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Evans, Judith L.; And OthersPolicy.Consultative Group on Early Childhood Care andDevelopment, Haydenville, MA.9581p.; Contains numerous photographs.Judith L. Evans, 6 The Lope, Haydenville, MA01039.Collected Works Serials (022)Coordinators' Notebook; n17 1995

MFOI/PC04 Plus Postage.Case Studies; *Change Strategies; Day Care; EarlyChildhood Education; *Educational Policy; ForeignCountries; *Government Role; National Programs;Policy Analysis; *Policy Formation; ProgramDescriptions; *Public Policy; Research Utilization;*Theory Practice Relationship; Young ChildrenBangladesh; Chile; Ghana; Malaysia; Netherlands;South Africa; *United Nations Convention on Rights of

the Child

This theme issue is devoted to discussions of earlychildhood policy issues. "Creating a Shared Vision: How Policy

Affects Early Childhood Care and Development" (Judith L. Evans)

defines policy, discusses the motivation for changing or creating

national policy and the process for changing such policies, and

provides a sample design for an early child care and development

(ECCD) review. Case studies of societies where this change process

has worked are included for the countries of Malaysia and South

Africa. "The Interconnections between Child Development, Policy and

Programming" (Robert G. Myers) discusses traditional and alternative

conceptions of linking research and practice. "A Multipurpose Model

of Nonformal Education: The Mother-Child Education Programme" (Cigdem

Kagitcibasi and others) illustrates how an applied research project

carried out with scientific rigor by academic researchers can, over

time, have an important effect on policy. "The Convention on the

Rights of the Child: Moving Promises to Action" (Robert G. Myers)

provides an update on the Convention and mechanisms for compliance,

discusses early childhood development in the Convention, and suggests

questions for readers to ask about how the Convention's provisions

have been implemented in their own countries. Programs designed to

provide high quality services to young children and their families in

Chile, Ghana, Bangladesh, and the Netherlands are profiled in the

next section. "Network Notes," a section which includes letters to

the editor, news from regional networks and international

organizations, and announcements of 1995 and 1996 meetings,

publications and videos, and a calendar, is also included. (DR)

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Creating a Shared Vision:How Policy Affects Early ChildhoodCare and DevelopmentJUDITH L. EvANS

A

recent policy initiative in Ghana. The AccraDeclaration. has established a radically newperspective and approach to the country sattention to young children It puts highestpriority on children who are at greatest risk.It calls upon all relevant governmentdepartments. agencies. non-governmental

organizations, individuals, and other partners in earlychildhood development to collectively broadenGhana s scope and vision for young children TheAccra Declaration has provided the impetus torgreater cooperation between government donors andnin governmental organizations. It also sets the stagetor a very different kind of programming for youngchildren and offers official sanction for a greater vari-ety ot activities to receive attention and fundingMoving away trom the more traditional emphasis onpreschools as preparation (or formal schooling, it callsfor early childhood care and development pro .grammes to make a range ot comimmity-based ser

vices available to the children who are most in need.Because the policy arose from a National Seminar

on Early Childhood Development 1993). it repre-sents a process of thinking about young children andtheir needs camed out collectively by diverse stake-holders in ECCD As the Ghana government works toadapt its education and social strategies to this newperspective it will be supported by the stakeholderswho helped bring this focus on children forward.

What does the Ghanaian experience have to dowith you7 It is an example of the way in which non-governmental organizations government and donorscan come together to create policies and programmesto support young children and their families In thisedition ot the Coordinators' Notebook we will explorewhat policy is and how we. the early childhood com-munity can influence the development of policy thatsupports young children and their families

Many ot us engaged in planning and creating pro-grammes for young children see policy as a distant,

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abstract process. carried out by suited politicians sit-ting behind paper-laden desks We view policymakersas inaccessible as they make decisions about our fate.dictating national priorities and how the national bud-get is to be allocated. We are aware of policy onlywhen we find ourselves supported or limited by it, butmost of us do not see ourselves as active participantsin the creation of policy. In reality, however, we areall affected by policy, or its lack, on a regular basis. Ifwe are going to make a real difference in the lives ofyoung children and their families then we must focusour efforts on creating policies that will allow neededresources to be shifted to structures and programmeswhich can provide that support.

It is perhaps useful to step back and consider all thelevels on which we deal with policy. We begin bydefining it more clearly. According to the AmericanHeritage Dictionary of the English Language, (1969), policy

is "any plan or course of action adopted by a govern-ment, political party, business organization or the like,designed to influence and determine decisions, actionsand other matters". The definition also describes pol-icy as "a course of action, guiding principle or proce-dure considered to be expedient. prudent or advanta-geous".

When we see policy as a course of action designedto influence decisions and actions, it becomes a lessabstract proposition. At a national level policy repre-sents a distillation of a philosophy about the role ofgovernment in the lives of those being governed. Itpositions the government in terms of what it will andwill not support. Policy guides how monies are allo-cated and the processes that will be put into place todisburse the monies.

There is increasing int,-rest within governments increating national policies that guide and validate theprovision of a broad range of early childhood care anddevelopment and family support activities. To do thateffectively, governments need information from thefield of early childhood development on what kinds ofpolicies can be developed to most effectively supportyoung children and families.

Many within the early childhood community fearthat the energy it would take to get involved in thepolitical process of creating policy would be a drainon already limited resources. Yet, for the long-term itis importailt to focus our attention on policy. If we arenot involved in the policy process, others will be. Wehave a responsibility to bring our knowledge, skills,and experience to the creation and implementation ofpolicies that support young children and their fami-lies. The early childhood community needs a betterunderstanding of the relationship of policies to plan-ning and programmes, the types of mechanisms thatcan be put into place to effectively serve as policy, andhow to go about creating an effective policy if that isdeemed desirable.

Within this issue of the CN the question beingexplored How can we influence the developmentof policy that supports young children and their fami-lies? To try to answer that question we will present a

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series of three articles. The first offers a brief discus-sion of what policy is and is not. It outlines the kindsof information that policymakers need in order tomake informed policies regarding young children anddescribes a process that can be undertaken to generatethat information and get it into the hands of policy-makers. This is illustrated by case studies fromMalaysia and South Africa. The second article is abrief discussion of the relationship between researchand policy, and the third article looks at a specificinstance in which the combination of a strong pro-gramme and longitudinal research have led to the cre-ation of a national policy.

Policy What it Isand Is NotPolicy frames the course of action taken by govern-ments in relation to the people. This happens at sev-eral levels. At the most general level is the style ofgovernment in placedemocratic, capitalist, socialist,etc. At this level there are broad policies that frame howthe government operates. the judicial and legal sys-tems and the type of economy that is in place. Withinthat broad framework is social policy which addressesthe role of the government vis-a-vis families and soci-ety as a whole. What does the government see as itsresponsibility in relation to families and the care anddevelopment of children? Within the general socialpolicies are sectoral policies that determine the servicesto be provided by the sector. For example, there areeducation policies that specify when the governmentbecomes responsible for the education of children,whether or not attendance at schools is mandatory,and if so, for how long. Within the sectoral policiesare policies that address impltmentation. These policiesare much more specific and define who has responsi-bility for what. If there is to be intersectoral collabo-ration it specifies how that should happen.Implementation policies clarify the role of central gov-ernment in relation to local units, and they definestandards and procedures. The levels are interlinked.In order to have a comprehensive understanding ofpolicies within a given country it is important to assessthe policies at all levels.

As part of an article on the relationship betweenpolicies and programmes in India, Mina Swaminathan(1993) presented an analysis of 135 countries. Sheranked them on the continuum from developing todeveloped countries, and also ranked them accordingto where they fit along a continuum ranging frommarket economy to socialism. Third, she rated themfrom best to worst in terms of their maternity supportlaws and policies. Not surprisingly the Scandinaviancountries (developed countries with a socialist philos-ophy) had the most comprehensive set of laws andpolicies in support of women and families, and themost generous provision by the government. Also, notsurprisingly, the United States (developed countrywith a market economy philosophy) was

II I Coordinators' Notebook, Issue I 7

,4111110114.19.,

Working women (end men) need policies which support them as workers and parents.

ranked the worst in terms of its policies and laws insupport of women and families, and had the least gov-ernment provision In general, whether they weredeveloping or developed countries, those with asocialist philosophy had more comprehensive policiesand laws in place than countries based on a market-oriented economy. (pg. 8)

It is important to note that simply having a policyin place is not necessarily a good thing, for some ofthe following reasons.Policies can be inappropriate. Swaminathannoted that many of the developing countries "haveborrowed their legislation directly from the industri-alized countries with very different conditions, andit is hence often inappropriate to their situation".(pg. 9) She provides the example of the MaternityBenefits Act (1961) in India. Within the act thereare provisions that protect pregnant women frombeing fired because they are pregnant. Women arealso to be freed from doing arduous work during thelast 10 weeks of their pregnancy. This Act addressesthe needs of women working in the formal sector. InIndia this is only 11% of all working women; 89%are in the informal sector, so this Act has littlemeaning for them. Not only does the Act apply toonly a very limited work force, but even within the11%, only 2.28% of those women have benefittedfrom the Act. (pg. 3) In essence the Act has littlemeaning for the great majority of working women inIndia.

Policies can be restrictive rather than facili-tative. In an attempt to address an issue, policiesmay be created which inhibit rather than promotewhat was originally desired There are many exam-ples of this within the early childhood field As earlychildhood programmes begin to proliferate, manygovernments decide they cannot afford to operateECCD programmes themselves. However, theywant to be supportive of the programmes beingdeveloped as the result of NGO and community ini-tiative. They then decide that an appropriate rolefor government is to provide guidelines for the pro-grammes and to register them so that they knowwhat programmes are being offered, and where. Thegovernment develops regulations for the establish-ment of centres. What tends to happen is that theseregulations (generally based on standards fromdeveloped countries) are so restrictive that themajority of current ECCD pro6rammes cannot com-ply, and operate illegally. In effect the governmentlimits the availability of quality ECCD programmesrather than supporting a diversity of approachesappropriate to the setting. A Nigerian example illus-trates the issue.

In 1987 the Nigerian government issued Guidelineson Pre-Primary Education. (Federal Ministry ofEducation, 1987) Within the section on Requirementsfor Pre-Primary Institutions the following areas wereaddressed: physical facilities, playground, furniture,fees, tcacher qualifications, and other miscellaneous

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items Within the physical facilities section (pg. 4) itstates:

Building must conform to the following standards

(i) The classroom size should be 1 2 m by 6.5 in to

accommodate about 2 5 children,

(ii) Each classroom should be cross-ventilated and well

lighted,

(iii) Each classroom must have storagefacilities and built-in

cupboards for items of equipment,

(iv) The classroom should have two access doorways to

serve as alternative exits, and a veranda on either side

of the classroom,

(v) There must be a cloakroom, toilets and wash hand

basins of appropriate height.. .

In terms of furniture the guidelines state:

Provision of chairs and table) suitable for different ages and

sizes should be made. Tables should be made of polished wood

or formica surfaces. Chairs and tables should be of light

materials and carry no sharp edges. There should be a large

table with drawers for teachers' use. Provision should be made

for book racks and toy storage in every classroom. (pg. 5)

In terms of the playground it requires:

(i) A well-fenced playground of varying size according to

the enrollment of the school...

(ii) The playground should be grassed and installed with

facilities for climbing, jumping, pulling...

(iii) A track or hard surface for pushing along wheeled toys

should be provided... (pg. 4)

Few early childhood programmes could meet thesecriteria. For example, it is hard to imagine that peopleare able to create grassed playgrounds in the majorityof settings in Nigeria. These regulations necessarilyrestricted the growth of registered prepnmary pro-grammes, and incidentally led to an increase in thenumber of unregistered clandestine programmes.

During recent years UNICEF has been workingwith the Nigerian government to create a more realis-tic set of guidelines for the establishment of earlychild care, development and education (ECCDE) cen-tres.(UNICEF, 1994) Some of the differences are illus-trative of a shift from referencing the experience ofdeveloped countries to a focus on creating context-appropriate programmes for children. They begin bystating that there are different types of centres (mod-els) that can be developed (pg. 2). These include:

a. Rural community-based centres (in community buildings

or multipurpose halls),

b. Periodic, rural market-based centres,

c. Urban, market-based centres in low cost shades (sic) or

market stalls

d.Work environment-based centres,

e Pre-school annex (in primary school premises during

school hours),

f Church/ Mosque annex (in or near the Church or Mosque),

g. Home-based centres,

h. Factory/office-based creches

The requirements in terms of physical facilities have

become:

a. Building must be safe, strong and in good condition,

b Classroom must:

be spacious

be located on the ground floor if a storied building. .

be equipped with age appropriate seats and mats.. ..

In terms of the playground, it now calls for a "play-ground, grassed or filled with sand and with equip-ment safe for children's climbing, jumping, swinging,balancing". (pg. 4)

Thus there has been a shift from the regulations andstandards based on Western, developed countrynorms to regulations that are more responsive to localneeds and resources. Today the policies and the deriv-ative laws and regulations are more supportive of thedevelopment of a range of ECCD alternatives withinNigeria, all of which could be registered.Policies can be contradictory. An examplecomes from India. (Swaminathan, 1993) In 1990,India adopted the National Code for Protection andPromotion of Breast-feeding. In 1992 the Regulationof Infant Foods, Breast Milk Substitutes and FeedingBottles Act was passed. In essence these supportbreastfeeding for the first 4-6 months of life.Meanwhile the Maternity Benefits Act cited aboveprovides a woman with only three months of mater-nity leave. Since some time is generally taken priorto the birth, maternity leave does not take the infantinto even the fourth month of life. Within theMaternity Benefits Act, once women return to workthey are entitled to two 15-minute nursing breaks,with a small amount of time allowed for travel if theinfant is in an off-site creche. The number of work-ing women who could actually continue breastfeed-ing within these limitations is minuscule. Thus whilethe two laws (the 1990 National Code and the 1992Regulation of Infant Foods) try to promote breast-feeding the Maternity Benefits Act effectively forceswomen to use bottle feeding once they havereturned to work.Policies can have unintended consequences.Many countries have instituted policies that statethat establishments employing more than a givennumber of women have to provide creches at theworkplace for their workers' children. This law wasenacted to protect women's jobs. It also facilitatesbreastfeeding and the caretaking of the infant by themother. It allows women to return to work soonafter the birth of the child, While this policy is sup-posed to help maintain women in the workplace, inmany instances it has restricted women's participa-tion in the formal sector. Employers simply hirefewer than the minimum number of women requiredto establish a creche. Thus before rushing to put apolicy or law into place it is important to anticipatethe consequences.Policies may not be implemented. To have apolicy in place does not necessarily mean that it isbeing implemented. There may be good (or bad)policies already on the books that have never beenenacted. Thus before creating a policy it is advisableto assess what currently exists, thc extent to which it

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is being implemented and to determine what hasstood in the wav ot its implementation It may hemore important to t ocus on creating mechanismsthat allow for the implementation ot current policythan it is to create new policiesHaving no policy may be better than having abad policy. There are times when a certain mo-mentum has been achieved be an idea and there isinformal support tor the expansion ot a programmeor protect The proiect may he flourishing even inthe absence of a clear policy to support itSometimes turning the spotlight onto the projectand attempting to formalize it be creating a policeto assure as sustainability can backfire. Lawmakerscan actually curtail the potential and halt themomentum of a project through slow or self-inter-ested deliberations Knowing when to push for apolice requires sensitivity to the political situationand a caretul approach

With these preliminary notes about policy what itcan and cannot do we will now turn to a discussion ofthe process for introducing new policy and or chang-ing current ones.

What Is the Motivationfor Changing orCreating NationalPolicy?There are a variety of reasons for creating and 'orchanging current policy The motivation for makingthe change or instituting a new policy will greatlyinfluence the form the new policy takes For example.policies are often scrutinized when there is a shin ingovernment This is demonstrated most dramaticallyin Eastern Europe. With the changes to a marketeconomy there have been dramatic alterations in gov-

AL 1

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Knowing when to push for a policy requiressensitivity to the political situation.

nt

ernment policy In many of the countries there hasbeen a shitt from a centralized government whichcontrols all activities to a decentralized system thatrequires action and decision-making at the regional ordistrict level In addition the government is less will-ing to provide the range of services that were previ-ously accessible to families An example from Polandis described below by Malgorzata Karwowska-Struczyk I lit95i

Poland is a country winch after forty years of the totalitari-an i'communist reinme. has started creating the mechanisms of

democratic and lawful systems both m the political and socialspheres of life The Republic of Poland is a parliamentarydemocracy The structural transformations begun after 1959

resulted from the victory of social and political forces connected

with Solidarity an,/ the resolutions of the so-called RoundTable Meeting Only m i oia did free. democratic aeneral

elections tal:e plate in Pol,ind for the first time after the second

World War py

In the fifties and sixties treches were founded by healthdepartments of the State administrationthe Ministry ofHealth and Social Securityat the local level After 1970.

when changes were introduced into the health services manaye-

ment, cec hes came under Departments of Health ( re. ;'s e

local representatives of the Central Administration) Up until1992 child care institutions for small children were financed

from the state budget At the beginning Of 1992 creche man-agement Weis taken over by koil governments

The decentralization of child care and education institu-tions, creches included. had both negatwe and positive conse-

quences One negative consequence of creches being finaHced by

communes is that many creches have been closed doum. but not

always those with too few children Another source of creche

financing is parent fees Previously symbolic, they are so blabat present that some parents cannot afford them and prefer non-

institutional forms of child care Parent fres cover the full cost

of meals and extra activities In addition Ihirents pay a parents

committee fee In some c0/11111111105 there is an extra .fee for toys.toiletries etc The communes take upon themselves the staffsalaries. current repairs and equipment

As for posany Armies resulting from the local management

they consist mainly of Inqlier technical and sanitary standardsfor creche buildings better Prorision of toys ,ind equipment

and more openness to parents Parents can stay in a crechetogether with thoi child not only during the dlys or weeks of

the adaptive period but also after it p!Is 1-12)

Poland is an example of an instance when thechange in government has brought about considerablechanges in terms of the services that the governmentis willing to provide and the mechanisms used tor theimplementation of services

Policies are also changed as a result ol internation-al pressures There are two common kinds of international pressures The first type arc those brought tobear by initiatives that arise from international f nrawhere count: ies come together and reach mint agree-ment on a set ol principles to be implemented For

1.4

instance. the declaration agreed upon in lomtienThailand as a result of the Education for All (EFA) ini-tiative, and the UN approval of the Convention onthe Rights of the Child are good examples of this phe-nomenon. Countries respond to these internationalInitiatives by setting new goals for themselves, estab-lishing different priorities, amending current policesand/or creating new policies. For example, theGovernment of Botswana, in the Revised NationalPolicy on Education. March 1994, stated:

Government recognizes the need to develop effective and com-

prehensive policy on pre-primary education with a view of

linking it to the formal education system in the longrun... Goveniment unll continue to provide an enabling envi-

roninentfor the expansion of this level of education as well as

provision of adequately trained teachers and effective supervi-

sion. (pg. 7)

As a result of international initiatives, processes areestablished to determine the extent to which countriesare in compliance with international norms. (A projectto identify and develop indicators for use in the moni-toring and implementation of the Convention on theRights of the Child is described on page 61 of thisNotebook.)

The second type of external pressure comes fromdonors. Many international donors set up conditionsfor the receipt of funds and/or loans. Some of theseinvolve the implementation or revision of a set of poli-cies. For example, some countries are required to makestructural adjustments in terms of their economic poli-cies in order to receive funds from donors like theWorld Bank. Increasingly countries are realizing theneed to get their house in order before working withdonors, in order to better evaluate what the donor hasto offer. One way to address the issue is to set policiesin place so that the countries have a clear agenda%,hen they are approached by donors. If the govern-ment has relevant policies then it is possible to moreclearly facilitate donor coordination and reduce dupli-cation of services. In a recent regional seminar held inMyanmar in March 1995, where this issue wasaddressed, participants made the recommendationthat there be "clear ministerial policies and solidstrategic plans of action to which donors are oriented,and into which they must fit" (Shaeffer, 1995, pg. 13),rather than expecting or requiring the country toadjust to the donor's agenda.

Policies are also changed when there is an increasedawareness within the government of the need toaddress a particular issue. This awareness can comeabout as the result of lobbying, campaigns designed tofocus attention on critical issues, and through the useof research (national and international).

What Is the Processfor Changing Policy?Policy creation or change docs not need to he a top-down proposition. It does not need to rest solely inthe hands of lawmakers and ministry personnel. Most

6

Important, policy is not created in a vacuum. Eachlocal solution, each successful research project, eachadvocacy effort has the potential to influence deci-sionmakers' thinking about what best supports youngchildren and their families. In Turkey, as reported onpage 24, a research project showing the benefits ofparent education has led to changes in the nationalgovernment policy, increasing government supportfor early childhood programmes through the Ministryof Education. (Kagitcibasi, 1995) In the United Statesthe mothers of children enrolled in Head Start, anational early childhood programme for disadvan-taged children, took to the streets in protest in theearly 1970s when the funding was about to be cut bypolicymakers who believed Head Start was a waste ofmoney. The mothers' actions influenced policymakersto continue support for the programme. Later, longi-tudinal research results demonstrating the social bene-fits of preschool education helped to cement govern-ment commitment to Head Start, which continuestoday despite massive cuts in other social pro-grammes.

No matter what the impetus for change, policy-making is a process. The process should assist the gov-ernment in formulating ECCD policies linked to over-all national development priorities. The processshould also lead to arrangements for effective imple-mentation, monitoring, management and coordinationof ECCD programmes, and subsequent identificationof policy and strategy options for strengtheningECCD's contribution to national development. Thenext section describes a process that was undertakenin recent years in Namibia, Malaysia. and South Africato create national early childhood policies.

Initiating theProcessThe impetus for examining policy can come from avariety of sources, as noted above. As the process getsunderway it is critical to ensure adequate participationfrom relevant agencies and groups, both within thegovernment and from outside. Then someone withinthe government has to take the responsibility for actu-ally overseeing the process. The extent to which theexercise is taken seriously will depend on whether ornot this individual has power or access to power with-in the system. Policy reviews that are initiated by thePlanning Office, or the Prime Minister's Office, or anequivalent body, will get the cooperation of highranking officials within the various ministries. If theinitiative is taken by a ministry with low status, it maybe possible to change the policy within that ministry,but it is unlikely that the ministry will be able toimpact national policy.

The Office or Ministry that begins the policyreview process may receive support from an externalagency. As noted, donor agencies may provide tech-nical and/or financial support for such a review.UNICEF is another organization that has taken anactive role in the policy-making process.

' I ti oordmalors Notebook Issue 17

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Determining Who isto Be Involved inthe Process and inWhat CapacityAs noted, a government ministryl'oepartment general-ly coordinates the process because ultimate responsi-bility for establishing policy lies with the government.However, a much broader constituency may well beinvolved in developing the policy. This can includecitizen groups, non-governmental agencies, and theprivate sector. When a broad-based constituency isinvolved in the process of creating the policy, andincludes representatives of all the people who willultimately b affected by the policy, it is much morelikely to be accepted, embraced and implemented.

Somebody needs to take the lead in overseeing theprocess. The ministry or office that initiated the activ-ity may continue to coordinate it over time, or stake-holders may-decide that the policy would carry moreweight if overseen by a different ministry with moreperceived power For example, in the Education ft..:All Initiative, Ministries of Education are designated asthe key implementors. However, in many countries ithas been necessary to involve other ministries andoffices in order to develop national social and eco-nomic policies that would support the initiative andgarner the necessary resources required by theMinistry of Education to meet national educationalgoals.

Because government ministries are generally inter-dependent, and sometimes must compete for limited

resources, it is important that the formation of nation-al ECCD policy not be seen as a unilateral educationpolicy ECCD deals with the whole child in its familyand community context, and thus policymakers needto draw on the suppc and engage the participationof diverse ministries such as Health, Social \Welfare,Women and Youth Development, and, as was the casein Namibia, the Ministry of Regional and LocalGovernments.

Regardless of who takes the lead in the process, inorder to ensure maximum participation by key agen-cies and sectors and to enable adequate data to be col-lected, a Task Force shc.ild be set up. The Task Forcemay be composed of only government representa-tives, or it may be more broadly based, comprisingrepresentatives from government agencies, the privatesector and NG0s. With the assistance of a small part-time team of local consultants/resource persons hiredto undertake specific activities, the Task Force shouldhave responsibility for the following functions:

define more specifically the needs to be addressedthrough the study;undertake and coordinate the various substudiesand activities of the review;facilitate the collection of data;make arrangements for major review events, suchas seminars and workshops;

ensure broad representation of relevant points ofview;supervise the preparation of the report;review the recommendations and finalize thereport.

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Coordinators Notebook I ssur 7

Once the policy is tramed by the lask Force. it isthen the responsibility of the lead Ministry;Office totake the recommendations through the legislativeprocess

To help the government become aware ot a broadrange of possibilities, and to make the best possiblechoices within their country, it is useful to providecase studies of alternatives tried elsewhere Examplestrom within the region may be of particular interestIn order to provide the international pi ispective anda degree of 'objectivity it may well he useful toinclude a person with regional and/or internationalECCD experience who can inform the Task Force otrelevant and alternative experiences from other coun-tries. Sometimes, when stakeholders have competingpolitical agendas, an external consultant can help cat-alyze the participation of Task Force members whowould have trouble accepting the expertise and guid-ance of any one local resource person.

GatheringInformationThe Task Force needs to build a case for increasedinvestment in ECCD. Policymakers require informa-tion that will both convince them that policies need tobe changed and guide them in terms of what appro-priate policy might be. The data to be gathered need

answer the following questions that policy makersire likely to ask:

Why should we Invest in ECCD programmes?What is the need (under what conditions do chil-dren live; what is their physical, emotional andmental status) and what is the demand for ECCDprogramming?What coverage is provided by current ECCD pro-grarnmes, and in what ways does this respond toneed and demand?In the best of all possible worlds, what would welike to see in terms of ECCD provision? What aresome short-term and long-term goals we can set inorder to move toward the kind ot coverage andprovision we envision?Where are there gaps in service and why do thesegaps exist?

