So says the title of the news story regarding the Cebu Dancing Prisoners' latest offering. Watch the video here. There's supposed to be a video that already had 700,000 views, but I did not find it in the search results in You Tube.
So the story goes that Michael Jackson's choreographers went to Cebu to supervise and dance along with the inmates to the King of Pop's "They Don't Care About Us." I think the inmates did a better job choreographing themselves in their previous dance stunts.
Anyway, the January 27 Inquirer story had this quote from Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia who agreed to the filming of the video "free of charge."
"Agreeing to the project has no money consideration because it's priceless. I mean, no money can buy the prestige."
I didn't think that was a smart thing to do and say. How many millions of DOLLARS will Sony Entertainment PROFIT from from the toil and time of the inmates, jail guards, and other staff of the Cebu Provincial Jail - not to mention the facilities and utilities of the institution. Such generosity! All for PRESTIGE???
Better jail conditions, rehabilitation programs, livelihood programs do not come free and cannot be paid by prestige. Sony Entertainment does not need a donation - if they had paid, it was merely a fair exchange for services given.
Sayang.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Thursday, October 29, 2009
On the Question: What Happened to the Ondoy Relief Goods?
You might have already seen the forwarded email, checked the blog, watched the news, read the news. You might have even forwarded the email yourself - without asking, "Is this really true?."
I'm sure Ella is not the only side of the coin, so when she had her 15 minutes of fame, I did not bother to believe until I was able to get the DSWD's side of it. And I think the DSWD's side of it makes sense. I reiterate the Secretary's statement:
"... An empty warehouse is not proof that the goods were used properly just as a full warehouse is not evidence that the goods are being hoarded. There are many aspects of disaster response."
I can go "tsk, tsk, tsk" at all the inefficiency, or wastage, or whatever that could and would occur in major operations such as this. I would even rant about it to my friends. But I have to be well informed before I pass on sensationalized, unverified news.
Please find below the responses of the DSWD on the allegations regarding the relief goods in the the DSWD warehouses. Will you pass this around too?
DSWD Statement follows:
May we share with you the attached official DSWD response to these allegations in the blog. We hope this could be circulated too. Likewise, invite them to visit the National Relief Operations Center (NROC) and see for themselves its operations, afterwhich provide constructive recommendations/suggestions to enhance our work there.
Thank you.
Very truly yours,
Alicia R. Bala
Undersecretary
Statement:
I'm sure Ella is not the only side of the coin, so when she had her 15 minutes of fame, I did not bother to believe until I was able to get the DSWD's side of it. And I think the DSWD's side of it makes sense. I reiterate the Secretary's statement:
"... An empty warehouse is not proof that the goods were used properly just as a full warehouse is not evidence that the goods are being hoarded. There are many aspects of disaster response."
I can go "tsk, tsk, tsk" at all the inefficiency, or wastage, or whatever that could and would occur in major operations such as this. I would even rant about it to my friends. But I have to be well informed before I pass on sensationalized, unverified news.
Please find below the responses of the DSWD on the allegations regarding the relief goods in the the DSWD warehouses. Will you pass this around too?
DSWD Statement follows:
May we share with you the attached official DSWD response to these allegations in the blog. We hope this could be circulated too. Likewise, invite them to visit the National Relief Operations Center (NROC) and see for themselves its operations, afterwhich provide constructive recommendations/suggestions to enhance our work there.
Thank you.
Very truly yours,
Alicia R. Bala
Undersecretary
Statement:
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) manages the
National Relief Operations Center (NROC) which is the facility for
processing and storage of relief goods that are purchased by the
Department or donated to us by generous individuals both here and
abroad. The relief goods are released to our Regional Offices or
directly to evacuation centers or to the local government units as
they are needed and requested by these entities. They are delivered in
trucks, many of which were lent to us by private companies or by
military vehicles. Some of the goods are shipped by air from nearby
Villamor Airbase.
When typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng hit the country, we received and are
continuing to receive donations. Our warehouses are indeed full,
inspite of the fact that we have distributed 500,000 food packs and
200,000 clothing packs as well as thousands of sacks of rice,
blankets, beddings, and items of personal hygiene in the past almost 4
weeks. That is the reason why when asked if we still have enough
goods, my constant reply is yes, so far we do, thanks to the many
kind-hearted individuals and organizations as well as countries who
responded and are still responding to the plight of the typhoon
victims.
There are no rotting relief goods in our warehouses as we do not keep
perishables there and the relief goods that are there, save for the
donated old clothes are quite new since they have been either recently
purchased by us or have been just donated.
