.2 YOUNG CHILDREN IN MAJOR DISASTER SITUATIONS .......................... 114 4.2.1 Children’s disaster response skills and abilities ........................................ 116 4.2.2 “Tsunami-gokko” – Psychological effects on children ............................. 119 4.2.3 Significance of childcare prog ra ms in crises.............................................. 121 4.2.3.1 Safe and secure places at the chaotic time ...................................... 122 4.2.3.2 Normalcy - “Usual daycare programs, normal lives” ................... 124 4.2.3.3 Continuous access to development opportunities .......................... 126 4.3 CHILDCARE WORKERS’ RESPONSES TO THE DISASTER ...................... 129 4.3.1 Sense of responsibility for children’s safety............................................... 130 4.3.2 Disaster effects on caregivers ...................................................................... 132 4.3.3 Issue of staff allocation................................................................................