What would be the most productive role for thisgovernment to take in addressing the gaps andsupporting provision of quality services?What supports and resourceslegislative tinan-cial. human, organizational and technicalareavailable for the creation and maintenance ofECCD programmes (including governmentalnon-governmental, and international resources'?Wliat are the costs associated with dif ferent mod-els ot ECCD provision' Who is currently payingthose costs and who will pay them in the future'

Moving fromRecommendationsto Policy andActionThe data-gathering process provides an Importantfoundation for the development of policy. But gather-ing data and making a set ot recommendations areonly the preliminary steps in the process. There isthen the task of taking the recommendations throughthe legislative process within the country. The leadgovernment agency will have responsibility for this,and the procedures will vary from one country toanother. Even as the process begins it is wise to antic-ipate what some of the roadblocks might be. Forexample, is there a significant group or organizationthat has not been included in the policy-formulationprocess who may raise opposition as recommenda-tions are put forward? In one instance the governmentdeveloped its ECCD policy without the inclusion ofNGOs who have been involved in ECCD program-ming in the country over the past 30 years. When thenew policy was put forward the NGOs effectivelyblocked adoption of the policy because they had notbeen involved in framing it, even though, had theybeen involved, a similar policy might well have beendrafted.

Opposition might also come from a political partythat is not currently in power. Their reaction shouldbe anticipated and addressed if possible.

The greatest constraint is likely to be time. Unlessthere is considerable pressure to act quickly, it cantake several years from the time the policy formula-tion process begins until a policy is actually in place.Then there is likely to be a gap in time between thepolicy s adoption and putting the mechanisms intoplace to allow tor its implementation. Thus it is impor-tant for those Involved to realize that they are makinga long-term commitment to the process. It also sug-gests that policy should not be thought of as a way torespond quickly to current needs. Policy should bedesigned to foster long-term, national developmentgoals and not be viewed as a stopgap measure torespond to pressures ot the day.

In sum, those involved in ECCD activities in thecountry need to determine what they would like tosee as appropriate policies within their countryGuidance on what those policies might be can comefrom outside the country, in line with internationalinitiatives, but ultimately national policies have to bedeveloped within the ethos of a given nation Thequestions that need to be asked are: Does the policystrengthen ECCD's contribution to national develop-ment' Does the policy allow for ECCD programmesto be linked to and reinforce high priority objectivesof the current national development policy'

.

A Sample Design foran ECCD ReviewOne possible design for a policy review is to set up sixphases. The activities in each phase would be as fol-lows:

Phase OneEstablishing the Task ForceMembership on the Task Force should include all

the important stakeholders, both those currently pro-viding ECCD services and those who could potential-ly be involved When possible the Task Force shouldinclude NGOs and representatives of privateproviders as well as government officers. In instanceswhere the government does not want outside partici-pants during the study, NGOs and the privateproviders can be brought in when the study isreviewed, but before final recommendations are made.

Phase TwoConducting an InitialWorkshop

The purpose of the first workshop is to analyze theissues, identify data and research requirements, andpropose methods of obtaining and analyzing data.During the Workshop the Task Force members andkey individuals should make presentations on ECCDactivities sponsored by their agencies. This will helpestablish the level of current ECCD provision andactivity among the current stakeholders. TheWorkshop should also offer an arena within whicharrangements can be made for data collection byagencies and by individuals/ groups undertaking sub-studies on areas such as curriculum, children's activi-ties and materials, training and supervision of teachers,parental involvement, community participation andmanagement arrangements, costs, etc. A possibleagenda for a two-day workshop is as follows:

Initial Workshop Agenda

IntroductionsClarify expectations for Workshop in relation tothe studyArrive at a common definition of ECCDBrainstorm what it meansDevelop definition acceptable to groupDefine why the country should invest in ECCDPresentation on reasons for investment (The

Consultative Group publication, A leetnig BasicLearning Needs is a good resource for this.)

Conic to agreement on what the aims of ECCDprovision should be.Determine the status of ECCD provision in thecountryReports by each of the agencies on their cover-

age. (Before the meeting they should be askedto prepare relevant statistics/tables to be handedout at the meeting.)

Identify the gaps in provisionOutline the information required in order to deter-mine if additional provision is required, and bywhom?

Develop a framework and timeline for gatheringthe informationDetermine next steps

By the end of the workshop the Task Force mem-bers should have a clear understanding of the aims andobjectives of the study and their role in it.

Phase ThreeData Collection andAnalysis (6-8 Months)

During this phase, the individuals/ institutions con-tracted collect data and carry out research accordingto the requirements and methodologies identified atthe workshop in Phase Two. Information collectedduring this phase will help establish a foundation forthe development of policy options to be examined inthe next phase.

Phase FourAnalysis of Data and aFormulation of Policy Options (1-2 Months)

Once the substudies are completed, the researchersshould compile the report to Lse submitted to the TaskForce. The report should include a set of recommen-dations in relation to policy.

Phase FiveReview and Finalization ofRecommendations

During this phase a second workshop would beheld. Prior to the Workshop, all those who will beattending should receive a full copy of the draft reportand recommendations. Participants at the secondWorkshop would include Task Force members, thoseinvolved in the studies, and invited outsiders (NG0s,private providers, and possibly donor agencies). Atthis second workshop the findings of the study wouldbe presented. major issues would be discussed andanalyzed. and ECCD programme experiences andfunding options would be shared for discussion andanalysis. Through small group work, participantswould then formulate recommendations. These couldbe shared with the large group and consolidated intoa single set of recommendations.

After completion of the Workshop, a subcommitteeof the Task Force would prepare a comprehensivereport setting out the data base, the issues, the optionsand the consensus of the workshop. The final reportwould then be submitted to the Ministry/Office tak-ing primary responsibility for the process.

Phase SixMoving FromRecommendations to Policy and Action

The Task Force should develop a strategy for dis-seminating the recommendations and for movingthem through the political process. In addition, stepsshould be taken to inform the broader public aboutthe recommendations so that they can undertake lob-bying and advocacy efforts to help assure adoption ofthe policy. If there is broad representation within theTask Force, it will simplify this task and assure owner-ship of the policy by constituents.

12

Case Studies:Where This ProcessHas WorkedNIALNYSI A MIMIMalaysia', a country rich in culture and resources,is projected to have a population of nearly 20 mil-lion people by 1995. lt consists of two land mass-es separated by the South China Sea. Peninsular(or Western) Malaysia, which holds 82.3% of thepopulation has 40% of the land. Sabah andSarawak, on the other hand, with 60% of theland, are the home to 17.7% of the population.

The population of Malaysia is relatively young.According to population projections, at the pre-sent time the 0-15 age group constitutes approxi-mately 39% of the population (18% are in thebirth through 6 age group), and 57% of the popu-lation is in the 16-64 working-age group. Nearly4% of the population is 65 or older (EPU, 1991).The population growth rate was 2.3% in 1990.(Yusot & Zulkifil. 1992)

In terms of health indicators. Malaysia has aninfant mortality rate of 11/1000 live births, with amaternal mortality rate of 2/1000 live births. Thechild immunization rates are high: more than90% of all children have been immunized againstBCG, DPT and Polio, with nearly 80% of all chil-dren immunized against measles. In terms ofnutritional status. 75 5% of all children are in thenormal range; only 5% are severely malnour-ished.

In the 1970s. Malaysia implemented the FirstOutline Perspective Plan (OPP1). which embod-ied the New Economic Policy (NEP). The NEP

focused on eradicating poverty and the restructur-ing of society. The Second Perspective Plan(OPP2), covers the years 1991-2000 and embod-ies the National Development Policy (NDP) Itaims at balanced and sustainable dev,:lopment. Italso aims at promoting human resource develop-ment and gives priority to the role of the privatesector as thc engine of growth.

The Sixth Malaysia Plan: 1991-1995 has as itsmain thrust, "to sustain the growth and momen-tum and manage it successfully so as to achieve amore balanced development of the economy".One of the specific strategies undertaken toachieve balanced development is to "enhancehuman resource development".

The goals of balanced development are basedon the following:

Firstly, tbe principle of groivth with equity is fundamen-

tal to ensure the realization of a fair and equitable distrib-

ution of national wealth. Secondly, a balanced societal

development is conducive to the maintenance of social and

political stability. Thirdly, the nurturing and moulding

of a Malaysian society unth high moral values and ethics

as well as positive attitudes are fundamental towards the

creation 4. a responsible. resilient, progressive and caring

society The balanced development of the economy is

essential to ensure stable growth, minimize social conflicts.

promote racial harmony and enhance national unity

(Sixth Malaysia Plan: 1991-1 995, pg 5)

With the above parameters of national devel-opment, Malaysia has in the last twenty yearsexperienced rapid changes economically andsocially. There have been increasing educationand employment opportunities for women. Forexample, the proportion of women classified asunpaid family workers fell from 39.7% in 1970 to21.6% in 1990. This was largely due to the

.

CASESTODIEE

absorption of women into the modern economy.The proportion of women classified as 'employee'rose from 38.9% in 1970 to 62.9% in 1990. (SixthMalaysia Plan: 1991-1995, pg. 415.) Women'sparticipation in the labour force has increased sig-nificantly since the Sixth Plan began. Between1970 and 1990 women's participation rateincreased slowl, , from 31% in 1970 to 32.7% in1980, 34.6% in 1985 and 35% in 1990. In 1993 itwas 47%. (Mid-Term Review of the SixthMalaysia Plan: 1991-1995, 239) Thus, increasing-ly women are entering the labour force. This hasimpacted on their role within the family.

There have been other changes which haveinfluenced family life. Over the past twenty yearsthere has been a significant rural-urban migration,as well as resettlement programmes engaging ruralcommunities in land development and rehabilita-tion schemes. These have disrupted the tradition-al extended family structure; many families nowlive as nuclear families. This means that womenlack the traditional supports in terms of childcare, thus creating an increase in the demand foralternative care of young children.

Since the 1970s, and due. to the emphasis givento the importance of education, there has alsobeen an increased awareness among parents, gov-ernment and non-governmental agencies (NG0s)of the importance of preschool education for five-and six-year-old children. Given parentaldemand, there is a rapidly increasing involvementof the private sector in providing preschool pro-grammes, particularly in terms of bringing inimported models and materials. In addition, there isa tendency for many in the private sector to pro-vide commercialised programmes which areappealing to parents, preschool teachers and care-givers, but which may not be sound in terms ofchild development principles.

Besides the increasing demand for programmesfor children from zero to six years old, there isnow a demand for afterschool care for children ofworking parents.

It is in relation to this changing situation inMalaysia that the Government of Malaysia wasinterested in undertaking a study of needs andformulating an ECCD policy that would supportthe national development goals. The study pro-vided an understanding of the strengths of ECCDprovision within Malaysia. It also indicated issuesto be addressed to enhance the capacity of gov-ernment, non-governmental agencies, the privatesector and the public to promote the well-beingof all young children. As a result of the study thefollowing set of recommendat:ons was formulat-ed, based on findings from the study.

Recommendations1. At the present time Malaysia lacks a compre-hensive policy to support the overall develop-ment of young children as they make the transi-tion from home to care outside the home, topreschool and then into the primary school.Current services are fragmented and there is alack of interface among the agencies currentlyserving young children and their families.

Therefore it is recommended that: a comprehen-

sive and integrated ECD policy for Malaysia be adopted to

meet the needs of children from conception through the early

primary school years. The policy should:

a. be related to Vision 2020, and the National

Development Policy,

b. address important national issues, for example:

-- challenges associated with the quality of life desired

for Malaysians, including the strengthening of the

family and moral, ethical and spiritual values,

the support and enhancement of the National Plan of

Action related to the World Summit on the Survival,

Protection and Development of Children,

challenges associated with increasing the labour force

participation among women for the industrialization

programme, and the implications for the family.

Thereby, ECD contributes to HumanResources Development.

2. Currently ECD services are fragmented,addressing only selected ECD needs.

Therefore, it is recommended that: a review

of current legislation affecting young children and their

families be undertaken.

3. There is a lack of knowledge 'about what hap-pens to children who are not in registered childcare and preschool programmes, and what hap-pens for children when they are not attendingchild care, preschool or lower primary school.

Therefore, it is recommended that: a study be

undertaken to more completely document the situation and

needs of young children.

4. There are well-developed Preschool Curri-culum Guidelines for children 4-6 years of age.There is no equivalent curriculum guideline forchildren under the age of four.

Therefore, it is recommended that: comprehen-

sive, integrated Curriculum Guidelines be developed for

children from birth to six years of age that interface with

the Primary School Curriculum.

5. ECD planning and practicc must rest on acomprehensive and integrated data base. Atthe present time there is no comprehensive databank on ECD needs and provision. It is impor-tant to have a better understanding of needs as

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related to provisionTherefore, it is recommended that: the Atirustry

of Health, through additions to their Home-based Child

Health Card, collect relevant data ou children 0-4

Further, it is recommended that: the Ministry ofEducation maintan, responsibthty for the data base for chit-

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drol aged 1-0 Agencies propldwg somes to this age group

should channel their data to this Ministry

Further, it is recommended that: data for targetgroups like immigrant children should be collected by the

A I inistry of Home Affairs and channelled to the Ministry of

Health or the A finistry of Education for the respective age

group.

BEST COPY AVAILABLE 15

CASESTUMEK

6. A cornerstone of effective early childhood pro-grammes internationally is parent and communityinvolvement in all aspects of the programme. Thestudy revealed that this is lacking in most pro-grammes.

Therefore, it is recommended that: the concept ofparent involvement be broadened to a concept of parent par-

ticipation which respects and strengthens the parent's role in

the child's development and establishes linkages between the

home, early childhood programmes and children's transition

into the primary school.

Further, it is recommended that: parent and com-munity support and involvement be mobilized in creating

awareness, planning, implementing, and sharing the cost of

ECD programmes.

It is also recommended that: media be involved in

promoting a greater understanding of child development, and

tbe responsibility and role of the private sector in ECD pro-

vision.

7. Training is a key component in the successfulimplementation of any curriculum. The studyrevealed that current training, for the most part isinadequate.

Therefore it is recommended that: a nationalECD training system be established which provides a frame-

work for the development of training packages, certification

for trainees, accreditation of trainers and training centres,

decentralized resource centres, and mechanisms for monitor--ing and evaluating training programmes.

I

8. Research and evaluation provide data impor-tant in the planning process. Across ECD pro-grammes there is a lack of evaluation of pro-gramme effectiveness and impact. Further, there isa gap between academic research and its applica-tion in terms of programming.

Therefore it is recommended that the follow-ing research be pursued:

the impact of available models (e g. home and communi-

ty-based as well as centre-based) on children's later

growth and development

the cost-effectiveness of different programme approaches.

9. At the present time government provision ofECD is heavily subsidized.

Therefore, it is recommended that: in line withgovernment policy to increase the private sector participation

in all public services, strategies be developed, which will shift

the financing of ECD from Government to the private sector,

the community and parents.

Further, it is recommended that: alternative models

offinancing ECD be explored, including taxation, the devel-

opment of Trusts, and philanthropic initiatives. The 1994

Budget includes a tax benefit for businesses offering ECD

services. The effectiveness of the approach needs to be evalu-

ated.

To address the issues identified and the recom-mendations made thus far.

It is recommended that: as an interim measure, a

National Early Childhood Development Council be created

within the Prime Minister's Department for the purpose of

formulation, conceptualizing and overseeing ECD pro-

grammes in the various sectors (government, non-governmen-

tal and private). The Council should be supported by a

strong Secretariat with technical skills related to ECD. h the

long term the Council should be institutionalised within a

major Ministry.

The dratt policy that resulted from the studyreads:

A National ECD PolicyIt is known that.

the kti, 4ation for children's growth and development is

established within the first few years of life and that

learning begins at birth,

Further, it has been demonstrated that

conducive and stimulating environments that

enhance young children's physical, mental, social.

emotional and spiritual development lead to holistic

and balanced individuals, and that

investments in early childhood development modify

social and economic inequalities, addressing the issues

of accessibility, equity and equality, amid that

.J

quality early childhood programmes provide an

environment which supports the transmission of cul-

tural, moral and religious values that are the under-

pinnings of a fully moral and ethical society.

Thus, with a focus on Vision 2020 and the nine central

strategic challenges, the Government of Malaysia bas

made a commitment to the promotion of the importance of

early childhood years, from conception through the early

primary grades. Further, in accordance with government

policy, close collaboration will be sought with the private

sector in the implementation of appropriate early child-

hood programmes.

The recommendations of the Task Force are cur-rently under review by the Government ofMalaysia.

SOUTH AFRICAThe motivation for the study in South Africa wasdifferent from the motivation in Malaysia. Thestudy was begun a year and a half before the firstfree election in 1994. The impetus for the studywas the high rates of repetition and dropout ineducation for a large percentage of the popula-tion. It was recognized that once the new govern-ment came into power there would be politicaldemands to level the playing field. Therefore thenew South African government would need toconsider how to ensure that all children wereready to enter the first year of primary school.

A Study Team, consisting of eight ECCD spe-cialists from South Africa and an internationalconsultant, undertook an examination of the situ-ation of young children in South Africa, lookingparticularly at the kinds of supports that are avail-able to them and making recommendations inrelation to how they can benefit more effectivelyfrom basic education. The Team was chargedspecifically with making recommendations inregards to the value and feasibility of creating apreschool programme for five-year-olds. Whilethe Study Team did in fact conclude that anessential part of the strategy for upgrading educa-tion is to bring five year olds into the educationsystem, the team felt that if this were to be thesole focus of state input to early childhood devel-opment, it would be too little too late for themajority of young children. Furthermore it fails totake into account the particular vulnerability ofthe first three years of life and the particular needsof working parents

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4

CASESTUDIES7

The Study Team also believed that a preschoolyear for five-year-olds could only be effective if itwas part of a larger strategy designed to addressthe roles that government, non-governmentalagencies, the private sector, communities and par-ents should play in supporting children's growthand development. Thus the recommendationsplaced the creation of a programme for five-year-olds in a broader, more appropriate context.

Results of theStudyThe study included information on the following:

The evidence from South Africa on the effectsof preschool on repetition and dropout and onnonschool outcomes was summarized.The key skills that all children should haveacquired by the end of the preschooling periodwere identified and elaborated upon.The types of skills required of preschool staff inorder to support the development of children'sskills were defined, and an appropriate cost-effective mix of staffing was proposed.There was an examination of the various 'bridg-ing' modules being offered at the time to see towhat extent these provided the skills childrenneeded, and an assessment was made of themodules' strengths and weaknesses, includingtheir impact on repetition and dropout.A mapping of the preschool provider networkwas undertaken. This included a description ofthe provision of ECCD programmes by variousgovernment and NGO programmes and thenumber of children served, and the geographicspread of provision. The process also allowedfor the identification of programmes or pro-gramme elements (e.g. initial training, ongoingsupport, instructional materials) that could beused as models for future expansion of ECCDprovision.Recommendations were made in relation to anappropriate cost-effective mix of preschoolstaff, and the availability of training for differ-ent levels of staff, and cost per trainee wasdetermined. Given the capacity at that point intime an estimate was made of how many teach-ers could be trained in a I 2-month period.There was also a specification of the conditionsunder which the existing training capacitycould be expanded.The roles that government, NGOs, communi-ties and parents should play were defined inrelation to: setting standards and monitoringprovision, the development of curriculum,training, paying staff, providing physical facili-

ties, and covering the costs of recurrent materi-als. Also, recommendations were made in termsof the institutional arrangements that wereneeded in order to coordinate preschool if itwere to be offered by government.An assessment was made of the recurrent costsassociated with the existing models ofpreschool provision, and a description was pro-vided of how these costs were being financed.A description was provided of the positions ofthe then-current government, political move-ments, parties and extra-parliamentary groupsin relation to preschool provision.The key policy issues to be resolved by a newdemocratically-elected government were iden-tified and, where appropriate, recommenda-tions were made for consideration by the newauthorities.An intervention strategy and programme wereproposed to address the demand for preschoolservices over time. On the basis of differentmodels of provision, the cost of a new govern-ment offering a year of preschool to everychild in the country was estimated. Cost esti-mates were also made for a gradual increase inECCD provision over a five-year time period.In essence, the Task Force recommended that

the government, in partnership with NUN, theprivate sector, trade unions, the community andfamilies, invest in the provision of early childhoodservices for children from birth through the earlyprimary years. The recommendations focussedspecifically on the provision of support to earlychildhood development programmes for selectedchildren from birth through age four, and theprovision of universal preprimary education forfive-year-olds prior to entry into the formalschool system. However, the report made thepoint that it was important that this year not beoffered in lieu of or apart from school reform atthe junior primary level.

The recommendations made as a result of thestudy were based on resources already developedwithin South Africa. For example, there is astrong community of non-governmental agencieswhich have developed appropriate curriculum foryoung children, and a variety of outreach modelsallowing for the provision of services to isolatedrural areas. The variety reflects a sensitivity to dif-fering regional and local needs within generallyaccepted principles of development which seek toredress historical imbalances through appropriateand cost-effective strategies.

The NGOs involved in early childhood devel-opment (ECD) programmes have also developedextensive training systems that 1) provide ECD

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staff with appropriate skills and knowledge towork with young children and their families, and2 enable communities to take ownership of ECDprogrammes and sustain them over time. It isthese strengths that will be built upon in the cre-ation of a national system of support to ECD pro-grammes.

It was the belief of the Study Team that overthe next five years the current training agenciescould develop the capacity to train the requirednumber of ECD workers, provided that they weregiven the necessary resources to do so, and pro-vided that appropriate linkages were establishedwith formal teacher training institutions. Withinthe recommended Plan of Action the servicesprovided by current Resource and Training:Agencies will be expanded and strengthened.

SelectedRecommendations

Support for the development. expansion. management and

funding of early childhood provision is tbc lona responsi-

bility of the state. provincial and local aovernments. the

private sector, the community and Irarents

Responsibility for the development of policies and guide-

lines for the I in plementation of early childhood develop-

ment programmes should be the responsibility of central

government

A Department of Early Childhood Development I ECD)

should be created within tbe Ministry of Education and

Training. responsible for creating policy and guidelines.

Curriculum guidelines for early childhood development

should be established by the National Institute for Curri-

culum Development (NICD), taking into consideration

children's needs in health, nutrition, education and psy-

chosocial development.

Responsibilityfor interpretation and implementation of

guidelines and policies for ECD programmes should be

based at tbe Provincial level.

Implementation of ECD programmes should be the respon-

sibility of Local Authorities and ECD management com-

mittees. They would be responsible for stimulating the

development of ECD programmes, registering and moni-

toring the activities of individual early childhood pro-

grammes, and they would he involved in direct provision

At the programme level. parents will have responsibility

for management of early child!,00d provision They

would lie responsible for establishing and maintaining the

facilities. and paying of the teachers whose salary would

be provided through a combination of state subsidies,

local funding and parent fees.

An hi terministerial ECD Comm! t tee should be created to

promote integration acrocs cectors of services in support of

young children and their families.

A Reception Class for five-year-olds should be created

This is to be phased iii over a period of five years. l3y the

end of the fifth year 00% of the five-year-olds should

have access to a Reception Class

Resource and Training ( 'owes need to be es tablviied I n

CASES:RIMER

each Province to provide training and support to ECD

programmes Current NGOs can be accredited and con-

tracted to serve as RTCs. These should be subsidized by

government.

A Reception Year for five year olds should not be imple-

mented in isolation. It must be linked to reform within

Junior Primary.

Alternative ways of reaching those under 5 need to Con-

tinue to be explored

The costs of implementing the recommenda-tions were calculated. The per capita costs of pro-vision, inclusive of the costs of facilities and thetraining of teachers and appropriate support staff,

46.

decrease as more children have access to the ser-vices. In the first year there would be state subsi-dies of ECCD services for 579,000 children, frombirth to 5 years of age, in a variety of settings.The average per capita cost is R1,960 (US$653/year). By the end of the fifth year more than3 million children would have access to ECCDprovision, at an average cost of R1,504 (US$ 501)per child per annum. This is a small investment tomake in the foundation upon which a nation isbeing built.

When the new Government came into powerthe Report was submitted to those formulatinggovernment policy. What follows is what waswritten into the Draft White Paper on Educationand Training. (Staatskoerant GovernmentGazette, 1994)

57.The care and development of infants and young chil-

dren must be the foundation of social relations and tbe

starting point of a national human resource development

strategy. The national and provincial Departments of

Education will have specific roles to play in this field.

They cannot undertake the full responsibilityfor ECD,

which is a multi-disciplinary field. Instead, the national

Department of Education will liaise with the Departments

of National Health and Welfare in order to establish an

inter-departmental committee or working group to develop

their joint interests in policy for tbe infant and young

child.

58.The Department of Education has particular responsi-

bilityfor the education components of ECD, especially

the development of policy frameworks, norms and stan-

dards in relation to curricula and teacher education,

including paraprofessional training.

59.Tbe new national department is planned to have a

directorate for early Childhood Development, and Lower

Primary Education, in the light of the continuity in

developmental approaches to the young child and the need

for a reshaping of curricula and teaching methodology

for the early years of school. Hopefully, similar units will

be established in provincial Departments of Education,

which will undertake similar liaison functions with

Health and Welfare.

60.The new national directorate will have the major

responsibilityfor developing policy for the reception

phase. tbe first year of compulsory general education pro-

gramme, in consultation with its provincial counterparts

9

1 8

These new provincial units would therefore take up the

massive challenge of spearheading the phasing in of the

policy, in conjunction with NGO providers and accred-

ited training agencies

61.However, before the policy process could properly

begin, if would be necessary to consult with all national

stakeholders in the fidd, including the national representa-

tive body of ECD practitioners, in order to develop an

appropriate statutory consultative group to advise on

ECD policy, resourcing and development.

62.State funds will not be sufficient to mount a major

developmental programme in 1995. but the seed money

should be made available, as in the new ABET pro-

gramme, to begin the startup phase and attract other fun-

ders. This process needs to be driven through a partner-

ship of local government, community. business, worker

and development agency interests, in order to build public

awareness and develop a funding strategy for a national

ECD programm

The South Africa case study provides a goodexample of how recommendations can be turnedinto policy language. The policy has not yet beenput into place and implementation has not begun,so it is not possible to evaluate the effort.However a start has been made toward a policythat unifies diverse efforts into a cohesive nation-wide response to rhc nccds of young children.