Our goods are repacked by volunteers who are there because they want
to help. But they are volunteers and report when they have time to
help us. Sometimes there are two hundred of them and sometimes there
are only a dozen. However many or few they are, we appreciate their
presence and their assistance. Weekdays are usually quiet but on
Saturdays and Sundays, the students, along with others who work Monday
to Friday, including our own employees, are there.
Our staff at the warehouse work round the clock even now, making sure
that the requests for relief goods are met in a timely manner. They
work hard, they work quietly and they work humbly and I feel bad that
they have been subjected to public vilification that they do not
deserve.
I do not recall having talked to an Editor of Philippine News. I do
remember my secretary telling me that someone was on the phone asking
why there were no volunteers working at the warehouse. My reply was we
do not own the time of the volunteers.
I wish that I could have prevented the deaths from typhoons but in
fact, they have nothing to do with the relief goods that we are in
charge of. Most of the deaths were from drowning or injuries sustained
during the typhoon. Some died of illnesses. We are not in charge of
rescue nor are we in charge of health and to the best of my knowledge,
none of the deaths was due to absence of or delay in the delivery of
relief goods.
We would like to assure all of you that the relief goods will reach
the intended beneficiaries as they become necessary and will be used
only to assist them. However, the relief goods don’t all go out at the
same time and an empty warehouse is not proof that the goods were used
properly just as a full warehouse is not evidence that the goods are
being hoarded. If you visit our website www.dswd.gov.ph you will find
updates on our activities related to typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng. It
includes an updated list of donations received and goods released from
the DSWD warehouse.
There are many aspects of disaster response. They include recovery and
rehabilitation and in both instances, goods and other resources are
still needed. In the initial reaction to a calamity, people will want
to help and as we saw recently, they came in droves, offering their
time, their talent and their resources. We want them to know how much
we appreciate them for what they have done and what they are still
doing. But further down the road, when the initial flush of generosity
gives way to donor fatigue, there will remain only a few hardy NGOs
and volunteers and the workers of the DSWD and other government
agencies to continue the job of helping the disaster victims back on
their feet. Judicious use of resources at the outset is imperative
lest we face the situation of even greater want after a period of
relative plenty. We at the DSWD wish to assure you that your trust in
us is not misplaced. Thank you.
Letter of Dr. Esperanza Cabral to the Editor in Chief, Philippine Daily Inquirer
October 25, 2009
MS.LETICIA MAGSANOC
Editorin Chief
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Makati City
Dear Ms. Magsanoc:
Please allow me to comment on the PDI editorial of October 25,2009.
Very truly yours,
ESPERANZA I. CABRAL, M.D.
Secretary
Department of Social Welfare and Development
National Relief Operations Center (NROC) which is the facility for
processing and storage of relief goods that are purchased by the
Department or donated to us by generous individuals both here and
abroad. The relief goods are released to our Regional Offices or
directly to evacuation centers or to the local government units as
they are needed and requested by these entities. They are delivered in
trucks, many of which were lent to us by private companies or by
military vehicles. Some of the goods are shipped by air from nearby
Villamor Airbase.
When typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng hit the country, we received and are
continuing to receive donations. Our warehouses are indeed full,
inspite of the fact that we have distributed 500,000 food packs and
200,000 clothing packs as well as thousands of sacks of rice,
blankets, beddings, and items of personal hygiene in the past almost 4
weeks. That is the reason why when asked if we still have enough
goods, my constant reply is yes, so far we do, thanks to the many
kind-hearted individuals and organizations as well as countries who
responded and are still responding to the plight of the typhoon
victims.
There are no rotting relief goods in our warehouses as we do not keep
perishables there and the relief goods that are there, save for the
donated old clothes are quite new since they have been either recently
purchased by us or have been just donated.
Our goods are repacked by volunteers who are there because they want
to help. But they are volunteers and report when they have time to
help us. Sometimes there are two hundred of them and sometimes there
are only a dozen. However many or few they are, we appreciate their
presence and their assistance. Weekdays are usually quiet but on
Saturdays and Sundays, the students, along with others who work Monday
to Friday, including our own employees, are there.
Our staff at the warehouse work round the clock even now, making sure
that the requests for relief goods are met in a timely manner. They
work hard, they work quietly and they work humbly and I feel bad that
they have been subjected to public vilification that they do not
deserve.
I do not recall having talked to an Editor of Philippine News. I do
remember my secretary telling me that someone was on the phone asking
why there were no volunteers working at the warehouse. My reply was we
do not own the time of the volunteers.