REFERENCES

Centre for Education Policy Development. 1994. Report of the

South African Study on Early Childhood Development Recommendations

for Action in Support of Young Children Washington D.0 . TheWorld Bank

Consultative Group on Early Childhood Care andDevelopment. 1993. Meeting Basic Learning Needs. UNICEF New

York.Evans, J. L and K Ismail 1994. Malaysian Early Childhood -

Development Study UNICEF Malaysia.

Federal Ministry of Education, Lagos. Nigeria. 1987.Guidelines of Pre-Pnmary Education Primary Section. Government

of Nigeria.Government of Botswana 1994 The Revised National Policy OH

Education. Government Paper No 2 . Gabarone. BotswanaGovernment of Malaysia n d. Sixth Malaysia Plan t 99 199Government of Malaysia n.d Mid-term Review of the Sixth

Malaysia Plan 1991-1995Karwowska-Struczyk, M 1995. Who rs Caring for Young

Children in Poland? A report prepared for the project, Who isCaring for the Children? Consultative Group on EarlyChildhood Care and Development.

Myers. R. G 1995 The Twelve Who Survive. Ypsilanti. MI:High/Scope Press.

Shaeffer, S. 1995 Report of the workshop on Education for All Five

Years After lomtien., in Education Naos. UNICEF Education Cluster.

5(3)Staatskocrant Government Gazette 1994 Draft White Paper

on Education and Training General Notice Notice 19030 of 1994Department of Education Pretoria, 23 September 1994. Vol351, No 15974

Swaminathan, M 1993 The Continuum of Maternity and Child

Care Support A Critique of Relevant Laws, Policies and Programmes from

the Perspective of Women s Tiiple Roles A Paper presented at theSixth Conference on the Indian Association for Women'sStudies, Mysore, May 31lune 2, 1993

UNICEF 1994 Guidelines for the Establishment of Early Childcare

Development and Education (ECCDE) Centres In line with the Federal

Government of Nigeria and UNICEF Cooperation Agreementon Basic Education UNICFF Nigeria

Yusof, K and S N Zulkihl 1992 Women and (hildren in EastAsia. Situation Analysis Paper prepared for UNICEF Malaysia.

June 1992

I The material tor this casc study has been taken fromMalaysian Early Childhood Development Study by J L. Evansand K. Ismail. 1994, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: UNICEF.

2The material presented in the South African case study wastaken from the Report of the South African Study on EarlyChildhood Development, published by the Centre forEducation Policy Development, with support from the WorldBank and USAID Johannesburg, 1994.

;10

Those or us ',vno ate advocates of Early

Childhood Development spend much of our

energy promoting the concept of the whole

child. We point our that cmidren need more

integrated attention than just nutritional help

or cognitive stimulation. We ask decisionmak-

ers, programme providers, and parents to con-

sider ways to support all dimensions of the

child's growth, and to pay attention to enrich-

ing the environment in which that child grows.

Applying that saole iind of thinking to the field

of ECCD the Consultative Group promotes ways

to link research, policy and programming, so

they can have beneficial synergistic impacts

on each other. R:,.searcn is not just an intellec-

tual exercise: it a process of refining our

understanding of youno ciliidren and their

needs so that we can he more responsive to

them. Quality programming is not just a cur-

riculum exercise designed at a desk: it arises

from experiences, knowledge about the partic-

ular children being served, and awareness of

the specific social conditions for which it is

being designed. Similarly. as Judith Evans

mentioned in Creating a Shared Vision, policy

does not exist in a vacuum. It should be formu-

lated with awareness ot the people it will

affect, and should be based on experience,

research and programming. As proponents of

ECCD we are searching for ways to integrate

research, policy, and programming so that they

can truly benefit each other. In the following

short excerpt adapted from his preface to the

book, Human Development and Family Studies

in India, An Agenda for Research and Policy

(Saraswathi and Kaun, Robert G. Myers sug-

gests some possible ways of viewing research.

to take into account its interrelationships with

programming alio

20

TheInterconnectionsBetween ChildDevelopmentResearch, Policyand ProgrammingROBERT G. MYERS

The most frequent model used to connect researchwith policy and programming is one in which researchresults are first created, then communicated from theresearcher to the potential user. The communicationmay be face-to-face or may occur in written or visualform. Or, the research results may be brokered by anintermediary acting on behalf of the researcher, suchas a policy institute or a professional associationengaged in lobbying. It may be, also, that basicresearch findings are first transformed into an applica-tion or technology and that application is then passedon to practitioners.

This traditional way of thinking about research andits practical consequences has several characteristics.First, in this conception, the researcher and the userare always separate. Second, and following from thefirst, knowledge is always transferred from one personto another. Third, research results are first produced,then disseminated (perhaps after being repackaged orturned into a curriculum, technology or application).

When judging the success of the transfer of knowl-edge to action, there is also a tendency to associatespecific pieces of research or specific outcomes ofresearch with specific policies or actions in the worldof policy and practice.

This way of approaching the relationship betweenresearch and its use in practice is not wrong. Suchinterfaces occur and they can and should be fostered.However, this view of how to use research is limitingand, in my opinion, probably does not represent theprincipal way in which research gets converted toaction. What are alternative conceptions and what dothey imply?

One alternative model is that researchers mightseek ways of informing a broad public. This is important for two reasons. First, it gets away from theassumption that all actions occur through governments. Research can be used directly by the publicand can be empowering. For example, the successes ofthe Dr. Spock baby book in the United States, thebest selling book on early stimulation in Chile, andsimilar popular publications in other countries testify

It

PO LI CY.f?'-f. Gordmators Notebook. Issue 17

to the potential efficacy of repackaging researchresults for use directly by the public. A second, lessoften recognized reason tor using the public as anaudience is that, in democracies, citizens put pressurcon governments to change their policies. While thischange may occur over long periods of time, such ause of research results can have an important impacton policies. In this case, the journalist, popular writeror even the television actor may become importantallies of the researcher who wants to contribute tobetter practice.

Directing research results to the public barelybreaks with the traditional way of thinking about theresearch/practice nexus described above. It goesbeyond the traditional tendency to associate specificresearch findings with specific changes in policy. Italso opens up the timeframe offering a different wayto influence policy, practice and those who set policyand plan programmes. However the approach con-tinues to separate researcher from user and is linear inconception.

There is another, more radical way of thinkingabout the production and use of knowledge. In thisview, the researcher and the practitioner come backtogether; they are one and the same. In this non-lin-ear view, the dissemination and use of knowledgebegins to occur with the conceptualization of aresearch project. Knowledge is used and disseminated

1

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over the course of the research process. It is alsoembodied in the people who carry out the researchand who then use the knowledge, without having totransfer what was !earned to others.

We have a basis for this view in the literature onresearch utilization showing that, "...for a study toexert a strong conceptual influulce on practitioners,interactions between researchers and practitionersmust occur not only on completion of the study, butalso during and, ideally, before the conduct of thestudy. Also, many of these contacts must be face-to-face." (Huberman, 1990, pg. 365) What is still missingfrom this formulation is the explicit notion of practi-tioner as researcher, and vice versa. It is only then thatthe possibility of a tie between research and use ismaximized.

In this more radical view, we are led to think asmuch about who carries OM the research and aboutwhat they will do with the experience as about thespecific content of it. We are led to the idea of partic-ipation in research as a form of education. One com-mon example is when graduate students are involvedin research (policy-oriented or not) with the idea thatthey will embody the resulting awareness and moveinto positions as practitioners, using what they havelearned in the course of the research. But it is far frombeing the only case. For instance, there are situationsin which knowledge acquired in research is put to pol-

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Participatory research can be designed to include stakeholders, such as parents, classroomteachers and even the children themselves.

icy and programme use because researchers them-selves move into policy or programme positions.There are also instances when practitioners are incor-porated into research with the idea that the experi-ence will inform their own work.

in this view, attempts to incorporate practitionersdirectly into research become as important as incor-porating researchers into practice. One can imagine,for instance, cases of classroom teachers who areinvolved in continuing education or training that usestheir own classroom as the laboratory for research.This is seldom done. Given the proper atmosphereand using methodologies that link action to reflection,such participatory research can overcome the possibleproblems of bias in observation, can be done withoutsacrificing rigor, and can lead to the immediate use ofresearch results.

Incorporating policymakers into research is lesscommon and more challenging, but it may be possibleto find ways to achieve it. For example, exchanges canbe set up where not only do ECCD students carry outinternships in government offices where policies aremade and programmes are directed, but also whereresponsible individuals in government offices (or nongovernmental organizations) can be provided with

99

similar study opportunities. These study opportunitiescould revolve around projects directly related to theirwork and around research that would inform theirwork.

Participatory research can be designed to includeparents, teachers, supervisors, programme plannersand policymakers. Since each of these groups hasmuch to contribute to our understanding of youngchildren and the experiences which support theirgrowth, it makes sense for ECCD researchers to drawon them in 61eir research projects. Similarly, it makessense for researchers to reach out in a myriad of waysto (and to be sought ot. t by) these influential people,to make sure that the interconnections betweenresearch, policy .nd programming are strong and vital.

In the book for which this Preface was written,reporting on the results of a Symposium' that exploredthe interface between research and policy, se ial sug-gestions were made to facilitate that interface. Thesuggestions were based on the central notion that "thekey to effective linkages...lies in better communica-tion between researchers, policymakers, programmeplanners and the public". To communicate better it issuggested that:

there is a need to communicate research results

( oordinators Notebook Issue 17

without using technical jargon,research brokers be identified and a process oflobbying be strengthened in which professionalorganizations and national research institutestake on a more active advocacy role;use of the media should be increased, particularlyin reaching the public;two-way channels be provided that include mech-anisms for identifying gaps and the kinds of ques-tions that need to be addressed from time to time;an interdisciplinary task force be established bythe government to evolve a comprehensive frame-work for guiding research efforts, monitoring thetranslation of research findings into implicationsfor policy and programming, and coordinatingdissemination.

Other specific suggestions for improving the link-ages included:

encouraging policy-oriented research;building evaluation into programmes from thestart and on a continuous basis;sensitizing graduate students to the importance ofpolicy-oriented research and to the importance ofmaking the linkages, by introducing appropriateconcepts in methods courses, by offering seminarsfor drawing policy relevance from existingresearch, by encouraging research, and by estab-lishing internships in government bodies or advo-.cacy groups;seeking a greater understanding of the policy andprogramme processes and then selecting researchtopics with a high impact potential. In general thesewill be topics that are not only of current interest,but also ones that must be treated in a culturallyrelevant way, in context;paying greater attention to research that delvesinto why some programmes succeed and othersfail.

For the most part, the above suggestions depend onsome sort of interface by researchers directly with pol-icymakers and planners. Major exceptions to this arethe suggestions concerning the use of the n1,-dia toreach the public, the incorporation of researchers intothe evaluation of on-going programmes, and theencouragement of students to become involved inresearch with a policy orientation. I would like tostress these exceptions precisely because they do notdepend on communicating research results directly orthrough brokers.

While it is often difficult to make these more directconnections .d build the desired partnerships (It mayrequire repeated invitations and personal lobbying toget individuals from the policy or programming realmto participate in research meetings, people fromresearch and policy to participate in programmingmeetings, etc.) it is well worth the effort.

REFERENCES

Huberman M 1990 "Linkage between Researchers andPractitioners: A Qualitative Study". American Educational ResearchJournal, Vol 27, No. 2 (Summer 1990). pp 363-91.

Saraswathi. T. S and B. Kaur (eds.). 1993. Human Development

and Family Studies in India An Agenda for Research and Policy. NewDelhi Sage India.

i The Symposium was titled. New Directions in HumanDevelopment and Family Studies: Research, Policy andProgramme Interfaces. It was held November 8-10,1990 at theM.S. University ot Baroda. Bar'..da. India.

252 3

s.

The following article by Kagitcibasi, Bekman and Goksel illustrates how an applied research

project carried out with scientific rigor by academic researchers can, over time, have an im-

portant effect on policy. It can provide the basis for a new and large-scale initiative, and

for cooperation between governmental, non-governmental and international organizations.

Although the research results presented here are of interest in and of themselves, our main pur-

pose in including the article in this issue of tin Notebook is to shotv how these results have been

translated into action. Thefirst section of the article describes the original research project and

its extremely encouraging results, the second section indicates how the design of the original

project was modified and fashioned into an action programme.

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26

t- --POLIGYVP.;-* Coordmators Notebook Issue 17

A MultipurposeModel ofNonformalEducationThe Mother-ChildEducation ProgrammeCIGDEM KAGITCIBASI, SEVDA BEKMAN & AYLA GOKSEL

In Turkey, the Mother-Ci.'ld Education Programme(MCEP) has introduced a new approach to earlychildhood education, which targets and has manypositive benefits for both the mother and the child.Born from a research project conducted over a ten-year period, it has advanced to form the basis of amajor government educational policy. It has also ledto the establishment of the Mother-Child EducationFoundation and has served as the incentive for a newcollaboration between UNICEF, the Ministry ofEducation and the Mother-Child EducationFoundation.

The Mother-Child Education Programme originat-ed in a desire to provide early enrichment to childrenfrom disadvantaged environments and to strengthentheir immediate environment. It thus targeted theenhancement of the overall development ofpreschool-aged children within their immediate socialcontext. The Mother-Child Education Programme, asa model of nonformal education, is based on a two-tiered approach which aims to provide early enrich-ment to the young child and training and support tothe adult (mother) The dual focus of intervention isboth the positive development of the child and theempowerment of the mother Thus it involves bothpreschool and adult education.

In the literature it is well documented that interven-

4

tion programmes, especially for women in develop-ment, should be multipurpose, directed at the inter-secting needs of women and children. (Engle, 1980;Evans, 1985) Multipurpose programmes are found tocreate greater motivation for participation.Programmes that integrate different components suchas family planning, mother-child health, nutrition andschool preparation, are found to be more effectivethan programmes with a singular purpose. (Myers1992) The Mother-Child Education Programme is anexample of a successful multipurpose programme.

The state of early childhood development and edu-cation programmes in Turkey calls for cost-effectiveprogrammes which will reach large numbers of chil-dren from socioeconomically disadvantaged environ-ments who are in need of early education. Early edu-cation in this instance can help to bridge the gapbetween these children and their more advantagedpeers when they start their schooling. Similarly,women with a low level of education, low status in thefamily and with low contribution to economic lifedeserve priority. Community-based and culturally-sensitive multipurpose programmes have a higherchance of being accepted and successfully applied ona large scale when they are designed to offer solutionsto social pr-')Iems in the country.

As mentluned above, an empowerment model underliesthe Mother-Child Education Programme. The goal isto offer children and mothers enrichment, by provid-ing support for their already existing strengths andbuilding on them at both the individual and familylevel. This contrasts with deficiency models that focuson parents shortcomings. The mother is the key fig-

ure in this context since she is empowered to providesustained improvement in her child's as well as herown well-being.

Programmes that integrate different

components such as family planning,

mother-child health, nutrition and

school preparation, are found to be

more effective than programmes with

a singular purpose.

The programme is a community-based interven-tion, capitalizing upon women's networks through theuse of group discussion sessions. Especially in socio-cultural contexts where close-knit family and commu-nity ties exist, as in Turkey and many parts of thedeveloping world, it makes sense for an enrichmentprogramme to build on these ties as support mecha-nisms. (Kagitcibasi, 1988) These mechanisms wouldbe expected to continue to provide support to thewomen after the completion of the programme.

The Turkish EarlyEnrichment ProjectThe origins of the Mother-Child EducationProgramme lie in the "Turkish Early EnrichmentProject", a research project conducted between 19821986 by Cigdem Kagitcibasi, Diane Sunar and SevdaBekman of Bogazici University. (Kagitcibasi, Sunar &Bekman, 1988) The project, involving early childhoodenrichment and mother training in low income areasof Istanbul, set out to assess the impact of an optimalcombination of educational preschool care and homeintervention on the overall development of socioeco-nomically disadvantaged urban children. Both centre-based and home-based enrichment were studied, sep-arately and in combination.

The study was conducted in five low-income shan-ty town areas of Istanbul where the majority of thepopulation were blue-collar workers or involved in themarginal economy. The population was mostly ofrural origins, having migrated to the city in search ofemployment. The main reason for the choice of theseareas was the existence of factories employing over300 women and thus required by law to provide achild care unit. Six daycare centres catering to low-income children were chosen. The children werethree and five years of age. Of the sample, one thirdof the children were enrolled in educational nurseryschool one third in custodial care centres and the

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other third in home care with no preschool education.Some of the children in each group were randomlyselected and given a home intervention in the form ofa Mother Training programme.

Mother Training had two elements: a programmeto foster social and personality development of thechild and a programme to foster the cognitive devel-opment of the child. The former was addressedthrough group discussions on topics designed toincrease the mother's sensitivity to the child's socialand emotional needs and to help her to foster thechild's social and personality growth. The programmeto foster cognitive development was a Turkish trans-lation and adaptation of HIPPY (Home InterventionProgramme for Preschool Youngsters) developed bythe Research Institute of Innovation in Education atHebrew University, Jerusalem. (Lombard, 1981) As ahome-based enrichment approach, the programmefocused on three main areas of cognitive development(language, sensory and perceptual discrimination skillsand problem-solving) with materials provided for edu-cational activities in each of thesc areas.

In the second and third years of the project, theMother Training Programme consisted of biweeklyhome visits and group meetings that were held onalternate weeks. The programme to foster social andpersonality development of the child took place in the

4_.

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The programme trained mothrs to support thsocial and emotional as well as the cognitivedevelopment of the child.

2 6 28

1

F El? Coordinators Notebook, Issue 1 7

fortnightly group meetings through guided group dis-cussions. The topics in the first year were based onchildren's health, nutrition and creative play activities.In the second year, the stress was on mother-childinteraction.

The original project lasted four years (1982-1986).In the first year of the project baseline assessmentswere carried out with mothers and children usingdevelopmental tests. observations and interviews. Inthe second and third years of the project the interven-tion was introduced to a randomly-selected group ofthe mothers, and in the fourth year reassessments were

conducted. These fourth year assessments were usedto determine the short-term effects of the programme.Six years after the end of the original study (and tenyears after the start of the protect) a follow-up studywas conducted in 1991-1992 to assess the long-termeffects of the project As detailed below, the findingshave been positive and impressive.

Effects of the AppliedResearch Project

Short-term EffectsThe project set out to study the overall developmentof the child, rather than only his/her cognitive develTopment, as is commonly done. For this reason a vari-ety of assessment measures were employed. Deter-mination of the results of the four-year study wasbased on the cognitive, personality and social devel-opment of the child, the mother's orientation to thechild and direct effects on the mother.

Effects on the childThe results were striking: significant differences

were found in cognitive development between chil-dren whose mothers had undergone mother trainingand those who had not. Those who had benefitedmost were the children in custodial or home care.rather than the children who were already attendingan educational care centre. suggesting a "ceiling effect.'of educational enrichment Significant differenceswere found between children whose mothers hadbeen trained and those who hadn't on various cogni-tive measures: fQ scores, school grades, standardizedtests of academic achievement and suhtests ofWeschler intelligence tests. Children whose motherswere trained also exhibited positive effects on theirsocial and personality development, displaying lessdependency. less aggressiveness, better self-conceptand better school adiustment

Effects on the motherThe benefits of the programme were also reflected

in the mother Trained mothers were more verbal, lesspunitive, and more responsive to their children and

had greater interaction with their children. Motherswho had been trained valued autonomous behaviourof the child more than the nontrained mothers andwere more cognitively stimulating. A great deal ofresearch and theory in developmental psychology hasstressed the importance of the above orientations inchildrearing and discipline for the cognitive, moraland personality development of the child.

Not only did the Mother Training Programme haveeffects on the mother's style of interaction with herchild, thus leading to changes in the child's environ-ment and behaviour, it also had direct effects on themother herself. Trained mothers reported a differentpattern of interaction with their husbands than non-trained mothers. Trained mothers were more likely toshare decision-making with their spouses on subjectssuch as birth control and child discipline than non-trained mothers. They also enjoyed a greater degreeof communication and role-sharing with their spous-es, the latter being evident, for example, in husbandshelping with household chores.

Long-term EffectsA study of the liteiature on intervention programmeshas shown that while short-term gains in cognitiveability have been observed, these gains were found todissipate in the longer-term. Mother training intro-duced in this project attempted to overcome thisproblem by initiating changes in the mothers' behav-iour, expectations and values in order to constitutechanges in the child's environment. The dissipation ofearly gains found in intervention studies in the litera-ture has been due at least partly to exclusive concen-tration on cognitive skills and focusing only on thechild, abstracting himiher from his environment.(Kagitcibasi. 1983; Bronfenbrenner, 1974) In this waythe child is left to rely on his/her limited resourceswhen the intervention ends. When the child's envi-ronment is supported and changed, however, it can inturn help sustain the gains.

Although thc short-term results of the project werevery encouraging, only long-term investigations couldindicate whether mother empowerment can ensurethat with continued support from the mother, themaintenance and extension of the positive develop-ment ot the child brought about by the interventionprogramme can be sustained

111 Long-term effects on the childIn 19) i six yearc after the completion of the inter-

vention programme a follow-up study was conductedto investigate the long-term effects of the project. 225mothers of thc original sample of 255 were found: 217mothers and their children participated in the follow-up study Home intervention in the form of mothertraining was found to have sustained effects. A mostimportant finding had to do with school attainmentAt the time of the follow-up study compulsory school-

27 29

ing was five years in Turkey. Therefore in low-incomeareas especially, those children who are not successfulin school drop out after they finish primary school(five years). Continuing with schooling is an impor-tant factor for future success and social mobility. Ofthe young adolescents (13-15 years of age), 86% ofthe mother-trained group were still in school, com-pared with 67% of the nontrained group, the differ-ence being highly significant (p= .002).

The children in the mother-trained group surpassedthe nontrained group on a vocabulary test, showinghigher cognitive capacity.'

Also, the children in the mother-trained groupshowed better school performance than the non-trained group over the five years of primary school.They also manifested more positive attitudes relatedto schooling and better self-concept. For examplethey felt that they could be the best in class if theystudied hard, that the teachers and they, themselves,were pleased with their school performance; and theygave fewer nonacademic reasons for continuing inschool, such as "'having nothing better to do" or "par-ents wanted them to attend school", than the non-trained group.

The adolescents whose mothers had been trainedreported more positive retrospective memories of theirmothers (from childhood). They remembered theirmothers as talking to them, being more appreciativeof them, more consoling and less likely to use physi-cal punishment. These adolescents also showed bettersocial integration and autonomy, in terms of theirideas being accepted by their friends and making theirown decisions.

More children of the trained mothers than the non-trained mothers believed that they were prepared forschool at the beginning. Since two-thirds of bothgroups had been in preschool, this difference betweenthe trained and nontrained group is likely to be due tomother training. This suggests that the early familyexperiences of the mother-trained an,.; nontrainedgroups had been quite different, leading to more posi-tive long-term outcomes for the mother-trained chil-dren.

Long-term effects on the motherMother training resulted in a positive change in the

mother, both in empowering the mother to provide amore supportive and stimulating environment for theoverall development of the child and also in long-termbenefits to the mothers themselves. In terms of moth-er-child interaction, mothers who had been trainedreported having better relations with their children,such as understanding the child, talking problems overwith the child, and not beating the child as much asthe nontrained group. They also had better familyrelations and had higher educational expectations fortheir children. These results from the mother inter-views confirmed the adolescents' self-reports.

Direct effects on mothersTrained mothers were more likely to have the last

word in making decisions (48%) than untrained moth-ers (38%). A significant difference was found betweenthe two groups indicating the higher status of trainedmothers in the home, as measured by an index com-bining shared decision-making, communication androle-sharing with their spouses (also used in the fourthyear of the original study). Trained mothers werefound to read newspapers and magazines more thanuntrained mothers, employed contraceptive methodsmore than untrained mothers and were more knowl-edgeable on issues of family planning. These mothersseemed to utilize available services more and had abetter evaluation of their economic situation thanuntrained mothers.

Thus the programme seemed to enable women tocommunicate more effectively with their children, toprepare more positive environments for their overalldevelopment and success, as well as to achieve betterrelations with their family and to increase their statusin their family.

Discussion of theEffects of the ProjectThe long-term effects of the project seem tied to itsholistic and contextual focus. Given the key role ofthe mother in the utilization of resources for the pro-duction of family health and well-being, especiallyregarding the development of children, it makes goodsense to target the mother for intervention. The pro-gramme results indicate how nonformal early child-hood education and parent education can be integrat-ed and how the mother can be empowered to pro-mote her child's as well as her own well-being.

The project built and strengthened women's net-works through the group discussion sessions. Thesenetworks were expected to continue, providing sup-port to the women after completion of the pro-gramme. Another reason for the sustained effects isthe nature of the changes in women and in their inter-active styles with their children and spouses. Themother training programme provided the participat-ing mothers with better interpersonal skills, thesenewly acquired skills helped them to solve problemsmore effectively, which can be expected to take rootand be self-sustaining (Kagitcibasi 1992)The follow-up study of the project, especially, has far-reaching policy implications. Most important, it hasconstituted a crucial test of the value of the originalresearch project as a model for further replication. Incountries like Turkey, where there is a need for large-scale early support and training programmes, it hasnot often been clear which approach is most effective,due partly to the lack of long-term evaluation studies(Evidence is often based on Western experiencewhich may or may not be generalizable to differentcultural contexts.) The programme offered an exam-ple of the great potential of a culturally sensitive, con-textual approach, rather than an individualisticapproach, in supporting child (and mother) develop-

30

a I Coordinators Notebook Issue 17

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In Turkey only 7% of the children attend any type of preschool before entering primary school.UNICEN1310;Isaac

merit. Specifically, the child was reached in context.through the mother, and the mother was reached incontext, through the community-based mothers discus-sion groups. Such parent-family oriented interactivelearning experiences promote both the child's overalldevelopment and the empowerment of the womansince the context is mobilized to support the targetpersons.

While the aim of the original project was to inves-tigate whether mother training constituted a usefulsupplement to educational nursery schools in order tocreate a "comprehensive preschool education", theresults of this study, based on the variables measuredsuggest that centre based intervention and home-based intervention programmes may be considered asalternatives to each other rather than viewing themonly as complementary elements.

In countries like Turkey where state resources aredirected toward formal education, concentrating onpriirafy schooling, preschool education is bound to'nave low priority In Turkey, only 7% of the childrenattend any type of preschool before entering primaryschool. Therefore there is a need to develop cost-effective alternative models to formal preschool edu-

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cation. Adult education programmes can be utilizedfor this purpose. They can help to overcome problemsencountered due to educational and economic disad-vantage. This is important, considering Turkey is acountry which does not have a widespread system ofearly childhood education, although it has a very largenumber of children who are at risk of developmentaldeficits because of socioeconomic disadvantage.Since most preschool programmes are located in thelarger cities and are mainly private tuition-chargingcentres, rural children and those from socioeconomi-cally disadvantaged sectors have limited access topreschool education, although they need early enrich-ment the most. (Bekman, 1990) Centre-based educa-tional programmes, while producing desired effects interms of the child's cognitive and social benefits, areexpensive to implement on a large scale.

Beside thc positive effects of the Mother-ChildEducation Programme, the cost effectiveness of themodel also makes it attractive for wide-scale use.Home intervention is a highly effective and relativelylow-cost strategy for early enrichment Expensiveinstitutional investment is not required, as the mostimportant resource used is the human resource.

Furthermore, being community-based, thc Mother-Child Education Programme has the inherent flexibil-ity to benefit from the indigenous culture and to beculturally relevant.

Through enriching the child's environment, thisapproach has the potential to promote self-sustainingchanges and growth.

From Projectto ProgrammeIn order for the research project to move beyond itslimited status to application on a broader scale, a num-ber of things had to happen. First, the content neededto be adjusted so it could be more easily administeredand could be applied in various contexts and withgroups with differing needs. To this end, a newCognitive Training Programme was developed toreplace HIPPY. (Lombard, 1981) The new TrainingProgramme (Kagitcibasi and Bekman 1991) was con-densed into a span of 25 weeks and was directedspecifically at children in the year before they beginformal schooling. This revised model was tried outseparately in both Ministry of Education and nonmin-istry settings even before the research project ended,and was further adjusted based on these experiences.

The revised organization and content involve 25weekly group meetings of around two hours duration.Each group is made up of approximately twentymothers. The Mother Enrichment part of the pro-gramme is realized in the form of group discussionsguided by a trained group leader during the first partof every week's meeting. The mothers are expected toattend every week and they do make an effort to doso, which is a constructive action on behalf of themother. The mother's participation in the discussionsteaches her to develop effective communication withthe child, increasing her sensitivity to the child'sneeds, aimed to equip her to promote the child'shealthy physical and psychosocial development. Themothers ask questions, generate answers and expressopinions related to their own experiences in the dis-cussions, guided by the group leader. Group dynam-ics techniques are used. There is not a unidirectionalflow of information, rather learning takes placethrough an exchange of real-life experiences and self-expression is encouraged. In the first half of the twen-ty-five eeks the topics for the group discussionsfocus on children's development, health, nutrition andcreative play activities. In the second half, the empha-sis is on discipline, mother-child interaction, commu-nication, expressing feelings and the needs of themother.

A further component has been added in the pastyear. During the group meetings and following theweekly Mother Enrichment topics, the group leadersdirect the discussion to a specific topic in family plan-ning and health. The topics range from birth controlmethods to problems that can be encountered inpregnancy and childbirth.

30

Following the group discussions, mothers are taughthow to use that week's Cognitive TrainingProgramme. Thus in the second part of the groupmeeting, the group breaks up into smaller groups offour or five, headed by a mother's aide (who is a partof the group but has completed the worksheet withher child the previous week). Each small group role-plays through the worksheets and storybooks in orderto be able to use the Cognitive Training Programmeeffectively with their children at home during theweek. Each week's materials contain various exercisesto be used by the mother with the child each day. Thegroup leader (Ministry of Education Adult Educationteacher) conducts home visits now and then to ensurethe Cognitive Training Programme is being imple-mented correctly and to assist with problems that maybe encountered with the child.

In addition to adjusting the actual organization andcontent of the Mother-Child Education Programme,it was necessary, in order for the project to become alarger programme, to disseminate and publicize resultsof the Mother Enrichment component of the project.Accordingly, in collaboration with the mothers par-ticipating in the mother training programme, aneleven-session television series was prepared. The par-ticipating mothers volunteered to take part in thesmall group discussions which were televised on thestate television channel. These television programmeswere well-received.

In order to extend the programme, additional fund-ing and a continuing institutional base were required.Based on the research results and television series, itwas possible to obtain limited funding from variousgroups, including parent-teacher associations, wom-en's groups and private businesses. With these fundsadditional applications of the mother training pro-gramme were carried out as a public service, mainly inIstanbul.

In 1991, additional advances were made with thecollaboration of UNICEF and the Ministry ofEducation. A major breakthrough occurred when theMother Enrichment component of the project wasadopted into the Adult Education Programme of theMinistry of Education, targeted at training childmin-ders. The project team trained Adult Education teach-ers and the revised training manual was published byUNICEF.

Also in 1991, a foundation belonging to a privatebank, the Finance Foundation, began providing finan-cial support for the programme in Istanbul in AdultEducation Centres attached to the NonformalEducation Division of the Ministry of Education. Intwo years, over 700 mothers in Istanbul participated inthe programme. During 1992 and 1993, with the col-laboration of UNICEF and the Finance Foundation,the programme was applied in Sanliurfa in the less-developed South Eastern region of Turkey to over 700women and young girls. Another replication of theproject was begun in 1992, when group leaders weretrained in the Netherlands to work with Turkishworkers there. The Mother Enrichment component of

32

P Coordinators Notebook, Issue t 7

the project is currently being applied on a pilot basisin two early enrichment programmes carried out byAverroes Foundation.

These successes and adaptations have helped topromote formation of a privately funded nonprofitorganization called the Mother-Child EducationFoundation (MCEF), founded in August 1993 with theinitiative and support of the Finance Foundation. Theaim of the MCEF is to "contribute by means of educa-tional, social economic and financial activities to thedevelopment of modern Turkey." The Foundation notonly finances the programme but also trains teachers,prepares materials and collaborates with the Ministryof Education and other organizations for the expan-sion of the programme across Turkey.

Continuing collaboration between the NonformalEducation Division of the Ministry of Education andthe MCEF has allowed the programme to expand.The Nonformal Education Division is responsible forAdult Education centres in each district in the coun-try. Adult Education teachers are trained by theMCEF to apply the Mother-Child EducationProgramme in their own districts, mainly in low-

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income shanty town and working class areas. The aimis for the Nonformal Division Ministry staff to beresponsible for the implementation of the programmeat various levels of the organizational structure. Thiswill allow the number of beneficiaries to increase asthe training of staff currently being undertaken by theFoundation can be assumed by Ministry staff. This willalso quicken the process of training, reduce costs andset in place a decentralized system.

In the past three years this collaboration has led toparticipation of over 3,000 mother-child pairs and in1993-1994, the programme was applied in tenprovinces across Turkey. In 1994-1995, expansion to20 provinces and 4,000 mother-child pairs wasplanned with the Ministry of Education. In addition, acollaboration with the General Directory of SocialServices and the Child Protection Agency (SSCPA)attached to the Office of the Prime Minister has led topilot projects in Izmir and Ankara. The intention is toimplement the programme in twelve districts in1994-1995.;

The process that has been described above, still inprogress, is an example of a research project leading to

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a national programme. It is also an example of scien-tific research affecting public policy. With the help ofthe Mother-Child Education Programme. the rathernarrow definition of preschool education in Turkey interms of formal centre-based preschools has expandedto include nonformal community and home-basedearly enrichment. In terms of the goals and targets ofnonformal education, also, there has been an expan-sion in scope to combine early childhood educationand care with parent (adult) education and to combinechild development goals with women's empowerment,health and family planning. Finally, we also have herean example of effective cooperation among a universi-ty, a Ministry (government) and international(UNICEF) and local agencies (Mother-ChildEducation Foundation). It is clear that programmeshave much to gain and are more likely to go to scalewith such cooperation. The Mother-Child EducationProgramme promises to contribute to human develop-ment and well-being in Turkey.

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REFERENCES

Bekman S 1990 'Alternative to the Available- Home-basedvs Center-based Programs Early Childhood Development and Care

58 109-119.Bronfenbrenner. U 1979 The Ecology of Human Development

Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University PressEngle, P f980. The Intersectma Needs of Working WOII1CH and their

Young Children. A Report to the Ford Foundation.Evans, J 1985. improving Programme Aclions to Meet the Intersecting

Needs of Women and Children in a Developing World. Paper produced

for the Consultative Group on Early Childhood Care andDevelopment.

Kagitctbasi, C. 1983 "Early Childhood Education andPreschool Intervention: Experiences in the World and inTurkey Preventing School Failure The Relationship between Preschool

and Primary Education. Canada. IDRC, 172c.

Kagncibasi, C., Sunar, D. 6: Bekman, S . 1988 Comprehensive

Preschool Education Project. Ottowa. IDRCKagitcibasi, C. 1988 "Diversity of Socialization and Social

Change." In J.Berry, P Dasen & Sartorious. (Eds) Health andCross-Cultural Psychology Toward Applications. Beverly Hills.California: Sage Press.

Kagitcibasi, C., is, Bekman S 1991. Cognitive TrainingProgramme Istanbul. Finans Vak0 tFoundation) Publications,1992.

Kagitcibasi. C 1992 "A Model of Multipurpose NonformalEducation: The Case of the Turkish Early Enrichment Project."Proceedings of the First International Council on Education ForWomen

Kagitcibasi. C., Bekman S.. Sunar D 1993. Success Begins inthe Family Istanbul-YA-PA Publications

Myers R. 1992 The Twelve Who Survive. London:Routledge Publications.

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I The onginal four-year protect was funded by the InternationalDevelopment Research Centre of Canada: the follow-up studywas funded by the Population Council (MEAwards Program).

2 The vocabulary test was the standardized WISC-R. based onTurkish word counts, mean score for trained group 45 62 andnontramed group 41 92

3 The expansion of the Mother-Child Education Programme isfinanced by the World Bank through the Ministry of Educationin a three-year funding plan

3 4

Ioordinators Notebook Issue 1 7

The Convention on the Rights of the Child:Moving Promises to ActionROBERT C. MYERS

The Convention andMechanisms forCompliance with itsProvisionsThe approval of the Convention on the Rights of theChild by the UN Assembly (November 1989) and thesubsequent Summit for Children (September 1990)have, without doubt, had an important effect on theway in which the approximately 170 governmentsthat are signatories to the Convention include atten-tion to children within their social planning and pro-gramming. This is so in part because national approvalof the Convention creates a moral commitment by acountry, within an international framework, to seekimprovements in the survival, development, protec-tion, and social participation of children. It would benaive, however, to think that moral commitment relat,ed to an international document will, alone, serve as astrong incentive for action; governments are too oftenassociated with paper promises and empty rhetoric.With this in mind, one of the most immediate andimportant features of the Convention and the Summithas been the development of a set of related mecha-nisms that help to move promises to action, trying toassure that the provisions of the Convention are actedupon.

A Committeeon the Rightsof the ChildOne mechanism created within the Convention toreinforce promises made by signatories is theCommittee on the Rights of the Child (Article 43). Aspart of their commitment upon signing the document,countries agree to report to this United NationsCommittee on their activities related to theConvention within two years after signing theConvention and again every five years thereafter(Article 44) The Committee has established a formatand a process for national reporting According to theConvention, reports 'shall indicate factors and diffi-culties, if any, affecting the degree of fulfillment of theobligations under the present Convention Theresulting national reports which are supposed to be inthe public domain in each country 'Article 44. Section61, are presented to the Committee which then corn-

,

ments on the reports, raising questions and makingsuggestions for further improvements. Every twoyears, the Committee reports to the UN GeneralAssembly. This process, which has now been func-tioning for several years, has in some cases stimulatedadditional action and/or led to useful public debate inthe respective countries about the rights and welfareof children.

NGO ActivitiesAnother development fostered by the Convention hasbeen the appearance of activities, explicitly intendedto further adherence to the provisions of theConvention, that are being carried out by new nation-al, regional and international groupings of non-gov-ernmental organizations (NG0s). Some of theseactivities are educational, promotional, or serviceactions by NGOs intended to reinforce particularrights and to improve directly living conditions affect-ing the welfare of children. Other activities arefocussed on sharing information and on monitoringthe process of complying with the Convention. Thesenew mechanisms include the growth of internationalnetworks such as the Children's Rights InformationNetwork', regional networks such as the LatinAmerican Regional Collective to Help Follow up theConvention', and national groups (such as the 13national groups of NGOs participating in the LatinAmerican regional collective or the Philippine nation-al grouping). In some cases, these NGO groups alsoprovide information to the international Committeeon the Rights of the Child. The Committee uses thisinformation when interpreting governmental reportsand in formulating suggestions to governments. Someof the national NGO groups produce parallel reports(to those of the government) on the status of childrenin their countries and others cooperate with the gov-ernment in producing a joint report'.

The World Summitfor Childrenand National.Programmesof ActionYet another mechanism for moving promises intoaction (and the one closest to the central theme of thisNotebook) has been a process. promoted and mom-

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tored closely by UNICEF, of developing NationalPlans or Programmes of Action (NPAs). NPAs arelinked to a worldwide Plan of Action adopted at theconclusion of the World Summit for Children, oblig-ating the 71 heads of State and Government and 88Senior officials who attended to create national plansfor the decade of the 1990s. The World Summit Planof Action sets out 25 specific goals, based on provi-sions of the Convention. Most of the participatingnations in the Summit and the signatories to theConvention have now formulated NPAs for childrenlooking ahead to the year 2000. And, in some cases,the NPAs are being decentralized and LocalProgrammes of Action (LPA) are being formulated.'

Against this background, the purpose of this briefnote is not to report in a detailed and systematic wayon NPAs and their relation to the World Plan or theConvention on Children's Rights. Rather, my readingof the Convention and perusal of a number of NPAslead me to share some thoughts on the place of earlychildhood care and development (ECCD) in theConvention, in the NPAs and in the extensive processof planning and monitoring the rights of children. Iwill raise several questions to be kept in mind by thoseinvolved in the process of promoting, planning, andmonitoring Convention promises. and I will end witha challenge to the ECCD community.

Early ChildhoodDevelopment in theConvention, in NPAsand in Monitoring theConventionArticle 6 of the Convention says that "States Partiesshall ensure to the maximum extent possible the sur-vival and development of the child". It is my consid-ered impression that the child development part ofthis statement is being neglected, particularly withrespect to development during the early childhoodyears. Moreover, my impression is that little is beingdone within the framework of the Convention tomonitor or meet Article 18 (Section 2) stating that"...States Parties shall render appropriate assistance toparents and legal guardians in the performance of theirchild-rearing responsibilities and shall ensure thedevelopment of institutions, facilities and services forthe care of children". Similarly, Article 27 (Section 1)seems neglected: "States Parties recognize the right ofevery child to a standard of living adequate for thechild's physical, mental, spiritual, moral and socialdevelopment." This impression is based in part onlooking at several NPAs where ECCD, if not absent,

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Coordinators Notebook Issue 17

is given very little attention. Ironically, this is occur-ring at the same time that ECCD seems to be gainingground from other points of view, not related to childrights or to the Convention.

There are several reasons why I think ECCD has aminor place in the discussions of children's rights andin the monitoring of the Convention.

Rights related to healthy child develop-ment do not seem to be set out with clarityin the Convention

Developmental rights are much less clear and con-crete, for instance, than rights to survival or rightsrelated to protection. As an example, in Article 27,where an appropriately integral view of developmentis established in Section I. development is then linkedin Section 2 directly to providing "conditions of livingnecessary for the child's development", and in Section3 this is reduced more explicitly to providing "materialassistance and support programmes, particularly withregard to nutrition, clothing and housing". The ECCDcommunity, I believe, would insist that developmentrequires much more than nutrition, clothing and hous-ing. No mention is made in this article of theConvention of psychosocial or educational conditionsthat should be provided to promote healthy develop-ment. Rather, these pieces of what might be consid-ered a key dimension in the developmental rights ofchildren are scattered throughout the document and.are often handled in a negative way or a way that doesnot make clear the connection to healthy develop-ment.

In general, the Convention assigns primary respon-sibility for the "upbringing and development of thechild" to parents or legal guardians who are to act in"the best interests of the child". (Article 18, Section 1)However, as indicated above, governments are alsoassigned responsibilities for assisting parents and legalguardians in the performance of their childrearingresponsibilities (Article 18, Section 2) and also for tak-ing "all appropriate measures to ensure that children ofworking parents have the right to benefit fromchild-care services and facilities for which they are eli-gible". (Article 18, Section 3)

Notwithstanding these provisions, as one looks atNPAs, attention by governments to child care institu-tions, facilities and services is frequently missing.Governments often seem to be content to leave theresponsibility for child care with parents.

Ironically, attention to preschool education doesseem to be present in many NPAs. This is ironicbecause the Convention does not include preschool-ing or early learning in its treatment of a child's rightto education. Although Article 29 states that the edu-cation of the child should be directed to "the develop-ment of the child's personality, talents and mental andphysical abilities to their fullest potential", Article 28which provides the context for this statement treats

education strictly in terms of schooling. Accordingly,the educational rights of children are specified interms of primary, secondary higher and vocationaleducation (schooling). Thus, the developmentreferred to in Article 29 is that which occurs in school,and primary school is defined as the starting point.Learning and education associated with developmentduring the earliest years (whether at home or inpreschool settings) are left out of the educationalrights of children. Instead, we are left to assume thatthis early learning is covered in other parts of theConvention, in relation to, for instance, childcare andchildrearing (Article 18), various measures of protec-tion (e.g. freedom from abuse, Article 19), or in rela-tion to children in special circumstances, includingchildren with mental or physical disabilities (Article23). One reason this lack of clarity with respect to theright to education is disturbing is that most monitor-ing of the ECCD component of the Convention isbeing carried out in relation to the education sector,based on the interpretation given to the Conventionat the Summit for Children.

III A low priority was assigned to ECCD at theSummit for Children

Another reason why ECCD may not be receivingits due as part of the follow-up of the Convention isthat a relatively low priority was assigned to ECCD asthe provisions of the Convention were interpreted andtranslated into goals at the Summit for Children andin the resulting Plan of Action. The emphases given toparticular areas in the World Plan of Action arereflected in National Plans and in monitoring. Morespecifically, the World Plan, set out at the Summit inSeptember 1990, listed 25 objectives to be pursued,each related to an area of sectorial actions favoring thechild. The grouping of these objectives by sector wasas follows:

Health and Education of Women 4 objectivesNutrition 8 objectivesChild health 6 objectivesWater and Sanitation 3 objectivesBasic Education 4 objectivesChildren in Difficult Circumstances 1 objective

It is clear that actions related to all of these objec-tives have a bearing on the development of youngchildren, but particularly on their physical develop-ment as problems arc overcome related toprotein-energy malnutrition, lack of micronutrients,diseases, etc. What is again weak, however, is recog-nition of the mental, social, moral and spiritual dimen-sions of development referred to in the Convention.The one (very general) goal of the 25 listed that dealsdirectly with child development is the first goal listedunder education which states: "Increase early child-hood development activities, including appropriatelow-cost interventions based in the family and in the

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community." This goal goes beyond the Convention'streatment of basic education and does provide a basis for

attention to early childhood development. The read-er will note, however, that the goal is extremely gen-eral (as contrasted, for instance, with other goals suchas "elimination of illness caused by guinea worm bythe year 2000", or "reduction of 50% in deaths causedby diarrhea in children under age 5"). The reader willalso note the reference to low-cost interventions, astipulation that is not deemed necessary when settingout other goals or proposed actions.

A further interpretation of the Convention andconsolidation of priorities was made at the Summit bydefining in the worldwide Plan of Action seven"Principle Goals of Survival, Development andProtection". The seven refer specif;cally to: t ) infantand child mortality; 2) maternal mortality; 3) malnu-trition; 4) water and sanitation; 5) universal access tobasic education; 6) illiteracy; and 7) protection of chil-dren in especially difficult circumstances. In thisdelimitation, basic education is made synonymouswith primary schooling, thereby setting aside earlychildhood development from theprinciple goals. Here we see evenmore clearly how the Summit inter-preted and gave priority to certainparts of the Convention on theRights of the Child. This is impor-tant to note because NationalProgrammes of Action have beenformulated, in the main, with respectto the goals set out by the Summitrather than with respect to thebroader conditions of the Con-vention on the Rights of the Child.As a result, many provisions of theConvention are not considered inNational Plans, including such basicrights as the simple right of a childto a name (something that is notpart of the legal fabric of many soci-eties), the right not to be abused orcivic rights and the right to partici-pation. And, in the process of fol-lowing the seven general goals ofthe Summit, child development andcare during the early years are virtu-ally missing from some NPAs andthe related monitoring process.

Emphasis on what can be measuredA third reason why I think ECCD is weak in the

follow-up activities related to the Convention and inmany NPAs is that an emphasis has been placed onquantitative indicators, in planning and monitoringthe Convention, for which there are agreed-uponmeasures that can be compared internationally.Whereas there is general agreement on certain indica-tors such as infant mortality, weight for age, or lowbirthweight, similar agreement does not now exist onhow to measure the mental, social and emotional

development of young children And, given the cul-tural and social differences in the way in which childdevelopment is defined, it is difficult to insist on aninternationally comparable measure for child develop-ment. There is a tendency to think that if somethingcannot be measured easily and compared internation-ally, it is not important, or even worse, that it does notexist.

As one looks at NPAs and at reports of progress,the measurable indicator that seems to be used forearly childhood care and development is a measure ofthe coverage of preschool programmes. If preschoolcoverage increases, the assumption is that there isprogress toward improving child development.However, this institutional view, concentrating oncoverage, does not tell us what is actually happeningwith respect to various dimensions of children's devel-opment. Also, even this apparently-simple indicator isoften distorted because only formal programmes ofpreschooling are included in the coverage figure, leav-ing out nonformal programmes and leaving out suchinitiatives as parental education. Similarly, because

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this monitoring occurs in relation to educational pro-grammes, child care institutions and services may beleft out. Finally, the indicator is not comparable inter-nationally because of the wide variation in the typeand quality of the preschool programmes beingoffered in different settings.

In brief, the quantitative measures being applied tomonitor early childhood care and development with-in the framework of the Convention are, at best, verylimited.

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Coordinators' Notebook Issue 1 7

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How has early childhood care and development been treated In your NPA?

Some Questions forReaders to Ask

What I have presented above are thoughts andimpressions that must be treated as hypotheses ratherthan facts when looking at a particular situation orNational Programme of Action. As readers seek to ver-ify these hypotheses and as you go about examiningrelationships among the Convention, the Summit,National NPAs and specific actions in your respectivecountries, the following questions might be kept inmind.

How have the provisions of the Convention on theRights of the Child been translated into theNational Plan or Programme of Action in yourcountry? Has the attachment of NPAs to the out-come of the Summit led to reinterpreting theConvention, or to leaving out attention co someimportant rights? If so, what provisions of theConvention have been set aside in the process?Has your country written reports to he presented tothe UN Committee on the Rights of the Child? Ifnot, why not? If so:To what extent do the reports reflect a critical

view of the situation of children and of progresstoward fulfillment of the obligations under theConvention and to what extent do the reports

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simply present positive outcomes and plans?Who has participated in the process of writing the

reports and how has that affected them?Is the information provided reliable?Are national reports in the public domain? Havethey been debated?

How has early childhood care and developmentbeen treated in your NPA, in monitoring and inreports? Are specific ECCD goals and objectivesincluded? What are the indicators proposed formonitoring progress toward the goals? Are theseadequate? Does monitoring concentrate on formalpreschool education or are nonformal programmesand child care programmes also included?Does the inability to quantify early childhoodprogress distort planning ar4 prejudice importantareas?

A ChallengeDespite ratification of the Convention on the Rightsof the Child by most of the countries in the world,and despite the fact that human development and quality oflife have been placed, in recent years, much more atthe center of the international development debate.Lhild development has not yet become a natural andimportant part of that debate or of monitoring thc

developmental progress of nations. (See review ofTowards a Children's Agenda on page 71.) As suggestedabove, this failure is related at least in part to the fail-ure to agree upon appropriate measures of what con-stitutes early childhood care and development.

This presents the ECCD community witi. a majorchallenge: to agree upon measures of early childhooddevelopment that can be used for monitoring thedevelopmental progress of children at a national level.This means moving beyond measures of programmecoverage. In facing this challenge, it will be importantto accept and preserve differences in cultural defini-tions of early childhood development. This meansthat the indicators used will not be comparable inter-nationally (or even, necessarily, applicable at nationallevels in such heterogeneous places as India). But suchagreed-upon indicators can be useful for planning,programming, monitoring and evaluation at eithernational or local levels which, after all, are whereinitiatives are taking place and where effects areexpected.

In facing this challenge it will also be important torespect the integrated nature of development. ft wouldbe unfortunate, for instance, to define developmentexclusively in terms of physical development or ofmental development, leaving aside social and emo-tional development. This suggests the need for devel-opmental profiles of children and the need for period-ic measurement of the several dimensions to see howthey are moving over time.

Creating a profile of child development or of thestatus of children may be more a political than a tech-nical question. requiring ways to get different parts ofgovernment and society to bring together in one placethe various measures presently being applied to createthe profile. It may also involve an even more difficulttask of overcoming feuds within academic communi-ties where various schools of thought defend at allcost their particular measures of child development.These potential obstacles notwithstanding, the goal iswithin our reach, as is being shown, for instance, inJamaica where a process of monitoring the status ofchildren has been agreed upon and is being tried out.°Efforts are also being made to develop appropriateindicators through a Childwatch project described onpage 61.

Let us accept the challenge of defining early child-hood indicators that can be used to monitor children'sdevelopment as our contribution to making theConvention of the Rights of the Child a living docu-ment. Let us promote solid planning and monitoringat national and local levels of child development pro-grammes in the best interests of the child and of ourrespective societies.

The full text of the Convention on the Rights of theChild can be found on the Internet at the UNICEFgopher.

For a print version, contact:

Mr. John Bennett

The Young Child and Family Project, UNESCO7, Place Fontenoy

75700 Paris. FranceTel: (33-1) 45-68-08-15, Fax: (33-1) 44-49-99-18

To review your nation's NPA, contact:

Childwatch International

P.O. Box 1096

Blindern

N-0317 NonvayTel: (47-22) 85-42-88 or 85-48-41, Fax:(47-22)85-52-53childwatch@uio.no

1The facilitating organizations for this international informationnetwork are. The Children's Defense Fund International, Savethe Children Radda Bamen (Sweden), The InternationalAlliance of Save the Children (Switzerland). The NGO Groupon the Convention on the Rights of the Child (Switzerland).and the International Center for Child Development(UNICEF/Italy). The coordination of this group can be con-tacted care of: Becky Purbrick. Overseas Information andResearch. Save the Children (UK), 17 Grove Lane, London SE58HD, the United Kingdom.

2The Latin American network has brought together nationalnon-governmental committees that have been formed in 13Latin American countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia,Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama,Paraguay. Peru, and Uruguay). Also participating in the networkare regional offices of Radda Barnen, UNICEF, CatholicChildren, Children's Defense International, Save the Children(US and Canada), Redd Barna, and the Organization ofAmerican States. Information about this initiative can beobtained from: Radda Barnen. Oficina Regional para Americadel Sur, Calle Uno 932, Urbanizacion Corpac, Lima 27, Peru.

3An example of the first is the Third Report on the Rights of the Child

and the Situation of Children in Mexico, 1994, which has been pub-

lished recently (in Spanish) by the Colectivo Mexicano deApoyo a la Ninez (COMEXANI). In Chile, the National Groupto Assist the Convention on the Rights of the Child (GAN) hascritiqued the government's plan of action but has also workedto produce a joint report for presentation to the Committee.

4See, C. Castillo and R. Dunbar. 1995. The Children Here. CurrentTrends in the Decentralization of National Plans of Action. Also, W. G.

Nuqui. 1994 The Philippines A Case Study in Local Planning forChildren These publications can be obtained from. UNICEFInternational Child Development Centre, Piazza SantissimaAnnunziata 12.50122, Florence, Italy, Fax-(39-55) 24-48-17.

5This goal was taken directly from thc Framework for Actionapproved at the World Conference on Education for All inThailand in March 1990

6For information about this initiative, readers may write toRobert Myers at the Consultative Group, or contact directly,Janet Brown. The Caribbean Child Development Centre.University of the West Indies. P 0 Box 141, Mona, Kingston7. lamaica.

4 0

in tnis section. vve introduce programmes cesianed to orovide duality services to young children and their

amiiies. In many cases. the programmes we profile ;:re already working as a resource in their country or

,3gion. Many nave developed innovative inateriais.i;ractices, or ;raining methods, which they are IION intro-

docMg to oiners.Some of the p1 ogrammes na e neen ligorously evaluated by -scientific"measures and others

..ely on anecdotal evidence to describe their impacts,The descriptions below are taken primarily from materi-

als sent to us by the programmes being described and do not constitute endorsement of particular models,

Our goal in presenting them to you is to reflect the diversity of efforts being undertaken to address the needs

of young children and their families, anti to encom age networkMg among those involved in ECCD provision.

We invite you to send us information about effective programmes in your region.

ChileTILNA (Workshops forLocal Integration, at aNational Level)Submitted by Salamon Magendzo

This note describes briefly a national project inChile that is trying, in an integrated way, tostrengthen the ability of local organizations andcommunity members to improve early childhoodcare and development, taking into account differ-ences in culture and conditions. The approach isbeing tried out in many localities throughout thecountry. qualifying it as a "national" programme.even though its focus is on local integration

The Project functions through what are called"Workshops for Local Integration", and is knownby its Latin acronym, TILNA Each TILNAWorkshop seeks to bring together early educa-tion teaLhers, helpers, mothers, young people.community leaders, communicators and otherprofessionals who work with and for children

I;

under the age of six in a given local community.In an interactive and cooperative way, theWorkshops try to unite specialized institutionsand community organizations concerned withearly childhood care and development (ECCD) atthe local level. The expectation is that theWorkshops can become self-standing joint ven-tures, serving as integrated mechanisms with localpresence and with a holistic approach. The goalis to allow community members and communi-ty-level institutions to develop a shared sense ofresponsibility for the early educ: 'ion of theiryoung children.

It is well known that the early chit ,od topicengages a large number of committed p whohold different viewpoints and function im dif-ferent institutional bases. An assumption of theTILNA project is that fostering interaction amongthe people who live in a specific community,(with its specific geographic, historical, social andcultural conditions), can lead to joint actions rein-forcing everyday practices, behaviours, culturaland artistic expressions that will improve the wel-

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fare of young children The process begins byinviting committed people to share their particu-lar experiences. They are then encouraged tomove beyond their particular institutional bound-aries by looking together into their local commu-nity, using a participatory, action-researchmethodology. The focus is to find out how exist-ing resources in the community can best bedrawn upon to favor early childhood develop-ment and to set up early childhood projects.

The T1LNA approach is a "positive" and con-structive approach. Its aim is not to compensatefor community shortcomings or scarcities, but is,rather, to identify and reinforce actual and poten-tial family and community assets residing in thepopular as well as the institutional culture of acommunity. At the same time, the approach doesnot ignore disadvantages. On the contrary, it isassumed that a community which develops a pos-itive concept of itself by appraisylg and develop-ing its potentialities, will also be capable of iden-tifying and coping with its deficiencies, but in anactive way that is totally different from that of atypical "compensatory" approach.Aims. Considering the above, the TILNA pro-ject has the following aims:

To favor the creation of an environment forexchange and the collective reinforcementamong all people in a community who aredirectly related to early childhood develop-ment.To recognize the contributions of everyworking group in the community by promot-ing dialogue among distinct cultures, provid-ing a base for real and positive transforma-tions in family, community, and institutionalconditions affecting early childhood. (This,of course, requires admitting from the outsetthat there is cultural diversity in the commu-nity and identifying not only what the differ-ences are, but also who the social protago-nists are for the different groups and howthey relate to each other.)To promote participation by parents and com-munity members in projects related to earlychildhood development, by using a participa-tory methodology.To develop a permanent working group, withautonomy and a strong management capaci-ty, which participates in the process of localdecision-making.To develop in the community the capacity toklentify, support. and dynamize all thosecommunity expressions that favor the devel-opment of the child.

Strategies. To achieve these aims, severalstrategies are required. First, a motivationalstrategy is necessary in order to get people tocommit to meeting in the workshops. Second, a

participatory method of working with familiesand communities is required. To foster the workwith families, several topics have been empha-sized in workshop sessions: popular culture; par-ticipatory methodologies and techniques; groupinteraction; and methods of promoting localdevelopment. Third, an action-research strategyis needed to help workshop participants a-idcommunity members to identify existingstrengths. Developing the skills to carry outsuch action research is an important part of theproject. It is precisely through this actionresearch that the TILNA hope to construct anew sense of knowledge and cooperation.Fourth, an organizational strategy is pursuedthat aims at converting each community work-shop into a self-sustaining entity, capable of car-rying on as a self-financing project.Organization. The overall programme of theTILNA is coordinated by a non-governmentalorganization called the InterdisciplinaryProgramme for Educational Research (PILE).Funding comes from a programme within theChilean government that is designed to improvethe quality of basic education in the country,including education and early development dur-ing the preschool years. The staff of PI1E arecharged with guiding the work of local coordi-nators (facilitators) in each community. Theselocal facilitators are responsible for the genera-tion of a learning process within the workshops,making use of a democratic and participatorymethodology. It is hoped that within thethree-year initial life of the project, independentlocal groups will be formed and functioning in away that will allow them to continue beyondthe immediate life of the project.

For more information about the TILNA experi-ence contact: Salamon Magendzo, Programalnterdisciplinario de Investigaciones enEducacion, Brown Sur 150, Nulioa, Santiago,Chile. Fax: (56-2) 204-7460

2

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Ghana

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Submitted by Seema Argawal

The Accra Declaration which came out ofGhana's National Seminar on Early ChildhoodDevelopment, October 1993, made children apriority for attention. It calls upon all relevantgovernment departments and agencies, NGOs,individuals and partners in ECCD to collectivelybroaden Ghana's scope and vision for young chil-dren. What follows is a description of a projectundertaken by UNICEF in collaboration withgovernment, NGOs and communities as a resultof the Accra Declaration.

In 1994 an ethnographic survey was undertak-en in the Afram Plains district of Ghana to identi-fy the current learning context of the ruralGhanaian child and to identify the changes thatcould be made in order to enhance this context.The study investigated both the formal and infor-mal contexts within which children live and learn.The aim was to develop processes that wouldempower pupils, teachers, community membersand district leaders to collaborate in the identifi-cation of problems and in finding solutions to acentral policy concern of the government Whydo children appear not to be learning much inschool?

Key people from the district/circuit andlocal/village communities were involved in theprocess of assessment. analysis reflection andplanning. They began by seeking information oneach of the child's learning environmentsthe

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home, the school, the community, the farm.Interviews and observations were carried out in asmany of these locations as possible. The surveywas undertaken in a limited number of school

-communities. 75 interviews were conducted withadults (parents, teachers, head teachers, commu-nity elders, and members .of the village/towndevelopment committees) and 50 children wereobserved and interviewed.

The survey and analysis focused primarily onthe health and well-being of the child. Questionswere asked about daily diet, pattern and type ofeating, use and quality of water sources, cleanli-ness, toilet and hygiene practices. and awarenessof causes of sickness. An attempt was also madeto describe a day in the life of a child, examiningthe child's work pattern in terms of daily andweekly cycles, social expectations, and rules gov-erning children's role in the family, with peers andwith the community. Mothers were asked aboutbreastfeeding practices and how they combintheir work with their childcare responsibilities.And children's learning/cognitive developmentwas assessed in terms of their abilities: to discrim-inate, sort and order; to establish and use cate-gories; to exhibit visual/motor coordinationthrough replicating patterns (circle, square, shape,first pattern), recognizing figures, manipulatingobjects, and creating drawings; to play games; touse toys or representations; and to demonstratetheir knowledge of the name of village, area, dis-trict, region. country

The research from the Afram Plains confirmedthat the health and nutritional status of the young

43

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child is at risk, and pointed to the poor quality ofLate gwen to young children by older children,by the elderly and by illiterate mothers who areconstrained due to their economic hardships andstruggle for daily food security. The study indi-cated that frequently parents are not involved inthe care of their children nor in preparing themfor school in the mornings. This leaves the chil-dren to fend for themselves and to provide for thefamily (i.e. preparing food for themselves andothers and ensuring that they eat, determiningwhat is consumed daily, collecting and usingwater, washing and cleaning, and to a largeextent, providing their own source of income forfood, clothing and schooling).

From the study a powerful picture emerged ofthe children as childminders. As women play animportant role in farming activities, they are rou-tinely absent from the household. Older children,both girls and boys, although more often girls,look after their young brothers and sisters athome, on the farm, or in the marketplace. Theperformance of this function invariably impliesthat they can not go to school. Moreover the factthat chOdcare functions are carried out in an iso-lated. uneducated environment, determines thatthe outcome is often poor. The problems whichcause difficulty in school, such as lack of goodhealth, sight and hearing defects, lack of concen-tration, low learning ability, and poor self-esteem,are generally rooted by the age of four.

Based on the results of the survey, several newinitiatives were undertaken. The Childscope (Child-School-Community) Project is an integrated com-munity-based development project which placesthe child at the centre and uses the school as theentry point in involving the community inimproving the care and learning of young chil-dren. Particular emphasis is placed on replacingoutmoded teaching methods with methods whichpromote active learning and critical thinking.Adopting the philosophy of the Child-to-Childapproach, the Childscope Project is making school-based teaching and learning child-centred, relat-ed to the care and nutrition needs and responsi-bilities of children and the general promotion ofhealth. It is believed that by making learning rele-vant and fun, the interaction between the childand school becomes an active, enriching experi-ence, rather than passive, tiring and alienating.Linking basic education with intersectoral priori-ties of better health, nutrition, water and sanita-tion, hygiene, food production and childcarepractices encourages community participationand fosters closer links between the child, theschool, and the community. In essence, the pro-ject empowers communities and teachers to owntheir school and to improve the relevance andefficiency of the primary classes in order to attractand keep more children in school, especially girls.

UNICEF, in cooperation with DANIDA andthe Danish National Federation of EarlyChildhood Youth Education (BUPL), have initi-ated a programme to upgrade the nationalTraining Institute for Early Childhood Educators, both

physically and professionally, so that it can oper-ate as a resource centre. The aim is to improve the

professional competence and skills of a coregroup of educators placed at the National Centreand at the community level

Credit with Education is another programmewhich was begun, managed by the internationalNGO, Freedom from Hunger. The project isdesigned to enable poor women in rural areas ofGhana to increase their incomes and savings andto motivate them to undertake nutritionally ben-eficial behaviour to improve their householdsecurity, nutrition and health status, and the carepractices for their children. Through this pro-gramme rural banks offer credit to the womenand these women are also provided with an edu-cational programme focussing on basic account-ing skills, primary healthcare, nutrition and child-care. The focus on good parenting is a central fea-ture of the programme.

For more information on Early Childhood pro-grammes in Ghana, contact: Seema Argawal c/oDr. David Harding, UNICEF House, 73 LodhiEstate, New Delhi 110 003, India. Fax: (91-11)462-7521. Or: Adwoa Sey, Project Officer,UNICEF, P.O. Box 5051, Accra-North, GHANA.Tel: (233-21) 777972; Fax: (233-21) 773147

BangladeshWomen's SavingsGroupSubmitted by Lisa Lanier Krift

In 1972, Save the Children (SC) began workingin Nasirnagar, one of the poorest areas inBangladesh. Eighty-six percent of the populationlives in poverty. Women and children are mostaffected: the maternal mortality rate is 165 deathsper 100,000 live births (one of the highest in theworld), and the under-five mortality rate is 150deaths per 1,000. In addition, over 90% of thechildren who survive infancy are malnourished.

The aim of Save the Children in Bangladesh isto measurably improve the lives of poor womenand their children within the context of the fami-ly and community through sustainable integratedprogrammes Women's Savings Groups (WSGs) arethe mechanism through which the poorestwomen are targeted with mutually-reinforcingsectoral interventions in education, health and

44

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economic development. The WSGs also providea structured forum for discussion and decision-making on issues affecting the family and com-munity.

The WSGs provide a mechanism throughwhich SC can focus on women's empowermentand child development. In partnership with alarge-scale, national NGO, Save the Children isimplementing a women's development and creditprogramme which currently covers 201 Women'sSavings Groups. The local partner implementsthe savings and credit component of the pro-gramme and Save the Children provides assis-tance in group formation and training in variousaspects of social development.

Save the Children's Women-Child Impact pro-gramme has produced a Women's Savings Grouptraining curriculum which integrates economicdevelopment, child development, maternal/childhealth and group management components. Thecurriculum is action-oriented and enables thewomen to gain skills related to savings and cred-it, group management, health and family plan-ning, nonformal primary education and genderissues. Training and credit activities supporthealth interventions that include child survivalmaternal and reproductive health, includingSTD/HIV prevention.

Through an Early Childhood Care andDevelopment project, a Child-to-Child pro-gramme, and an Adolescent Family LifeEducation programme, Save the Childrenaddresses the educational needs of children frominfancy through adolescence, with an emphasis

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on practical life skills. The Early Childhood Careand Development project trains parents to carryout low-cost, home-based activities that addressdevelopmental needs of preschool children andencourage longer-term educational attainment.Caregiving messages are conveyed within theintegrated WSG curriculum and reinforcedthrough playful activities which parents aretaught to do with their children. The Child-to-Child programme was designed to develop thechildcare skills of older children (ages 8-11) whocare for their younger siblings. An AdolescentFamily Life Education programme has been initi-ated to address the needs of young adults, manyof whom become young parents before they areemotionally or physically equipped.

Action research is a vital component of Savethe Children's programme in Bangladesh. Savethe Children places a particular emphasis onassessing the impact of the Women's SavingsGroups on the health, fertility, and educationalwell-being of women and children in order tocontribute to the growing body of research onthe impact of women's empowerment on devel-opment. Both quantitative and qualitative meth-ods of research are used to assess programmeimpact. Results of research are used to designinnovative programmes and influence policy atthe national level.

For further information contact: Lisa LanierKrift . Co-Director SC/US-----Bangladesh . G.P 0Box 421 , Dhaka Rm. Bangladesh. Tel: (880-2)315291; Fax: (880-2) 813019

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The NetherlandsProfile of M1M: aCommunity MothersProgramme in BredaSubmitted by Marian H. Hanrahan, Bert Prinsen,Yvonne de Graaf

There is a CommunityMothers Programme inthe Netherlands called Mothers Informing Mothers,we call it MIM for short. It was developed as partof the regular health services for parents and

preschool children in The Netherlands. The aimsof the programme are to support young parentswith parenting: helping them to cope, stayabreast of their child's development, and preventchildrearing problems. All mothers of first chil-dren are offered the programme, but specialattention is given to reaching socially disadvan.taged groups and members of migrant communi-ties, The main focus is on mothers ' By trying toreinforce their sense of self-esteem M1M hopesthereby to improve their ability to be self-sup-porting parents. In doing so they, as the maineducators, may increase the opportunities foroptimal development and health for their chil-dren This Dutch programme was adapted fromthe Irish Community

Mothers Programme andthe Child Development Programme from theUnited Kingdom.

The MIM programme uses experienced moth-ers to help provide educationalsupport for new

parents in learning effectiveprimary health and

educational practices. The experienced mothers

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visit the young mother in her home. They live inthe same neighborhood and they usually havesimilar backgrounds. The experienced motherwill use her own standards and experiences as amother to support and assist the young mother.In doing so she tries to give as little advice as pos-sible; rather she aims to support the young moth-er in finding her own answers to day to day ques-tions and in resolving problems as they arise. Theprogramme starts early, ideally just before con-finement, and lasts until the baby is 18 monthsold. The community mothers are supported by ahealth visitor specialized in child health and wel-fare.

I Programme developmentThe programme was developed with the aid of

mothers in Breda. a middle-sized town situated inone of the southern provinces of the Netherlands,in comunction with the NICW (the NetherlandsInstitute of Care and Welfare) with financial sup-port coming from the Bernard van LeerFoundation. Impetus for the programme camefrom young mothers who wanted help coping asparents and the kriiikvereniging Brcli who wanted toimprove their health educational

services.A krurseciniiioig is a voluntary association serv-ing the community as a community nursing

agency offering parent-child care/healtlt services,home nursing and nutritional support Often thekruisverniignig is part of a larger organization whichalso provides home help and social work services.

The parent-child care/health service% provide%well-baby and toddler-clinics, and screening for

46

PKU/CHT. (t is instrumental in carrying out thenational vaccination programme and providesindividual support to parents with special needs.The often specialized community nurses willmake housecalls when appropriate. The parentand child health services are funded by state leg-islation with an additional annual subscription toa kruisvereniging (approximately 50 guilders).Nearly all parents with preschool children aremembers of such an association. The kruisvereing-lugs together cover a full national network.

The NICW is the national institute responsiblefor research and development on behalf of healthand welfare services in an extensive field coveringthe elderly, homecare. young people, refugeefacilities and local welfare work. It incorporatesthe Centre for Professional and Vocational Affairsand the Information Centre on Care and Welfare.The institute is primarily concerned with innova-tion and improvement in the quality of the workin the field. It promotes a coherent approach tothis work. Most of its activities are undertaken inclose collaboration with field agencies in the formof projects. Its products are intended for service-providers and include professional manuals,descriptions of models, training programmes,conferences and surveys of the current state ofand developments within the care and welfaresectors.

Within the MIM project the institute wasinstrumental in the development and publicationof practical products:

the 'coordinators handbook' on how to start the MIM

programme in a kruisvereniging Tins book is geared

toward health visitors specialized in child health and

welfare;

--t1 book On the theoretical background of the method and

essence of the programme;

the results of an action-research project,

the programme sequence of cartoons and home visiting

checklist,

The Dutch materials were based on the car-toons and other materials of the Irish CommunityMothers Programme from the Eastern HealthBoard in Dublin Dutch mothers helped tochoose the most appropriate themes After thatthey were instrumental in the adaptation processof the cartoons. This was needed to take intoaccount the cultural differences between Irish andDutch mothers. Finally the mothers helped toadapt the accompanying descriptions of the car-toons

Programme aimsThe programme aims are similar to the Irish

Community Mothers Programme. but MIM putsmore emphasis on pedagogiLal support The programme seeks not only to improve the effective-ness of primary health education directed towardparents from socioeconomically disadvantaged

groups, hut is also directed toward refugees anddisplaced persons. The programme wishes toempower mothers. Simultaneously however, itinfluences the organization of care as provided bythe kruisvereniging

Programme results so farAt present the programme is being implement-

ed in a limited way by similar associationsthroughout the country. The programme hasbeen instrumental in Breda in enhancing the qual-ity of ongoing parent support activities. A clearunderstanding of the range and type of questionsfrom parents to the "experienced"' communitymothers has also influenced practices at well-babyclinics. For example, the Programme plays a sup-portive role in delivering health education infor-mation. The experienced community mothersmake a clear distinction between health educa-tional advice with a link towards screening activi-ties (inoculations. sight, physical development)and pedagogical support (importance of mothers'role in speech and cognitive development, talkand play with the baby).

Parents receiving the service appear as a rule tobe increasingly self-reliant and confident. Alsothe programme increases the outreach effect of akruisvereniging. On a programme level, MIM offersmuch more time for individual attention and tai-lormade support. Despite a difficult economic cli-mate within kruisverenigingen, where there is a shiftaway from preventive health activities due to lackof funds, the tentative results of the MIM projectare favorable to warrant further activity in startinga national experiment.

The original programme started in 1991 with apreparatory phase and ended in April 1994 with aprogramme report and four publications. All doc-umentation is available in Dutch. The action-research results show that mothers of differentsocial backgrounds benefitted from the pro-gramme. Because of the encouraging results fromthis action-research project it is now possible totalk to other interested directors of care aboutusing and extending the programme to their orga-nization.

At present, there are four organizations work-ing or just starting to work (September 1995)with the programme. They are situated M differ-ent locations in the Netherlands. Their financingcomes trom different sources. One association hasrearranged budget parameters with permission ofthe regional health insurer, another receives asubsidy from the local municipal authority. Athird is using funding from a charitable founda-tion. Breda itself has funded the continuation ofMIM by exercising costcutting measures. Itappears that other organizations could use similarbudgetary measures to finance their participationin such a programme

47IP

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III Further activitiesSome directors ot the kruisverempigen are very

interested in the effects of the programme. Thesedirectors are considering participating in furtherresearch on health benefits and costs. We areplanning to establish a national consortium con-sisting of all participating agencies and the origi-nal stakeholders to ensure that quality of care isassured and support is guaranteed. We are at pre-sent in the middle of a promotional drive andimplementing the programme which will last untilMay 1996 with the aim of finding enough organi-zations willing to embrace the programme andact as research sites. It is hopcd that by May 1996enough organizations will participate in the nextstage of the effort to enable the start of a nation-wide research project on the effects of nonprofes-sional intervention in parenting.

Further research on the effectiveness of theprogramme and innovations in childcare are aprerequisite for future developments and a deci-sion is needed whether or not to integrate theprogramme on a statutory basis. Within theresearch project, the programme will be judgedusing health and welfare indicators and changesin outcome, such as changes in health status. Wehave a working relationship with the Dublin pro-ject and hope to replicate their findings. In thatway we hope to test the effectiveness of the pro-gramme so that with the results the decision tofund the programme as an integral part of thenational parent-child care/health services couldbe possible. We hope that as a result of researchfindings and innovations in childcare the MIMprogramme might be incorporated in the statuto-

ry services by the year 2000. We are presentlylooking tor research funding.

As part of our information sharing efforts weare currently planning to organize an internation-al workshop with other early childhood develop-ment groups in the European region. The work-shop will take place in the Netherlands. Wewould like to participate in the European networkof early childhood development with the aim ofworking toward the development of a

Collaborating Centre. We hope in this way tocontribute to the accessibility of information onthe effectiveness of health promotion and healtheducation in this field.

For more information on the programme con-tact: Marian Hanrahan, National Coordinator ofMIM Programme, Postbus 19152, 3501 DDUtrecht. Tel: (31-30) 306393; Fax: (31-30)319641. e mai M. Hanrahan@nizw.nl

I The word mother's, is used to mean the person whonurtures or cares tor a child This may mean that the actu-al daily caring for the baby could be done by females andmales.

4 8

NetworkNotesLetters to

the Editor P.47

Regional

Networks P.49

InternationalOrganizations p.51

Meetings in 1995 p.64

Meetings in 1996 P.67

Publicationsand Videos p 69

Calendar p 76

-0446.4. .gro

NetworkN tesLetters to the EditorThe next issue of the Coordinators. Notebook will address thetopic of quality in early childhood programming We invite submis-

sions and communication about this topic and your related experiences

Caracas, 13th of July, 1995I have just received the last Coordinators' Notebook, Issue # 16. I amvery grateful for that...Your publication has proved to be extremelyinteresting to our group, due to the fact that we concentrate ourwork with families and children who live under poverty.

During the last three years we have been working with non-schooling children from 8-15 years of age, their families and com-munities using the same model we developed for the preschoolchildren belonging to the poorest sectors of Caracas. The model isa non-conventional, integral approach where the 'promotores' arethe key people to deliver the programme. It has been a completesuccess, and has been recognized as an innovation in the realm ofnonformal education by the Biennale de LEducation et laFormation, at La Sorbonne, Paris. April 1994, where a paper aboutit was delivered.

We are almost finishing a longitudinal project about Interactionbetween mothers and babies belonging to the barrios. The finalproduct is a Technical Report, and a 'package' containing a manual forpromotores, a manual for the mothers, a video with successful interac-tion situations from the same mothers a.t 1, 3, 6, and 12 months ofage of the babies; an audio cassette with key themes on health anddevelopment (based on the experience of the most needed infor-mation). We hope to have everything ready by November '95.

Based on the interaction protect we are about to start a new pro-ject working with mothers and babies in prison, in the uniquemother-baby prison in this country It is a very innovative pro-gramme which has the support ot the British Council and theBritish Embassy, plus the Ministry of Justice

Hoping to keep in touch with you

M. Angelica Sepulveda LeightonDirector. CENDIF-UNIMITUniversidad MetropolitanaApartado Postal 76819 El MarquesCaracas 1070 A, Venezuela

Bangladesh,15th of June,1995Thank you very much for your letter which I received severalweeks ago. I am very pleased to be kept up to date with theConsultative Group.

Last year. while still Associate Professor of Paediatrics I wasinvolved in starting four breastteeding corners (help centres) in 4

government hospisals in Dhaka, including the Post GraduateInstitute of Medicine and Research. Part of the activities of thesecentres is to motivate mothers to breastteed. During these sessionswe encourage fathers to be present as well. We have observed thatmothers do better with breastfeeding if fathers are involved inthese antenatal sessions or at postnatal counselling sessions. Ourresearch is also showing that even mothers with these counsellingsessions with caesarian sections are doing better than mothersdelivering normally.

Yours sincerely,Dr. Shameem AhmedHealth ScientistMCH-FP Extension Project (Rural/International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research ilCDDRB)GPO 128 Dhaka-1000 Bangladesh

India, the 22nd of June,1995Thank you very much for sending us two recent issues of theCoordinators' Notebook. I find the articles very helpful, especially thesummaries of research projects as I am in the process of puttingtogether my ideas on a research proposal based on the series ofvideo films and workbooks recently completed us.

The series we have made is on Child Development (birth to 5

years) and is intended primarily for caregivers and teachers of chil-dren in group settings, in disadvantaged locations. Generally, theseadults have not had the benefit of systematic training.

We shall greatly appreciate being included in your mailing listfor the CG and will share our activities with you.

Yours sincerely,Ranjan Amin, DirectorPRAKRITI Women's CentreCollege of Home ScienceNirmala Niketan49, New Marine LinesBombay, 400 020

Lao PDR, the 12th of March,1995Thank you very much for sending me theCoordinators Notebook. I really appreciatedseeing the Executive Summary from ourstudy printed in the related research sec-tion.Following the recommendations ofthat study ot traditional childrearing prac-tices, I am now assisting the local team tostart the Early Childhood and FamilyDevelopment Project. The project is a pilotproject for two years and focusses onCaregiver Education. We are taking the tripin two days to Hoauphan province to planthe project with villagers and local officials.The project will involve developing locallyappropriate curriculum and materials ontraining child caregivers at villages oi differ-ent ethnic groups. It will also involve build-ing and training the technical teams at the

IM

Letters tothe Editor

Letters tothe Editor

tr

local and central levels It you have any new documents or materialsrelated to Caregiver Education at the village level we would beinterested in knowing about or receiving them

For more information on the study or project You can also con-tact Ms Ng Shui Meng. the Education and WID Project Officer atUNICEF Lao PDR.

Thank you for your useful work in Early Childhood Care andDevelopment. Please do keep in touch.

Warm regardsSomporn PhaniarunitiUNICEFP.O. Box 1080

Vientiane Lao PDR

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Latin AmericaWithin the Latin American region a large number of networks per-taining to the young child have been developed over the past fewyears. These can be classified roughly as follows:

General child development communicationnetworks:Red para la Infamia y Ia Familia de America Latina y

el Carthe

Thematic Networks:The Child Rights Network (see article on p. 33

dealing with the ConventionLiga de Leaf'

Sectoral or disciplinary networks (linked tohealth, psychology or education)The International Society for the Study of Behavioral

Development (ISM)The Centro Latinoamencano de Perinatologia (CLAP)

The Latin American Network of Educational

hiformation and Documentation (REDLIC)

An analysis of these networks is provided ir.?_ the publication.Hacia el Fortalecuniento de Ac cionec e Interacciones en Favor de la Ninez

Infontie del Primer Encuento solve Redes de Nmez de America Latina y el Carthe.

(May 19941 which is available from:CINDECra 33. No 91-50Santafe dc Bogota. COLOMBIATel (5711256-4116 Fax (571(218-7598

Yearly symposia involving many of these actors have been orga-nized by the Organization of American States, with the collaborationof UNICEF, UNESCO. the Pan American Health Organizationand others. The November 1994 symposium was held in Lima,Peru and the 1095 Symposium titled 'Programa de DesarrolloIntegral para la Infancia en Contextos de Probreza took placeSeptember 25 to 2) in San lose Costa Rica For information aboutthese meetings and for publications resulting Irorn them contact:

Gaby Fujimoto Organization of American StatesDepartment of Educational Al fairslith and Constitution Ave N W

,

Fax: (2021 458-3140

51

AfricaThe Early Childhood Development Network for Africa (ECDNA)is moving ahead. As a result of a meeting in South Africa inFebruary the proposal draft of December 1994 was reviewed andchanges made. The new proposal was then shared with donoragencies and the wider ECD community within Africa. The pro-posal was further refined at a meeting in Uganda, August 18-22,1995 The Uganda meeting resulted in a revised proposal thatfocuses or. ,he identification, selection and description of 3-5 casestudies of innovative ECCD programmes (family-based, communi-ty-based and centre-based). Results will be translated into policypapers, videos, pamphlets, etc. for distribution to specific targetaudiences.

The ECDNA proposal was shared at the Development forAfrican Education (DAE) Meeting held October 18-21 in Tours,France. Included in the proposal is a recommendation that theECDNA be recognized as a Working Group within the DAE.(Note: when this issue of the CN went to Press the DAE meetinghad not yet been held.) For more information about ECDNA contact:

Margaret KabiruNACECE'DICECEKenya Institute of EducationP.O. Box 30231

RegionalNetworks

Nairobi, KENYATel: (254-2) 748204,747994Fax: (254-2) 746973

Kathy BartlettAga Khan FoundationP.O. Box 61791211 Geneva 6, SwitzerlandTel: (41-22) 736-0344Fax (41-22) 736-0948

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Middle EastOver the past few years the Arab Resource Collective has orga-nized a number of workshops/seminars designed to provide a net-working function in the region. Dialogue 95 was another seminarthat is part of the process. It was held July 10-15 in Cyprus. Themeeting brought together practitioners and policymakers from dif-ferent sectors who have specific responsibility for ECCD and com-plementary programmes. In addition to the promotion of network-ing, objectives of the seminar included: to collaborate in producinga conceptual framework consistent with the Convention on theRights of the Child: to guide programming; to set priorities forwork in thc region; to organize subsequent training seminars; topromote networking; to establisha newsletter; and to begin thecompilation and assessment ofexisting Arabic resources inECCD. For more information onDialogue 95, see page 66. For moreinformation on the Arab ResourceCollective. contact

Ghanem BihiArab Resource CollectiveP O. Box 7380Nicosia. CYPRUSTel: (3572) 452670Fax: (3572) 452539

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:n-:arnat'uonai,:)rganizatIonsCG SecretariatThe CC Secretariat, with the collaboration of the CG participatingorganizations, is putting together a World Wide Web site (HomePage) on Early Childhood Care and Development: internationalresources in support of young children (0-8) and their families.The site will include information on ECCD, the CC, internationaland regional networks, programming, policy, research, literature,audio-visual and other resources, and key issues in ECCD. WorldWide Web links will be provided to all the major on-line resourcesrelating to ECCD, including the home pages for participatingorganizations such as UNICEF, World Bank, and IDRC. We arepleased to provide information and texts from programmes. projects,NCOs, and others active in ECCD to the extent we can. We willbe establishing a data base of programme profiles, for example, andwould welcome materials describing your efforts !please send allinformation on disk, in either WordPerfect, MS-Word, or anothercommon word processing software, and specify which softwareyou have used I. There will also be opportunities to participate inmoderated discussions on specific topics, and to order materials onECCD via e-mail from participating organizations. Through theECCD Home Page you should also have access to the text of all themajor international documents anti initiatives referred to in the CN.

The CG Home Page should be up and running by November. Forthe address, please send an e-mail request to: cgroup@erocker.com.Please send all papers, materials, program descriptions and bookreviews to us, on disk, at: The Consultative Group, 6 The Lope,

Haydenville, MA 01039.

UNICEFYoung Child Renaissance Envisioned f n Florence' UN I CEF Early

Childhood Development Policy Update (Florence, 31 May-6 June,1995) by Cyril Dalais.

Thirty representatives from thirteen agencies promoting earlychild development (ECD) programmes worldwide met at theInternational Child Development Centre in Florence, Italy from 31May to 6 June, 1995. The meeting, convened by UNICEF, aimedat reviewing the interagency policy paper on ECD, "Towards aComprehensive Strategy for the Development of the YoungChild", adopted in 1993 by several agencies as a common basis torbuilding partnership for action in ECD. and also aimed at updatingthis policy paper in line with the UNICEF Basic Education Strategypaper approved by its Executive Board on 26 May, 1995.

What did we ask the participants to do?To review strategies set out in the booklet Early Childhoodprttelotinicnt The (-hallow and the Opportionty ( I 993), with special

reference to girls, children in emergencies. and the disabled child.

To consider the community as a major source ot support to par-ents and other caregivers in the family, including older siblings,and to seek mechanisms to ensure effective partnerships betweenfamilies and communities Key issues discussed were parents asfirst educators. parenting and adult education

'This summary , as taken if,111 an article WI men hs. ril Dalai,. for EducatiorNews the Newsletter of tile UNICIT Education Cluster luly, i(n)5 Issue N

I 3 A special report of the workshop will be included in the October issueEducation News 53

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To analyse the costing and financing of ECD programmes andmore efficient ways of monitoring and evaluating them.

Principles tor action, straiegies for better policy formula-tion/development, advocacy, capacity building and field supportwill be established from such reviews and discussions.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) was seen asan important tool, and as the right framework for the promotion ofthe value of the family, the principles of shared parental responsi-bilities, and the defense of children's rights. The CRC should beused not only as an advocacy tool but also as a basis by which toimprove ECD programming and evaluation

How did we proceed?Starting with the presentation of a position paper, country illus-trations from Africa, Asia, Latin America and North America pro-vided interesting contrasts.

Information was shared on initiatives led by institutions.

How did we conclude?The Florence meeting appealed for the inclusion of ECD in a broad-

er framework of human capacity enhancement. Participants concludedwith a call for the renaissance of the young child. The following 'head-lines" were proposed to summarize the workshop conclusions:

ECD as thefoundation t not the complement ) of basic education.

The family as the fundamental institution for young child protec-tion, care and development under assault.

Young child and family policies called for!

Key problems identified.

Multisectoral, multilevel linkages to be forged.

From vision to action.As a direct follow-up to this seminar UNICEF will:

Disseminate the conclusions and recommendations of the PolicyUpdate,

Take the Innocenti Agenda to various regions; (See description ofThailand meeting on page 76)

Prepare a flier for circulation at the World Women's Conference(Beijing, September, 1995) and the "Sommet de la Francophonie"(Contonu, November, 1995). This flier will also help prepare theway for the next EFA Forum meeting (Amman, MayJune, 1996);

Prepare a Summary Report of the Workshop and circulate it to allparticipants prior to publication by the Innocenti Centre (October, 1995);

Revise and edit the papers presented at this meeting for publica-tion in the Innocenti Centre's Child in Focus series.

World BankBy the end of fiscal 1994, the World Bank will have lent cumula-tively over US $745 million for projects that integrate health,nutrition and early childcare services for young children. Theseloans have been made through free-standing projects and ac part ofother social sector projects. Free-standing projects includc:

delivering services directly to childrenColomhia's CommunityChild Care and Nutrition Project, Bolivia's Integrated ChildDevelopment Project,

educating caregiversMexico's Initial Education Project,

creating awareness and increasing demandNigeria'sDevelopment Communications Protect.

providing an integrated approach--India's first and second IntegratedChild Development Projects and the Tamil Nadu Integrated teit

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International Early childhood proiects which are part of other social sectorefforts include,Organizations Innovations in Basic Education in Brazil Primary Education

Improvement in Chile.

Social Development in Ecuador;

Social Rehabilitation in El Salvador,

Health. Water and Sanitation in Guyana: and

Social Development in Venezuela.New bank initiatives are being developed. In Asia this involves poli-

cy discussions on integrated early childhood development projectsfrom Indonesia. the Philippines and Vietnam. In Kazakhstan andRussia social development projects with ECCD components are beingcreated. In Latin America projects are being developed in Paraguay,and in Colombia there are discussions of expanding the communityand home-based daycare centre programme In the Middle East theGovernment of Turkey has requested suppor: to disseminate a pro-gramme on parental education (see article on page 24 , And in Africa.regional sector studies are being undertaken in three countries.What follows is a description of the African studies

Regional Initiative in EarlyChildhood Development inAfrica:Three Case StudiesOverview. The World Bank is accumulating experience in ECCDthrough investments in Mexico, India, Bolivia. Colombia, Chile.Venezuela, El Salvador and the Philippines. However, apart from alarge project on parent education through mass communications inNigeria. the Bank has not been involved in other parts of Africa. Yetthe need is great. In many African countries infant mortality rates andnutritional deficiencies in mothers and children continue to be amongthe highest in the world. Where child survival is less of an issue, thechallenge at hand is to go beyond physical survival and to promoteearly cognitive and sociomotor development. However, beforeincreasing investment in Africa, three studies are being undertakento better understand the situation of the African child and family.

Key issues being addressed include defining the appropriate andeffective form of child development services, the organization andmanagement ot integrated service delivery, defining the role of theState and the appropriate policy environment, and the costs andfinancing of early childhood development services. Specific issuesof interest are being explored through case studies in Kenya,Mauritius and South Africa.

The objectives of the project include:Knowledge generation. To acquire a better understanding of the emerging

needs for child development services in the context of the changingconditions of African mothers and children, and their impact onchildrearing practices and the subsequent well-being of children.

Capacity building. To develop the indigenous research base andcapacity in the area of maternal and early childhood developmentby working together with African researchers, educators. NGOs,women s groups and Government ministries

AdrocaLy To influence country and donor policy, financing, pro-gramming and its implementation aimed at maternal and earlychildhood development particularly integrated services of health.nutrition and early education and wider family and communitysupport serviceThe Kenya case swdv has been completed What follows is a

summary of that study and a description of the studies being under-taken in Mauritius and South Africa which are not yet complete.

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Kenya Case Study: ChangingChildrearing In KenyaSubmitted by Elizabeth Sivadeuer for the World Bank

This national study, carried out from January through May 1995,sought to explore the effects of recent (past 10-15 years) socioeco-nomic change on childrearmg practices, including problems facingfamilies with young children. Additionally, the study examinedboth traditional and contemporary childcare strategies and encour-ages all participants to make recommendations for the improve-ment of the care of children under age three. The study utilizedsmall group interviews with 462 parents, grandparents, siblings,preschool teachers, community leaders, and professionals workingwith children and families in 8 districts of Kenya, representing 4types of settings: (1) traditional/pastoralist, (2) rural/ agricultural;(3) plantation/ tea and coffee estates; and (4) urban/high popula-tion density. Within these districts, 4-5 locations were sampled toprovide further diversity

The most common theme in regard to socioeconomic changesand associated problems affecting families was the issue of increasingpoverty and an array of related problems. First among these, interms of frequency with which different financial problems werementioned, was the cost of living te.g. providing food clothing,shelter) and second was the rapidly rising costs of educating childrenin Kenya. Family changes were also noted, including the rapidtransition from a communal, extended family model (in whicholder relatives were available for childcare) to an individual,nuclear family context, in which working parents were left with fewoptions for care, particularly for children under three. This problemwas particularly acute in plantation and urban (slum ) settings,where parents tended to work long hours and could rarely afford achildminder. Older siblings typically had major responsibility forthe care of younger children. In Samburuand Masai communities.grandmothers still provided much of the under-three care

Policy and Programmatic Recommendations

Future initiatives should utilize an inclusive definition of ECCD and notlimit provision of resources to formal early childhood programmes,

Family enhancement and parent support models should be activelyexplored with parents and communities in order to best meet local needs;

Ways to relieve parents of the financial burden of the rising cost ofliving, particularly the costs related to schooling their children,should be actively pursued; such approaches could include creation

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of "Community Children's Trusts", or a sliding fee scale so thatmore children can participate in preschool and primary;

Home-based services to parents, mobile health clinics and trainingfor preschool teachers in primary health should be increased;

Intersectoral collaboration at national district and local levelsshould be increased, with more active sharing of limited resourcesto beneht young children and their families;

l3ifferent models of serving children under three should be activelyexplored and encouraged (e.g. home-based or family childcare,improvement of full daycare centres to better meet the needs ofinfants and toddlers, and encouragement of parent cooperatives);

Feeding programmes and primary health activities should beencouraged. if not required, in all ECCD programmes, with feed-ing programmes in areas of greatest need (e.g. plantations, slumsand settings experiencing drought) providing 25-10% of children'sminimum daily nutritional requirements;

More flexible working cond.tions for nursing mothers should beactively sought from employers, with an examination of maternalleave policies undertaken; and

Community-based committees should be elected to oversee a pro-gramme of expanded ECCD services in Kenya. which should opti-mize local input and increase the likelihood of building on. versusundermir,(ng or competing with, local strengths and communitycontri;:, .ions.In addition, two other priority areas to help ensure the success of

any ECCD initiative in Kenya are training and transportation. Theneed for expanded training of teachers, parent education, andtraining of local preschool committee members in leadership andmanagement are critical. Training in primary health promotionshould also be expanded. The area of transportation is critical forDistrict Education staff, given that their job involves communitymobilisation, supervision of teachers, and encouragement of inter-sectoral collaboration to benefit children and families. It is furtherrecommended that this report be disseminated at a series of com-munity forums, beginning with the districts which participated inthe study in order to contribute further to the planning process.

Mauritius Case Study:Quality Child CareMauritius was chosen because it provides an excellent case forreviewing the effects of the burgeoning demand for childcareresulting from an increase in women's participation in the laborforce. Mauritius is also piloting a unique financing scheme througha cost-sharing partnership between the Government and the pri-vate sector

The specific objectives of the Mauritius study include:To assess present daycare practices in terms of coverage and quality

2. To propose minimum norms and standards to he included in legislation.3 To recommend policy and programme interventions to the GovernmentThe study will provide an analysis of daycare centres, with a

focus on determining the quality of two basic types ot provisionThese will include daycare centres that operate in the formal sec-tor, run on a commercial basis, and home dayc.re that operates inthe informal sector. comprising services provided hy neighbors,grandparents and/or relatives The study will include a comparisonbetween the quality and level of care in both models The qualita-tive and quantitative data generated will provide information thatcan serve as the basis for the framing of policies to promote earlychildhood development.

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South African Case Study:Assessment of Cost-effec-tive Integrated Strategiesfor 0-4 Year OldsAfter years of lobbying by early childhood groups, the SouthAfrican Government has finally come to view early childhooddevelopment as the starting point for a human resource develop-ment strategy and plans major initiatives in this area in the future.(See discussion of the process of getting early childhood on theagenda in South Africa in the ). Evans lead article.) However, at thepresent time these plans will be focussed on the inclusion of 5-year-olds in the compulsory phase of gen-eral education. There is now a need tohave a more adequate understanding of theservices that can be provided to veryyoung children (0-4 years of age).

Previous studies identified the high costsof serving infants and toddlers in formalcentre-based programmes, which are clearlybeyond South Africa's economic resources.What advocates have proposed is toexpand the use ot lower-cost home-basedprogramme options, but there has been no study to evaluate therelative benefits and efficiency of such programmes. The presentstudy will focus on these questions as well as address intersectorallinkages in programmes for this age group.The results of the studywill be provided within the context of the general situation of fami-lies and children, and within the field of early childhood develop-ment in South Africa. Specific data will be collected in relation tothe identification and description of on-going home-based pro-grammes serving children from birth to 4 years of age. Existingprogrammes will be described in terms of their origin and whothey serve, their objectives, coverage, the services provided, train-ing and support for staff, constraints and lessons learned. Data willalso be collected on the costs and financing of the various models.

The methodology of the study includes the following activities:

Existing documentation will be summarised and updated to includethe most recent statistics on women in the labor force, the impactof AIDS and other social variables,

Case studies will be prepared involving the close examination of 10programmes, describing in detail their impact in their particularcontext, the costs associated with the model and its potential forreplicability. Programs from different regions will be studied inorder to have a representative sample of geographic location. pop-ulations targeted by race and social class, the sectors involved inthe programme, and alternative financing models;

Impact indicators will be developed. These will attempt to measurethe impact of the programme on the child, the family and the com-munity. In terms of the child, there will be an assessment of thechild's health status and an assessment of how children are pro-gressing in terms of their general development. In the absence oftime to do longitudinal follow-up or even tracking of children, thestudy will rely on generally accepted indicators of developmentalprogress. Attempts will be made to see if there is an impact on themothers. And effects on the community will be sought in terms ofenvironmental indicators (such as safety, sanitation, etc.) thatmight be impacted by the programme;

Data will be gathered through individual and group interviews.questionnaires, observations, financial statements/records, growthmonitoring records and other progress reports

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Organizations gramme tor the 0-4 age group. The Draft White Paper on Welfareand Social Development (currently in preparation I will contain aNational Programme of Action for Children which has prioritizedservices for 0-4 year olds. The report on this study will be linkedto the guidelines in the White Paper as well as to the articles of theConvention on the Rights ot the Child. By creating the links toemerging state policy in concrete ways, this case study can contributeto the development ot services for children 0-4 in South Atrica.

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USAIDAs part of the reorganization of the U S Agency tor InternationalDevelopment USAID in 1994 the Bureau tor Global Programs,Field Support and Research 'Global Bureau; was established. Oneot the five 'centers of excellence in the Global Bureau is theCenter tor Human Capacity Development G/HCD1. (The othercenters are: Democracy and Governance. Economic Growth,Environment and Population Health and Nutrition ,

The Center tor Human Capacity Development provides techni-cal leadership research evaluation and tield support services to3 chleve USAID strategic goals and help nations improve andexpand access to the quality and effectiveness of learning Opportu-nities in formal, nontormal and informal educational settings.

The development of human capacitythe ability of people todiscover learn, improve and maintain which permits them to par-ticipate at all levels of society in matters which affect themis alifelong learning process Beginning at birth in the family circle andextending into the community, marketplace and formal classroom,people gain the knowledge. cultural values, understanding andskills required for survival, individual fulfillment and their partici-pation in and contribution to society

Increasing human capacity is essential to promoting economicgrowth, protecting the environment, limiting population growth,improving child and family health, achieving democracy andresponding effectively to natural and manmade crises and disasters.

G/HCD is organized to achieve two strategic objectives (SOOand three related strategic support objectives (SSOsi.

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SO I: Nations improve and expand basiceducation.SSO 1: Improved and expanded basic educa-tion, especially for girls and women.

SO 2. Improved postsecondary and educationaltraimng systems, linkages and network%SSO 2 Workforce better prepared for sustainable development.SSO 3. Agency training policy procedures andprograms improved.

Basic education includes early childhood develop-ment. ptimary and seLondary eduLation. teachertraining, adult literacy and numeracy and civic edu-cation within the context of a national system ofeducation and training. Given limited resources andserious need priority is placed on the education ofgirls and women This is illustrated explicitly by twoof the seven activities which are concentrating onimproving and expanding basic education and learningsystemsnamely. hodeny Alcelma the DevelopmentalNeeds of Youoil hildren and Their Emile. and Girls midWonien's Eduothon Pmeds

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The Progeny project will provide field support for integrated. Internationalcomprehensive, continuous and culturally-appropriate approaches

meeting the developmental needs of young children and their Organizationsfamilies. The Girls' and Women's Education project seeks to buildlocal capacity to identify barriers to girls' education, develop andimplement appropriate policies, programs and practices to over-come them and ensure increasing educational opportunities forgirls at the primary and secondary levels.

In addition, there are sixteen activities which focus on educationand training for sustainable workforce developmentthat is.investing in people. Six of the projects are concerned with specificaspects of education and training and ten activities provide a rangeof technical assistance and support services.

G/HCD offers a range of professional and technical resources toserve the human capacity development and related programmingneeds of field missions, regional and central bureaus and otherunits in USAID. These resources and their outreach and effective-ness are enhanced and strengthened by collaboration with otherdonors, private and voluntary and other nongovernmental organi-zations, U.S. higher education institutions and private firms.

A directory of services, which describes HCD Center programsand resources, is available on request. Write or call: Valerie Price.Office of Policy and Programs, Center for Human CapacityDevelopment. Bureau for Global Programs, Field Support andResearch, Room 608, SA-18, 320 21st Street, N.W., Washington,DC 20523-1814. Tel: (703) 875-4134; Fax: (703) 875-4157.

UNESCOUNESCO has a series of new publications.

Training of Trainers in ECCD pack: We have published,with the Bernard van Leer Foundation, the 5-volumetraining pack, Enhancing the Skills of Early Childhood Trainers.

The training pack may be ordered through:UNESCO Publishing, Promotion and Sale Division,1 rue Miollis, 70032 Paris Cedex 15, FRANCE.

The unit price is US$30 or FF 150. There are no ship-ping charges unless buyers request registered mail orDHL delivery.

The ISBN Number is 92-3-103130-9.To order by fax, the number is (33-1) 42 73 30 07. Payment may be

made through Visa, Eurocard or Mastercard by sending card numberand expiration date of card. American Express cards are not accepted.

Data base and Publications Series. Two more monographs have been

published in our Action Research in Family and Early Childhood series:An Evaluation Study of Parent Schools in China,

Nourish and Nurture World Food Programme Assistance f or Early

Childhood Education in India's Integrated Child Development Services

Among the publications to be released before the end of theyear are the following:

Directory of Early Childhood Care and Education Organizations in the Arab

States, with information on 64 organizations in 12 Arab countries;Directory of Early Childhood Care and Education Organisations in Asia

and the Pacific, with information on 360 organisations in 30 coun-

tries in Asia-Pacific;with Childwatch International, Children's Ruilits Directory of

European Researdi and Documentation Institutions, with information oil

182 institutions in 30 European countries;a statistical wall chart. Early Childhood Care and Education Basic

Indicators on Young Children, presenting 11 indicators for some 180

countries number ot children under 5. under 5 mortality rate,60

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malnourished children under 5, female and male literacy rates,total fertility rate GNP per capit- to healthcare services,access to sate water, age group enrolled in prepnmary education,prepnmary gross enrollment ratio.These publications are available through:John BennettThe Young Child and Family ProjectUNESCO7, Place Fontenoy75700 Paris. FRANCETel: (33-1) 45 68 08 15, Fax:133-11 44 49 99 18

Christian Children's FundStandardised Indicators of Programme Impact Agency-WideBackground. The Christian Children's Fund tCCF! has 20 fieldoffices in Latin America Asia and Africa. which, in turn, oversee more

than I 300 community-based programmes. Approximately 500,000children are enrolled in these programmes and benefit directlytrom them. Our goal is to develop cost-effective and innovativeprogrammes that impact positively on the health and education ofthe children and families with whom we work.

To measure our effectiveness in promoting health and educationoutcomes CCF has spent the past year developing a standardisedinstrument and methodology that can be used at the communitylevel by the families themselves. This system is to highlight programmestrengths and weaknesses by red flagging key results. In drawing ourattention to flagged data, follow-up investigation will determinewhy these results (both the good and the bad) were obtained. Thisinformation must be easily understandable and accessible to bothparents and staff In this process, we will be able to prioritize ouractions and resources so that we can continually improve upon theeffectiveness of our interventions over time.

Since CCF is a highly decentralised organisation, and the contentof our programmes is determined by the families who benefit fromthem, it is a challenge to standardise any part of our work.Historically, there have been a number of attempts to standardiseprogramme evaluation. In retrospect. It seems that these were toocomprehensive and the effort required to gather the data was a fataltlaw. In addition, issues of technology and computerisation werepart and parcel of the initial design despite the fact that the organi-sation as a whole was at its infancy in terms of integrating this typeof technology into our programming environments. Learning fromthis institutional experience. It was decided that the newly designedsystem would be very simple and basic, and would require only apiece of paper and pencil to operate. Information gathered at the

community level would be aggregated at higher levels of the organi-sation but no new information would be added as data movedupward through the organisation. Within these broad design para-meters, the content of the system was very much open.Programme Impact Measurement System Design. Ourstrategy for developing standardised indicators of measurement wasto bring together some of our best field staff from both the pro-gramme and administrative areas of our operation We contracted a

consultant with expertise in developing programme evaluation sys-tems that operate under remote field conditions with humanresources who have minimum literacy skills This group designed

and held tested the system over the course of a year at which timea manual was developed and introduced to the field This systemwill be phased in over the next tour years so that all 1,300 projectswill he using it by 1999

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In retrospect, a number of key design decisions were made earlyin the project that have helped to focus the initiative. These are

To focus measurement indicators on programme impact. not pro-gramme activities;

To focus programme impact on children, not adults. The exceptionis when there is a proven association between caretaker knowledgeor behaviours and child outcomes;

Programme impact must be measured in terms of health and edu-cation outcomes, both broadly defined;

To measure only what we are prepared and able to act upon.A series of sieves were used to sort through dozens of potential

indicators to arrive at the final core group. These were-

Does the indicator measure what we want to measure'

Is there a proven association between the indicator and what isbeing measured?

Does the indicator yield data that it is absolutely necessary toknow, rather than lust nice to know?

Does the indicator yield data that is useful for programme planning

and managemenc

Is the object of measurement possible to measure, both technical-ly, financially and managerially?

Is using the indicator worth the time and effort to measure

Does the indicator measure process or impact?indicators. The net result of the sifting process was to identify 10indicators that form the core of the standardised programmeimpact measurement system. These are:

I. Infant and under-five mortality;2. Nutritional status;3. Immunization coverage;4. Diarrhoea management;5. Acute respiratory illness management;6. Safe water access;7. Sanitary disposal of human excreta;8. Literacy of over-fifteen year olds, disaggregated by gender;9. Early childhood development programme enrollment;

10. Formal and nonformal education enrollment.Over the course of this year. 12 of our field offices will imple-

ment this system in approximately 145 of our community-basedprojects (about 11% of all projects). This will cover approximately63.000 families ot enrolled children (about 12%). The remainingeight offices will conduct a survey of a sample of children in a sam-ple of community-based projects. using 5 of the 10 standardisedindicators.Data Analysis Tools or 'Red Flags'. Since our effort is to linkthe programme impact data results with programme planningresource allocation, and management decisions, it is imperativethat our analyses provide us with usable information We haveidentified four types of analysis. any one of which can yield a redflag Thcse are:

Statistical tests of significance.

One or more positive or negative standard deviations from the mean,

Comparison of CCF findings to data reported by others (e g.UNICEF, UNDP, WHO. etc.)

Comparison of CCF findings to international standards or goals(UNICEF WHO etc )

Ot course the key analysis is to track trends within the same pro-grammes over time. However, in using these analytic tools this past

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International year we were able to discover that while we have many program-ming areas we will want to strengthen, our programmes report

Organizations many strengths as well.Results to date. While we designed the long-term system formeasuring programme impact over the past year. we also under-took a parallel initiative. From lune to December of 1994, all 20 ofour held offices conducted a baseline survey on a sample ot chil-dren in a sample of projects using five standardised health, nutritionand education indicators The sample covered approximately12.500 enrolled children in about 550 projects. While a report isbeing prepared. we present here a brief summary of the major findings:

Approximately eight out of ten enrolled primary school-aged chil-dren were promoted to the next grade last year. UNICEF's goal isto enable eight out of ten children to complete primary school bythe year 2000.

78",, of under five-year-old children were found to have completeimmunizations. Our goal is to attain 90% coverage tor under-one-year-old children.

65% of the enrolled children were reported to have received oralrehydrauon therapy to treat a case of diarrhoea While our goal is100% usage according to a WHO survey covering most of thecountries in which we work, they report 35% usage rates.

As would be expected malaria was found to be most prevalent inAfrica. compared to Latin America and Asia.We found collecting data on the nutritional status of children to

be challenging. Obtaining accurate weight and height measure-ments ot children was difficult, and determining their nutritionalstatus using standardised WHO tables was problematical. Wefound that only a small percentage of the reported data was reli-able. and this is why we are not reporting it. We hope to improveupon this effort during the second year of the initiative.conclusion. Implementing the standardised measurement systemis our critical goal for next year. However, we are looking ahead todevelop the next generation of measurement indicators. We wantto move beyond basic health and education, to identify indicatorsthat can measure the more developmental impact of programmeson children. In addition. based on the sample survey results. specif-ic health and education programmes report findings that have beenred flaaaed. using the analytical tools mentioned above We will fol-low up and look more closely at these to determine what program-ming lessons they hold for our organisation For more informationabout the project. contact:

Mr. lason SchwartzmanChristian Children's Fund2821 Emerywood ParkwayRichmond VA 23294-3725Tel: (804) 756-2741; Fax:18041 756-2718

Childwatch InternationalIndicators for Children's Rights: a project to identify anddevelop indicators for use in monitoring the implementa-tion of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).To ensure effective implementation of the Convention on the Rightsof the Child, so that children really benefit from the protection itgives, practical indicators based on reliable statistical or otherdata.gathering methods are required These must be easy to collect,interpret and use not only by the Committee on the Rights of the(Mild. but also lw UNICEF and specialised agencies of the UnitedNations as well as national governments and the NGO community.

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The Committee on the Rights of the Child has called for indica- Internationaltors related to the various articles of the Convention, that couldmeet some basic requirement such as validity, objectivity, sensitivi- Organizationsty, comparability, accuracy and disaggregation, and has appealed tothe UN system, NGOs and the research community for assistance.In response, Childwatch International, in collaboration with oth-ers, has designed a project to meet the needs expressed by theCommittee. The project Involves the development of indicators tomonitor the implementation of the CRC. Through a series of coun-try case studies, the project is developing a strategy for identifica-tion and development of appropriate indicators. The project beganin August 1994 and is expected to be finalised by the end of 1996.

The results of the project will be presented in Country CaseReports, as well as in a Summary Report that combines the resultsand experiences of the entire study as a whole, with recommenda-tions for future action and activities. The project will also producemanuals and other appropriate training materials on the process ofdeveloping and using indicators based on easily available quantita-tive and qualitative data.Country Case Studies. A crucial feature of the project is thesequential implementation of a series of country case studies.Within each country suitable indicators will be sought that can bereported on to th.1 Committee on the Rights of the Child. Theprocess of conducting case studies sequentially will allow for thetesting of methods developed and provide the experience fromwhich conclusions can be drawn and recommendations formulatedfor future studies. Through the involvement of national researchteams in the case studies, the project will contribute to capacitybuilding within child research and child welfare organisations inthe participating countries.

In order to identify countries that could provide relevant experi-ence for the project and serve as a testing ground for variousapproaches, the following four criteria are being applied:

1. Countries should have experience with the process of report-ing to the Committee on the Rights of the Child on their imple-mentation of the Convention and/or have prepared a comprehen-sive National Programme of Action for Children. This is to ensurethat the countries are either motivated to address the issue of iden-tifying indicators for children's rights, or have relevant experiencewith seeking such indicators.

2. Countries should be in a situation that is comparable to andrepresentative of other countries in their region, and have socioe-conomic and geographical characteristics of sufficient complexityto produce a variety of living conditions for children.

3. Countries should have research communities with the capacityto undertake the case studies, an open and easily accessible govern-ment administration and be easy to operate in.

4. Countries should have the presence of international develop-ment assistance organisations (UNICEF, Save the Child, PlanInternational, YMCA) and local NGOs, who have the potential tobe brought into the project as cooperating partners and supportersof the case study.

A pilot study in Senegal, concentrating on two articles of theConvention, was completed in November 1994. The report of thisstudy was the subject of an expert consultation process parallel tothe European Conference on Monitoring Children's Rights at theUniversity of Gent, December 1 ti-14, 1994. The full case studytook place between January and April 1995. Depending on a num-ber of factors, including securing adequate funding, case studies ofVietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Zimbabwe and Nicaragua are 64likely to be carried out. Future plans include possible studies inArmenia, Belgium and Chile.

International Preliminary Conclusions from the Pilot Study. The experienceof the case study in Senegal has led to the following conclusions:Organizations I. It is not desirable to seek a single universal set of indicators,but rather a core of universal indicators that are appropriate toidentifiable bio-physiological aspects of child development,together with a process and a framework that can be used to devel-op indicators for children's rights that are culturally and nationallyappropriate.

2. It is important to work internationally towards the establish-ment of data collection methods that are child-centred. Currentdata sets depend more on the needs of agencies than the needs ofchildren Nevertheless the regular cIP.ta collecting methods of bothgovernments and non-governmental organisations often provideraw data that can be recalculated to produce child-centred infor-mation Moreover, there is potential for regular data collection sys-tems to be modified in the future, at little cost, to improve informa-tion on the progressive achievement ot children s rights.

3. Children's rights indicators require not only child-centreddata but also high degrees of disaggregation for both baseline andmonitoring indicators Th's could be achieved through recalcula-tion of existing data.

4 An enormous amount of information about children, bothqualitative and quantitative already exists Much of this is goodquality hut varies with respect to accessibility, analysis and sheerphysical condition. One aim of the country studies will be to estab-lish modelling procedures by which existing data sets can be rec-onciled in order to provide meaningful information

5. Country case studies can act as catalysts for stimulating newlevels of debate, cooperation and capacity-building.

6. Fruitful lines for future development of monitoring indicators areevident. Among these are the use of existing data collection points(schools, clinics, NGO community projects. etc.) on a egular basis.

As the country case studies take place, meetings between coun-try research teams are planned, to achieve a standardisation ofprocess and a framework for the methodologies and methodsdeveloped for this project. These gatherings will serve as a contri-bution to national, regional, and international capacity-building inchild research and social indicators, as the participants will be incontact with state-of-the-art methodology and have an opportunityto apply their experiences in an international comparative study.

In this project there is close collaboration between Childwatchand other agencies and organisations, international and national.These include UNICEF, Save The Children, Plan International, theChildren's Rights Centre at the University of Gent, the Conseilpour le Developement de la Recherche Economique et Social enAfrique (CODESRIA). and Defense for Children International.

The primary target for the results of the study will be theCommittee on the Rights of the Child, which is seeking tools toassess the implementation of children's rights in countries that haveratified the Convention. The information will also be of value tointer-governmental and non-governmental organisations involvedin facilitating implementation of the CRC. Last, but not least, thedata will be made accessible to the general public through suchmedia efforts as the Childwatch TV Project which annually willprovide an update on the status of the world's children.

For more information on thc proiect contact,Trond WaageChildwatch InternationalP.O Box I 132Blindern, N-0317 Oslo NorwayTel: (47-22) 85-48-41: Fax: (47-22) 85-50-28e-mail: childwatchOeuio.no

Meetings in 1995ParticipatoryDevelopmentCommunicationand BasicEducationFebruary 10-11, 1995.Needs and Perspectives within the Contextof West

and Central Africa. A Consultative Meeting on

IDRC's Programme in Development Communi-

cation.*

The International Development ResearchCentre (ORO supports research projectsfor sustainable and equitable developmentin the world. The IDRC defines develop-ment communication as a process thatbrings together groups and communities toidentify problems. seek solutions and putthem into action. Real and lasting improve-ment can only be achieved when peopletake responsibility tor the process: partici-patory communications ultimate goal is toinvolve people in the development process

Research in Development Communica-tion is a project, developed by IDRC.which focuses on Sub-Saharan Africa. Ninecountries were selected as representingregional diversity: Mali, Burkina Faso,Senegal, Ivory Coast, Benin, Guinea.Nigeria. Ghana and Cameroon. The projectwill use participatory methodology andinclude representatives from NGOs andcommunity movements in the areas ofhealth, education, literacy, rural developmentand integration of women. Participatoryconsultation conducted in the region at ameeting in Ougadougou. Burkina Faso. inNovember 1994, identified ParticipatoryCommunication for Basic Education as apriority theme. The participants decided that the

target group for the project should be women and

young girls

The meeting on February 10-11, 1995brought together 60 participants fromAftica, Malaysia USA and Canada todebate the best ways to develop, orient andstructure the programme. Discussion groupsfocused on the role of participatory devel-opment communication as a tool for non-formal basic education; the potential ofwomen and young girls as communicators(roles and cultural barriers) and their specific needs in relation to nonformal basic edu-cation, training needs in participatorydevelopment communication and relatedresearch activities and implementation of aregional Secretariat for the Research

Program in Development Communication.In discussions on basic education, the

group debated definitions of basic educa-tion and participatory communication andexamined the potential contribution of par-ticipatory development communication.The discussion on women and young girlsfocused on the obstacles and barriers facingwomen in the process as well as their roleand potential. Another group attempted todefine the training needed, its target partici-pants, objectives and content, while a fourthgroup came up with a concrete plan to estab-lish a regional secretariat tor the project.

For further information on the IDRCProject contact:

Guy BessetteSenior Programme OfficerIDRC.CRDI, 250 Albert St.Ottawa. Ontario K1G 3H9, CANADA

orAlioune Camara.Senior Programme OfficerRegional Office for West and Central AfricaIDRC, B.P. 11007. CD AnnexDakar, Senegal

Children's TelevisionCharter, presentedat the World Summiton Television andChildrenMelbourne Australia, March 1995.Report submitted by Feu), de los Angeles Bautista,

Field Representative. Consultative Group on ECCDA Children's Television Charter was devel-oped and presented at the World Summiton Television and Children, held inAustralia in March, 1995. At the Summitthe Charter was discussed in depth by dele-gates from over 70 countries. It was thenrevised by a representative group of Summitdelegates

The Charter is conceived as a worldwidetelevision industry commitment to princi-ples embodied in the United NationsConvention on the Rights of the Childwhich has been ratified by over 90% of theworld's governments.

The Charter will be circulated forendorsement to children's television indus-try leaders worldwide, including all 637Summit delegates The Charter will bemade public to ensure that viewers have astandard against which to judge provisionfor their children Telecasters and producers

* This report was written hv Fva Kupidura and miluded in the international ounul for Adult EduLation(ICAE) News No 12 1995 pg 5

66

will be urged to heed its seven points whenmaking decisions concerning programmeproduction, acquisition and distribution.Advocacy groups researchers and festivalswill be encouraged to adopt the Charter asthe standard tor evaluating service to youngpeople

Governments advertisers and fundingorganizations are called on to recognize theneed tor stable adequate support for domes-

e,

.0,1,411 ikargar-4.

1.

tic children's television. Those companiesthat endorse the Charter will be asked toreport annually on their own performancevis-a-vis the Charter's standards. 'This reportwill be a valuable strategic tool for thosecompanies that take it seriously," said AnnaHome President of the EuropeanBroadcasting Union Working Group onChildrens and Youth Programming and theauthor of the first draft ot the Charter

The Children's Television CharterAs stated in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child which has been

ratified by more than 170 countries broadcasters should recognize children s rights in the pro-duction of childrens television programmes As those responsible for the world's most power-ful and widespread medium and Its services to children we accept our obligation to entertain,Inform engage and enlighten young people in accord with these principles Specifically

1 Children should have programmes ofhigh quality which are made specifically forthem and which do not exploit them Theseprogrammes in addition to entertainingshould allow children to develop physicallymentally and socially to their fullest potential

2 Children should hear see and expressthemsel%es their culture their languages andtheir fife experiences through television pro-grammes which affirm their sense ot self com-munity and place

3 Childrens programmes should promo ean awaielleSS and applecia ion of othei ul

tures in parallel w ith the clulds own culiu0background

4 Children% programmes should he wideranging in genre and content but should notinclude gratuitous scenes of %iolence and sex

5 Children% programmes should be airedin regular slots at time% when children -ire

available to view and/or distributed via otherwidely accessible media or technologies

6 Sufficient funds must be made availableto make thcse programmes to the highestpossible standards

7 Governments and production distribu-tion and funding organisations should recog-nize both the importance and vulnerabilityof indigenous children's television and takesteps to support and protect it

\lay 29 1995For further information about the

hildi en s Television Chat tci umtactFeny de los Angeles BautistaPhilippine Children%Television Foundation12 Saint lohn Streetuhao Quezon City Philippines

Fel (6321 7q8480 702824fas t032f 785358 798480

Indu Balagopal

.;

Dialogue 95sFirst AnnualConsultative DaysCyprus 10-15 July, 1995.Report submitted by Indu I3alagopal, FieldRepresentative. Consultative Group on ECCD.

The Arab Resource Collective is promotingthe idea of Early Childhood Care andDevelopment in Arab societies by bringingtogether the Regional ConsultativeResource Group (RCRG) and other peopleworking with children. The conceptualframework was first developed in a work-shop in May 1992, where workers in ECCDidentified the challenges and needs theyface in their daily efforts. Working withparents and communities was adopted asthe priority challenge, and a series of localand regional activities were organized todevelop human and material resourcesresponding to this challenge.

In December 1994, the regional work-shop on Partnership for a Better Childhoodupdated the challenges, while including.more countries from the Arab region. Thevarious discussions held in December 1994demonstrated that a serious effort in sys-tematizing and expanding the regionalECCD network was needed to consolidate,enrich, evaluate and expand existing initia-tives in the region. One of the ARC's objec-tives at this stage of ECCD programmes inthe Arab world is to facilitate a collectiveownership of such programmes, and to dis-cuss the strategy for a work plan to makethem sustainable.

In lulv 1995 the ARC convened the FirstAnnual Consultative Days Dialogue 95, to bringtogether the RCRG and a group of partnersto develop collectively a five-year workplan for the region There were practition-ers, academics and other consultants whotried to find a balance between ECCD prin-ciples and practices without compromisingthe regional culture and traditionRationale. During the last decade therehas been an emergence of interest, dialogue

and action to raise awareness in the Arabsociety of the importance of the early child-hood period This has resulted in institu-tions, NGOs, individuals and occasionallygovernment organizations, moving from ahealth-dominated focus towards a holistic,more child-centred approach This includeshealth, education and the welfare of thechild and involves partnerships at everylevel There is now a global understandingof education which fosters a more active,interactive, independent style of learning, asopposed to acquisition of facts and knowl-edge through formal methods of teachingThis has a bearing on the attitudes, percep-tion and priorities of adults living and work-ing with young children. This change pre-sents a challenge requiring coordinatedeffort to facilitate the transition to ECCD.

The Strategy to be undertaken includesthe following:

To facilitate the collective formulation of aphilosophical framework for ECCD rele-vant to the Arab world.

To strengthen the interdisciplinary com-munications and partnerships for ECCDwithin the region.

To provide an opportunity for exchange ofinformation on new initiatives in ECCDwhich offer complementary and sustain-able programmes, in order to reach anincreasing number of children, familie5 andtheir communities.

To further the development of a commonprofessional language to facilitate theunderstanding of concepts and to enablethe practitioner to communicate, exchangeand develop skills, knowledge, values andattitudes within the ECCD community.

To identify, evaluate and encourage thedevelopment of relevant ECCD resourcesin Arabic and to facilitate their access,exchange and use by all the partners inECCD.Toward achieving this, the objectives of

the workshop were:

To develop a conceptual framework, basedon the values and culture of the family andlocal community in Arab societies, inte-grating the principles of ECCD and theprovisions of the Rights of the Child.

To agree on the priority challenges andthemes to be the focus of ARC's ECCDregional and local activities for the nextthree years

To recommend methods of networkingamong workers, plan the production ofcountry profiles, and develop a regionalstatus report on ECCD.

68

To establish the concept of a newsletter, tobecome one of the instruments of commu-nication and networking.

To contribute to the process of compilationand assessment of existing Arabic resources

in ECCDOutcome. An overall framework based onthe integrated approach to ECCD relevantto the Arab world was taken as the refer-ence for planning, data-gathering andestablishing local and regional networks toimprove communication and facilitateaccess to available human and materialresources The framework combined EarlyChildhood principles with the Conventionon the Rights of the Child to provide thebasis for ECCD programmes as well as forthe criteria to evaluate such programmes

As the first step. the principles of ECCD asapplicable to the Arab culture and practiceswere analyzed and reworded to make themmore explicit and acceptable Atter extensiveand intensive discussions the principles wereagreed upon. Every word and expression hadto be carefully chosen in the translation intoArabic, as it had to convey the exact meaningand one that could be understood in all theArab speaking countries.

One of the major concerns was the ero-sion of culture in the Arab world, with theinfluence of outside cultures replacing exist-ing beliefs, attitudes and practices withmodern ideas, thus disorienting the commu-nity. This, combin-_.c1 with the everchangingmilieu of political unrest and displacementsin crisis and chaos, contributes to the loss ofidentity of the child and family, leading toconfused communities It was establishedthat the tension between tradition which isstable, and culture which is dynamic, wasinevitable, and that it was important tovalue culture and respect tradition. Thechallenge was to move from a purely tradi-tional society to one which is open, withoutundermining its integrity

It was pointed out that ECCD should notdismiss the heritage accumulated by society

Meetings in 1996Mid-DecadeReview ofProgressTowardEducation forAll, June 1996Background. The Framework lor Adloi: toMeet Bask Learma Needs, adopted by theWorld Conference on Education for AllUomtien, Thailand March I990), foresees a

throughout its history, but reexamine thisheritage in view of new knowledge aboutchild development. These discussions wereparticularly relevant for the Palestinians. Inthe principles of ECCD a new dimensionwas added in reference to the child's cultur-al identify and values, and mothertongue, asbeing central to the child's healthy and inte-grated development.

Another important point was that ofvaluing the role of parents, extended familyand community, as is mandated by local tra-dition. in the education and development ofthe child.

Finally, it was agreed that every child hada right to happiness, and that adults in thechild's environment could not deny thechild this right.

During the discussions it became clearthat a common glossary of ECCD termsneeded to be developed in order to conveythe field to practitioners. The conceptualdiversity found in ECCD programmescould be used to enrich the experiences.ARC is in a position to encourage thedevelopment of a common language byfacilitating a regional orientation to ECCDthrough networking, initiating regionalworkshops and conferences, establishing anewsletter, enhancing ECCD resourcematerials, etc.

The proposed plan includes expandingthe regional network and starting a regionalnewsletter to share knowledge and experi-ences. To achieve this, local workshops willbe organized, a regional data base will beestablished, and resource materials will bereviewed and evaluated. As an outcome ofthis plan there will be an ECCD statusreport developed from ECCD country pro-files. Through this process human andmaterial resources for ECCD will be devel-oped in the region

It is now planned to have a "Dialogue"every ear to review progress and updatechallenges.

69

mid-decade review of progress as an oppor-tunity for governments and organisatious toundertake a mid-term evaluation of theimplementation of their respective plansand adiust them as needed, and to under-take comprehensive policy reviews atregional and global levels

The International Consultative Forum onEducation tor All, the global-level intera-gency mechanism for following up theJomtien Conference, is the designated focal

point for the mid-decade review (MDR)process designed by its Steering Committeednd Secretariat. The Forum Secretariat,based at UNESCO, will cooperate closelywith all the lomtien partners in this regard.Purpose. The global MDR process isintended to serve several purposes:

(i) to take stock of progress towardEducation for All (EFA) since the 1990Jomtien Conference in respect both to theoriginal goals and to the current context; (ii)to identify priorities and promising strate-gies for overcoming obstacles, acceleratingprogress. and making cooperation in EFAmore effective; (iii) to build and strengthenpartnerships among the several actors withinand outside the public sector concernedwith the provision of basic education; and(iv) to promote renewed commitment to thegoals of achieving Education for All within adefined timeframe.

The MDR process and results will enablepolicymakers, planners and managers in gov-ernment and in organisations to adiuststrategies and plans to develop and supportbasic education. Insofar as the main EFApartners participate actively in the MDRprocess, it will promote dialogue and coop-eration in implementing national EFA strate-gies and plans. The global MDR results willbe used by several EFA constituencies(Government, UN agencies, donors, NGOs)to determine collective policy and necessarycooperative action.Scope. The MDR is forward-looking, butgrounded in an analysis of past experiencesin promoting EFA, particularly since 1990.Basic education is understood in the sense ofthe expanded vision proclaimed in the WorldDeclaration on Education for All. The global-level

MDR will seek answers to five questions:

What actions have countries and organisa-tions taken in line with the Framework forAction to Meet Basic Learning Needs?

What progress has been made globally inrespect to each of the six 'target dimensions'proposed in paragraph 8 of the Framework.and in respect to the EFA goals that coun-tries set for themselves?

What new factors may affect the validity ofthe targets and goals and the prospects torfurther progress toward EFA?

What changes in the pattern of investmenzin basic education seem to be obtainingeffective results?

What problems wquire increased attentionby governments and the world communityduring the remainder of the decade?The MDR will also take into account the

relevant objectives and commitments adopted

by the world community since 1990 at certainmajor conferences dealing with development.notably the 1992 Rio Conference on theEnvironment, the 1994 Cairo PopulationsConference, the 1995 Copenhagen SocialDevelopment Conference, and the 1995Beijing Women's Conference.

While all countries are invited to partici-pate in the MDR, the focus will be on theprogress achieved in the developing coun-tries which face the most challenges in pro-viding EFA. The Forum's own limited fund-ing will be used to support the MDR processin the developing countries and regions.Process. The Forum will invite nationalgovernments, major intergovernment andbilateral organisations and key groups ofNGOs concerned with basic education toreview their respective EFA actions andplans. The Forum will propose general guide-lines for conducting and reporting on thesemicro-level reviews. These will be importantin themselves as well as constitute the maininputs to regional and global MDR activities.

The principal focal point for the country-level MDRs will be the Ministry ofEducation or another designated EFA mech-anism (commission, task force, interrninister-ial committee). The national focal point isexpected to work with representatives ofother concerned government departments(including Planning and Finance), the teach-ing profession, NGOs active in EFA, thebusiness community, the media and otherinternational and external partners. Eachcountry will work out its own MDR process,which should be open, participatory andinclude at least one national meeting onEFA, as well as public information activities.The MDR process should be useful in itself,as well as producing useful 'products' such asreports, studies and strategy documents.Countries are expected to submit a report ontheir MDR findings to the Forum as an inputfor regional and global analyses of progresstoward EPA.

In order to ensure obtaining informationon key aspects of Education for All a varietyof initiatives will be undertaken:

A number of country case studies will becarried out under contract by competentnational institutions and/or researchers. Thecase studies arc expected to generate infor-mation that will contribute to or comple-ment the national MDRs in the selectedcountries;

Desk studies will be carried out to analyseexisting documentation in basic educationsince 1990 to identify significant achieve-ments, trends and problems for each of the

70

major regions and significant universalissues that need to be addressed by theintc, national community.

Regional policy review seminars will beheld to examine and validate the analysis ofEFA progress for each maior region and for-mulate proposals for consideration by thegovernments concerned and by their exter-nal partners.

A survey of donors and intergovernmentalorganisations will focus on the significantchanges in their policies and inodalities ofcooperation since 1990. their experiencesin supporting EFA, their perception of EFAprogress. and their plans tor the immediatefuture.

The collective reviews of NGOs activelyengaged in basic education will bringanother set of perspectives into the globalMDR process,

Media coverage of the MDR will be soughtat key moments during the entire MDRprocess. Various EFA advocacy and infor-mation activities will be organised by thecompetent services of the UN systemusing specialised and mass media channels;

The involvement of the international busi-ness community will be sought, as it consti-tutes untapped resources for basic education.

The outcomes of the several MDR activi-ties will be analysed and distilled into areport tor examination by the Forum at itsthird meeting, planned for 1996 The finalMDR report, including the Forum's conclu-sions and proposals will be distributed to allgovernments and submitted to selectedmeetings in 1996 and 1997 dealing witheducation and related policy issues.

Pubiications and Videos

The Twelve Who Survive:

Strengthening Programmes of

Early Childhood Development

in the Third World.

PAPERBACK. SECOND EDITION) BY

ROBERT C; MYLRS.

HIGH/SCOPE PRESS

Enhancing the Skills of Early

Childhood Trainers

BY KATE TORKINGTON

AND CAW'. LANDI

PLIBLIY D BS UNESCO

This highly acclaimed book is now in paperback. making it possiblefor this important work to reach a much larger audience. Originallypublished in 1992. in the reprint of this book Robert Myers hasadded an afterword which provides reflection of what has beenlearned and accomplished since the book was first published. Thebook is available for US $14.95. plus shipping and handling, from:

High/Scope Press600 North River StreetYpsilanti. MI 48198Tel: (313) 485-2000; Fax: (313) 485-0704Bulk orders are also possible.

This training pack was developed to support the Training of Trainerseffort that was begun in Africa in February 1995. The pack consistsof five parts. each of which is a separate booklet I. Introduction tothe training pack, 2. Delivering effective training, 3. Guide to thedevelopment of the voung child 4 Rationale for experiential/partici-patory methods: and 5. Resource list. As noted in the introduction,"This Training Pack is intended to persuade not to prescribe Wewant readers and users to take from the Pack whatever fits comfort-ably with themselves and their work, to use the suggestions if andwhen it suits them and to be creative in adapting the ideas to theirown circumstances and inventing new ones. The Pack can be used byindividual trainers or by groups of trainers It will probably be mosteffective if a group of trainers meet together to discuss issues raised inthe Pack and try out the activities. It can also be used by individual

71

trainers as a self-learning Pack." It is available from UNESCO for150 French Francs, US $30 For information write to:

UNESCO Publishing, Promotion and Sales Division1 rue Miollis70032 Paris Cedex 15 FRANCEFax: (33-I) 42-73-30-07

Quality has become a priority issue for all concerned with earlychildhood care and education services. Starting from the premisethat quality is a relative and dynamic concept based on values andbeliefs, the book examines how the definitions of quality are estab-lished and who is involved in their establishment. The editors advo-cate that the process should involve a range of stakeholder groups,including children, parents, staff, care providers, researchers,employers and community. A key issue that emerges is the need fornew and creative approaches to the development of inclusionaryprocesses in the definition and attainment of quality care.

Valuing Quality examines how quality is defined and by whom.Contributions from 18 authors in 6 countries bring an Internationalperspective to the book's discussion of quality in early childhoodservices. The authors suggest many ways in which to develop prac-tice from a values-based concept of quality.

Issues covered include: Involving parents and children in definingquality, research and evaluation, training and curriculum, and work-ing in ethnically diverse societies. The book is designed for parents,practitioners, researchers and policymakers. It is available forUS $19.95 plus shipping and handling from Teachers College Press.

Teachers College Press1234 Amsterdam AvenueNew York, New York 10027

It is expected that by the year 2000 only one out of every twenty chil-dren born will fail to survive to age one. Thus it seems urgent for us tobegin focusing our attention away from questions of survival. Wemust now address the quality of life that millions of once imperiledinfants will have as children. To achieve this paradigm shift in ouragenda will once again require creating a union of policy, technology,investment and consensus about the "post-survival" child's life.

This book examines one critical dimension of that life: the oppor-tunity to acquirethrough schoolingskills, knowledge, attitudes.and habits that foster personal. community and national develop-ment. Specifically the present study reviews bow health and nutrition fac-tors may impinge on a child's ability to participate in or take fulladvantage of schools. This book represents an original and concreteway of dealing with education opportunities and eliminating majorlearning obstacles. In particular, Dr. Levinger's Active LearningCapacity model represents a new and important conceptual tool forintegrating basic education reform with health, nutrition and com-munity-based initiatives. This model can serve as a road map for pro-moting optimal growth. development and learning for all children.

The UNDP, Division for Global and Interregional Programmes,in association with the Education Development Center and USAID,is presenting this book to stimulate a dialogue among national andinternational agencies, universities and individuals committed toimproving the nutrition, health and school performance of children.

Valuing Quality inEarly Childhood Services;

New Approaches to

Defining QualityEDITED BY PETER MOSS

AND ALAN PENCE

Nutrition Health andEducation for All

BY BERYL LEVINGER

72

Towards A Children's

Agerida: New Ola (lenges forSocial Denelotmew

LUNI rs. SA\ I. 1111 (.1 411 DRI N

N1AR(..it 1995

By addressing such topics as the effects ot health and nutrition on achild's school performance active learning capacity policy and tech-nical environments, this book intends to facilitate informationexchange and the decision-making process leading to the judiciousallocation or reallocation ot financial and human resources. The peo-ple involved in this processspecifically the ministers of education,health and planning and international agency officialsmay wish toconsider the methodology tor addressing the child's needs and aspi-rations discussed herein.

The book is available free of charge To order a copy, contact:Frank HartveltUNDR Room FF12-102One LIN PlazaNew York. New York 100 1 7Tel (212) 906-5858; Fax: (212) 906-6350

This incisive and constructive document prepared tor the 1995World Summit on Social Development, argues that the status of chil-dren in a country should be used as a thermometer of development.Picking up on current efforts to put people and their needs at thecentre of decision-making ( rather than economic growth) the reportmakes a strong case for giving children an equal place with adults aspolicies and programmes are discussed. The welfare and treatment ofchildren is a key test of a society's commitment to human and socialdevelopment because: Ii children are the most powerless group insociety. 21 childhood is a once-and-for-all window of opportunity forbiological and social development: 3) failure to support developmentin childhood has permanent and irreversible effects for indit idualchildren and has a massive impact on society's capacity to develop;4) children are social actors as much as adults; and 5) children's expe-rience of their treatment by adult society will mould their ownapproach to social development. Still, children continue to be "invisi-ble" in many social policies, for at least five reasons:

Their productive contributions to society are not recognized:

A 19th Century. Western. vision of childhood dominates thethinking of policymakers.

Adults pursue their own interests;

Children seldom arc allowed to participate in policy discussions,

There is a failure to collect child-specific information.Suggestions are made in the report to overcome these difficulties.

A 'Children% Agenda" is set out, providing 10 basic principles towhich social policy and practice should adhere And the report callstor:

measures that enable adults to combine their childcare and produc-tive roles effectively,

using more tax revenue for childcare and child development,including more investment in pre-primary and primary education,primary healthcare and community-based childcare:

development ot additional resources for female literacy and education;

protection of investment in women and children during policyreforms or economic adjustment,

monitoring the impact of key policy measures on children;

recognition of children s contribution to economic, social and cultural lile by including them in data sets and by disaggregating databy age as well as by gender,

development of mechanisms to include children's views in decisionswhich affect them and to allow them to participate in public debates;

reforms of legal frameworks to promote the best interests of children(as outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child).This document can be obtained from:Save the Children17 Grove Lane. London SE5 8RD, England

Because UNICEF is the main international organisation with a man-date to promote policies and programmes affecting the welfare ofyoung children, it is important to try to keep abreast of UNICEF'sapproach to early childhood care and development (ECCD) pro-gramming. The present ECCD strategy of UNICEF is set within amore general policy within UNICEF directed toward providingbasic education for all, as pledged at the World Conference onEducation for All held in Jomtien. Thailand in March 1990.Accordingly, we present a brief description and review of theUNICEF pamphlet titled, UNICEF and Basic Education, which presentspriorities, policies and goals for the year 2000.

The focus of UNICEF policy and of this pamphlet is on achievinguniversal primary education (UPE). taking the following guidelinesfor action into account. Programmes should:

adopt a systemic and holistic approach to basic educationand development;

build a unified but diversified primary education system;

expand while improving quality;

focus on female education;

start early with parents and the family;

make adult education an important supportive strategy.Strategies to be pursued in achieving basic education for all

include:

revitalizing the primary school network;

targeting the difficult-to-reach through complementarynon-formal approaches;

emphasizing and monitoring learning achievement;

enhancing national and local capacity;

establishing local area-based planning, managing andmonitoring for UPE;

strengthening popular participation. social mobilisationand public monitoring;

determining priorities for complimentary elements(e g.attention to the young child, adult basic literacy);

identifying and disseminating relevant information onsuccessful experiences;

focussing on the nine High Population Countriesand on EFA in Africa.Commentary:I. ECCD appears in the UNICEF programme as a "supporting

strategy" for efforts to improve and expand primary education. It isnot recognized as good in its own right or as a separate componentof basic education, as set out in the lomtien Declaration in 1990.

2. At the core of the UNICEF approach to ECCD is the educa-tion of parents and family

3. The wording of the section of the pamphlet dealing with "start-

UNICEF and BasicEducation.

UNICEF,

THE EDUCATION CWSTER,

NEW YORK. 1994

74

ing early with parents and family' suggests a 'compensatory" viewof ECCD The text is as follows 'Relevant early childhood pro-grammes are necessary to compensate for the deprived family andcommunity environments of many children This viewpoint contrasts with a more constructive" one in which ECCD programmesbuild on the positive elements in a given environment

Start Right. The Importance

of Early Learning

in Li ikr,-P >11 IFR BALL L.( ;Nix /N

RnyAi

ENcoutiAci \ii NT 01 0 IF Aizr,,

NiANLII st TURN( . \

CON1s11 itt r RSA

NIAR I i9(Lt

The explicit intention of this report is to influence preschool poli-cy and practice in the United Kingdom The presentation providesan excelle-c model for those who would translate research andevaluation information into implications for policy and practice.set out in an orderly and clear way At the outset, the report exam-ines research evidence and experiences from other countries inorder to define good practice in preschool education. It concludesthat early learning matters. but there are important impediments toprogress in this area, that quality counts and that a new solution isneeded to provide universal entitlement to eaily ;earning. Thisreview is followed by an analysis ot the patterns of daycare andpreschoin provision in the UK. looking ( for each type of provi-sion) at the percentage of children covered approximate costs toparents. hours, ages of children admitted, staffing and training,ratios of staff to children. and administrative responsibilities. Theconclusion reached from this analysis is that "The current situationis little short of a national scandal." Then. 'good practice" isdefined (see below ) and a practical programme is offered to realizethe vision of good practice. Seventeen recommendations are pre-sented, addressed to parliament, educators, parents, communitiesand the Government.Good Practice. A particularly interesting feature of this report isas attempt to define "good practice", a topic that is approached inseveral ways. At one point, the following key factors to success ofan early learning programme were identified: 1 I a curriculumwhich encourages active learning. 2 ) well-trained staff of the highestquality. and 3) the involvement of parents in 'a triangle of care.Adequate resources and political will were also mentioned as keysto success Subsequently, common features of good practice wereset out These are:

Clear aims and objectives integrating education and care, andwith targets tor growth ' v specified ages.

Broad, balanced and developmentally-appropriate curriculum;

A variety of learning experiences which are active relevant andenjoyable. encouraging purposeful play ,

Development of warm and positive relationships.

Well-placed. stimulating secure and healthy environments;

Commitment to equal opportunities and social iusticeIn addition to these general features. several more specific attrib-

utes of good pi actice were mentioned including: systematic plan-ning, assessment, and record keeping, satisfactory adult/child[alms; continuity ol care. consistent stall development partnershipwith parents and families, liaison with the community, and effec-tive procedures for monitoring and evaluating the quality of prac-

This report is available Irom

RSA, 8 lohn Adam StreetLondon. WC2N 6172,The price of 15 pounds includes postage and packing

.

.

r"""w111111111111

This book represents the culmination of 15 years of research byCigdem Kagitcibasi, a Turkish psychologist who was educated in theWest (see the article describing her research on page 241 The vol-ume examines both the theoretical and practical aspects of crosscut-tura! psychology. It places development within a tunctional contextwhich links the child, family and society as they are embedded inculture. The author presents a portiait of human development from a

refreshingly different view the view from the other side, from the per-spective of the majority world. In a world seemingly dominated byAmerican psychology, Dr. Kagitclbasi proposes a crosscultural orien-tation as a corrective to the culture-bound perspective of much ofEuro-American psychology.

Analysing human development in context, while avoiding the pit-falls of extreme relativism, this work studies development with aninclusive, holistic and ecological perspective, focusing on the devel-opment of the self and of competence. In so doing, it also attemptsto bring together the cultural context with universal standards andpsychological processes. It proposes a theory of family changewhich challenges some commonly held assumptions about theimpact of modernisation, and links theory and application whileexamining the role of psychology in the social change process.

The book will be available in both cloth and paper in November1995, from:

Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Inc.10 Industrial AvenueMahwah, NJ 07430Tel: (201) 236-9500; Fax: (201) 236-0072e-mail orders to: orders@leahq.mhs.cornpuserve.com

The M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation is publishing theSURAKSHA Series. The SURAKSHA Series documents innovativeprogrammes of Early Childhood Care and Education in India, espe-cially those which address the intersecting needs of women, youngchildren and girls. Carefully researched and written by scholars inthe field, each study looks in depth at one programme, highlightingits achievements, philosophy and goals.

The series as a whole represented the rich diversity of experiencewithin the country, with a range in terms of geography, auspices andorganizational pattern. Scholars and students of Child Developmentand child welfare would find the series an invaluable source of infor-mation, as would policymakers, voluntary agencies and others con-cerned with programming for women's and children's development.Partial funding for publication of the series has been received fromthe Aga Khan Foundation, India. Titles in the series include:Set I Volumes 1-4

1. Home Away from Home. Family Day Care in Bombay. By: Vrinda Datta2. In Sight On site: Daycare for Construction Workers' Children. Mobile

Creches. New Delhi. By: Margaret Khalakdina3. Little School on the Hill: Child Education in Community Development

Society for Integrated Developed of the Himalayas. Mussoorie. By: Vasudha loshi

4. For the Sake of the Children: NGO-Government Partnership itt Child Care.

Urmal Trust, Bajju, Rajasthan. By: Kashyap MankodiSet II Volumes 5-8

5. Children of the Union: Creches for Women Tobacco Workers Children. Self

Employed Women's Association, Ahmedabad. By: Harshida Pandit6. Moving up to School. Community Preschools for the Rural Poor

Palmyrah Workers' Development Society, Martandam, Tamil Nadu.By. S. J. P. Karikalan

Family and Human

Develoinnent Across Cultures:

A View from the Other Side.

tiY CICDEM KAGITCWASI.

LAWRENCE ERLBAUNI

ASSOCIATES, 1995

SURAKSHA Series

M.S. SWAMINATHAN

RESEARCH FOUNDATION

76

7. Another Kind of Child Care: Alternatives for Rural Women. MahilaSamakhya Gujarat. By: Rajalaskshmi Sriram

8. Working Hand in Hand: NCO-Government Partnership in Child Care. BalNiketan Sangh, Indore. By: .Iyoti Sharma

The case studies arc available in two sets Set 1 (Numbers 1-4) isnow available Set II (Numbers 5-8) are due for release in December1995. Each set costs US $5.00. Money orders should be made out tothe M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation Materials will only besent once funds have been received. Orders should be addressed to:

M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation3rd Cross StreetTyramine Institutional AreaMadras, 000 113 INDIA

Early Childhood

Development: The World

Bank's Agenda

This brochure, first published in English in 1994 hasInto Spanish and French. Copies are available from:

Mary ThungHuman Resource DevelopmentWorld Bank1818 H St N WWashington D C 20433Tel: (202) 473-3427: Fax (202) 521-3234e-mail: myoungRqworldbank.org

This quarterly newsletter features short reports on recent work of thePopulation Council's Research and Program Divisions and Center forBiomedical Research. Population Briefs provides summaries of the near-ly 400 reports produced annually by the Population Council, makingthe information generated by the Population Council available to awide audience of individuals interested in population issues.

Most of the work reported in the first issue. Population Briefs 1(1)January 1995. was undertaken to elaborate major issues that were dis-cussed at the International Conference on Population andDevelopment in Cairo in September. 1994, and remain high on theworld's agenda. Titles of articles included: New Strategies for SlowingPopulation Growth. Redefining Family Planning Programs, Progressin Male Contraceptive Research, Feeding a Growing World, GenderInequalities and Demographic Behavior, Children in Large Families,and Middle East Research: Family, Gender, Policy and ReproductiveHealth. For more information about the Newsletter contact

Judith Anderson Masslo, EditorWriterPopulation BriefsPopulation CouncilOne Dag Hammarskjold PlazaNew York New Thrk 10017Tel: (212) 339-0500: Fax. (212) 755-6052

0 (-11 flAtc

December 11-13,1995UNICEF, in Thailand

A workshop to review the new UNICEF policy on ECD and toexchange ECD experiences across Latin America and Asia will be heldin Bangkok from December 11-13. 1995. Participants will includeUNICEF ECD Project Officers, government and non-governmentcounterparts. and selected resource people from both regions.Presentations will highlight innovative approaches to ECD, lessonslearned from their implementation, issues related to costs and financ-ing of the programmes and areas of further research and experimenta-tion. Country participants will be helped to review their ECD pro-grammes and develop plans of action for the next two years, and ways

to establish and strengthen regional and subregional ECD networkswill be discussed For further information contact:

Cyril DalaisEducation ClusterUNICEF (DH-40A)Three United Nations PlazaNew York. New York 10017Tel: (212) 702-7283 Fax: (212) 702-7149orSheldon ShaefferRegional Education AdvisorEast Asia and Pacific Regional Office19 Phra Atit RoadBangkok. 10200 ThailandTel: (662) 280-5831; Fax: (662) 280-3563

March 6-10,1996Comparative International Education Society:Bridging the Gaps,in Williamsburg, VA

For information contact:Ken KadlecConference Manager, IIE1400 K. Street, NWWashington D.C. 1005-2403Tel: (202) 326-7771; Fax: (202) 326-7709e-mail: KKadletY!IIE.org

t3EST COPY PAII.ABLE

April 9-12,1996The Task Force for Child Survival and Development.

Children First: A Global Forum, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

This invitational forum will include representativesfrom the six

regions of the world who best exemplify practices and models of

excellence that have improved children's physical and mental health,

education and social development. The approximately 360 partici.

pants will focus their attention on the lives of children around the

world with an emphasis on children who are healthy and ready to take

part in a global community. The sponsors of the meeting include the

Task Foir.e for Child Survival and Development. The Carter Center,

UNICEF. CARE, Centers (or Disease Control and Prevention, the

State of Georgia, the Annie E. Casey Foundation. the Whitehead

Foundation. the U.S. Committee for UNICEF, Emory University, the

Child Welfare Institute, the American Public Welfare Association and

the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For further

information contact:Susan Yelton. Project Director

The Task Force for Child Survival and Development

The Carter CenterOne CopenhillAtlanta. GA 30307

Tel:1404/ 872-4860; Fax: (404) 872-9231

CalendarSeptember 5-811996Association for Women in Development,

1996 Forum, Washington D.C. USA

The theme for the Forum will be progress toward implementation ot

WID policies that have emerged from the platforms for action of five

recent world conferences: The Beijing Fourth UN Conference on

Women, the Copenhagen World Summit on Social Development. the

Cairo Conference on Population. the Vienna Conference on Human

Rights, and the Rio Conference on Environment and Development.

The International Programme Committee, chaired by Karen

Mulhauser is interested in identifying three or four WID issues on

which to focus during the Forum. There will be issues that were

addressed in the conferences listed, which would benefit from discus-

sion within the AWID Forum. The Forum will focus on implementa-

tion issues. At the Forum darticipants will have the opportunity to par-

ticipate in substantive educational and informational exchanges with

representatives of multilateral institutions, embassy representatives

and others who can influence both national and international policy

For more information on the )996 AWID I-ururn, contact:

Karen MulhauserInternational Programme Committee, AWID 1990 Forum

AWlD1511 K Street NW. Suite 825

Washington D C 20005

Tel: (202) 628-0440; Fax. (202) 628-0442

e-mail awid(Tigc apc org

79 11111111_

,.--';.- -...

..;. i' .;.,_:..s.::'4,,z, ....4.. : ; .. ..... ,, .0:

.:

The Coordinators Notebook, a publication

of the Consultative Group on EarlyChildhood Care and Development.is published twice annually.

Co-directors: Judith L. Ev7.nsRobert C. Myers

Editor: Ellen M. U.:lc'

Design/Production: Maureen ScanlonSusan Bergeron-West

Printing: Graphic Printing Company,West Springfield, MA

For subscription information,please contact Judith L. Evans,6 The Lope, Haydenville, MA 01039 USA

° 0

All

THE CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT (CG) is an inter-

national. interagency group dedicated to improving the condition of young children at risk. TheCG grounds its work in a cross-disciplinary view of child care and development

Launched in 1084. the CG has taken as its main purpose the fostering of communication among internationaldonor agencies and their national counterparts. among decision-makers, funders. researchers, programmeproviders, parents and communities with the goal of strengthening programmes benefitting young children and

their families

The Consultative Group is administered and represented by its Secretariat The Group includes a broad-basednetwork ot participating organisations and individuals who share a commitment to fostering the well-being andhealthy development ot young children. Administrative backstopping is provided by the High/Scope Foundation.

The Coordinators' Notebook is pp--pared by the Secretariat of the CG with support from the Aga Khan Foundation, the

Bernard van Leer Foundation. Save the Children USA, UNICEF, UNESCO USAID and the World Bank.

GOALS

To INCREASE ME KNOWLEDGE BASE The CG gathers. synthesizes and disseminates information on

children's development, drawing from field experiences, traditional wisdom and scientific research.

TO SERVE AS A CATALYST The CG works to increase awareness of issues affecting children, develop-

ing materials and strategies to help move communities, organisations and governments from rhetoric

to practice, from policy to programming.

To BUILD BRIDGES The CG fosters networking among those with common concerns and interests,

working across sec' ' divisions, putting people in touch with the work of others by organising meet-

ings, by dissemina.., diformation through publications, and by serving as a communications point.

TO SERVE AS A SOUNDING BOARD The CG engages in dialogue with funders and decision-makers

about developments in the field, providing the base for policy formulation, planning, programming

and implementation.

Members of the Secretariat occasionally provide technical assistance to individual organisations inprogramme design, implementation and evaluation, and in the writing of technical papers and reports.

The Coordinators' Notebook is produced twice annually It is one of our networking tools. Each issue fo-

cusses on a particular issue or topic, as well as offering network news. We try to provide informationon the most appropriate research, field experience and practices to benefit individuals working withyoung children and their families. We encourage you to share this information with the other net-

works you take part in Feel free to copy portions of this Notebook and disseminate the information to

those who could benefit from it Please let us know about any programmes or efforts benefating young

children and their families in which you may be involved

For further information and to subscribe contact:

Dr. Judith L. Evans6 The Lope

Haydenville, MA 01039 USATel (413) 268-7272 Fax (413) 268-7279

e-mail: cgrouptg.crocker.com

The Consultative Group can also be reached through:

Dr. Robert C MyersInsurgentes Sur 4411

Ed 25-304TIalcoligia

I) F ;4430, MEXICOTel/Fax (52-5) 5730924

81

CG SecretariatUNICEF House, DH-40C

Three United Nations PlazaNew York, New York 10017

Tel. (212) 702.7233Fax: (212) 702-7149