I wish that I could have prevented the deaths from typhoons but in
fact, they have nothing to do with the relief goods that we are in
charge of. Most of the deaths were from drowning or injuries sustained
during the typhoon. Some died of illnesses. We are not in charge of
rescue nor are we in charge of health and to the best of my knowledge,
none of the deaths was due to absence of or delay in the delivery of
relief goods.
We would like to assure all of you that the relief goods will reach
the intended beneficiaries as they become necessary and will be used
only to assist them. However, the relief goods don’t all go out at the
same time and an empty warehouse is not proof that the goods were used
properly just as a full warehouse is not evidence that the goods are
being hoarded. If you visit our website www.dswd.gov.ph you will find
updates on our activities related to typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng. It
includes an updated list of donations received and goods released from
the DSWD warehouse.
There are many aspects of disaster response. They include recovery and
rehabilitation and in both instances, goods and other resources are
still needed. In the initial reaction to a calamity, people will want
to help and as we saw recently, they came in droves, offering their
time, their talent and their resources. We want them to know how much
we appreciate them for what they have done and what they are still
doing. But further down the road, when the initial flush of generosity
gives way to donor fatigue, there will remain only a few hardy NGOs
and volunteers and the workers of the DSWD and other government
agencies to continue the job of helping the disaster victims back on
their feet. Judicious use of resources at the outset is imperative
lest we face the situation of even greater want after a period of
relative plenty. We at the DSWD wish to assure you that your trust in
us is not misplaced. Thank you.
Letter of Dr. Esperanza Cabral to the Editor in Chief, Philippine Daily Inquirer
October 25, 2009
MS.LETICIA MAGSANOC
Editorin Chief
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Makati City
Dear Ms. Magsanoc:
Please allow me to comment on the PDI editorial of October 25,2009.
- You correctly quoted me as saying that “Our goods are repacked by volunteers who are there because they want to help. But they are volunteers and report when they have time to help us. Sometimes there are two hundred of them and sometimes there are only a dozen.” I was stating facts. In my official statement I never “pursued the line put forward by her secretary – blame it on a lack of volunteers.” I never said that we lacked volunteers nor that the lack of volunteers impeded our work. Actually our goods are sent to the Regional Offices, local government units, etc as requested, either as repacked goods or un-repacked items, i.e., sacks of rice, boxes of canned goods, pallets of jerry cans, etc. There has never been an instance when a request for repacked goods was turned down by the Central Warehouse because it was unavailable at the time of the request whatever the number of volunteers we had on the days previous. There is always a sufficient number of items, repacked or not, to respond to the requests we receive. This is just a warehouse we are talking about. All the staff does is to accept and process the goods sent there, store them until such time as a request for release is received, and then they do that. The warehouse functions quite well in relation to the entire disaster operations. The larger scheme of things is something you might want to discuss with us at length. We would so love to orient you fully on our disaster operations, in fact on the whole DSWD operations, whenever you have the time. Just tell us. After you know the DSWD, in particular its disaster operations, you can criticize us with full confidence if you wish, really knowing whereof you speak instead of just what you think we should be doing or how you think we should be doing it. Until them, neither you nor the public deserve to be harsh on the DSWD.
- Thank you for understanding that I mean well. Our Department is not perfect, but I can assure you that the overwhelming majority of us are competent at what we do and that we do our jobs with integrity. We do not deserve this demolition job that was started by some publicity hungry bimbo that is now being gleefully carried forward by all sorts of characters of dubious motivation and media outfits who have seen a chance to yet attack a government that they do not like.
- We do indeed have a “politico-proof” policy as far as disbursement of relief goods is concerned. It entails assessing the requests from politicians (as well as all others) and making sure that the relief goods are being requested for real disaster victims. It necessitates our social workers being the ones to do the distribution in the presence of the “politico.” A politico-proof policy does not mean that we turn down requests for assistance just because they came from a politician. It is a demonstration of our transparency that our record of disbursement lists down the names of the politicians as well as others who requested relief goods from the DSWD. We could have very well kept the information to ourselves and you will likely be none the wiser. We would not have incurred the ire of politicians who want to use relief goods for their own purposes as has actually happened.
Very truly yours,
ESPERANZA I. CABRAL, M.D.
Secretary
Department of Social Welfare and Development
Monday, July 10, 2006
Working the Reggio Way
“A teacher’s goal is not so much to ‘facilitate’ learning in the sense of ‘making it smooth or easy’ but rather to ‘stimulate’ it by making problems more complex, engaging, and difficult.” – Loris Malaguzzi
Working the Reggio Way: A Beginner’s Guide for American Teachers
Julianne Wurm
Working the Reggio Way: A Beginner’s Guide for American Teachers was written in the context of applying the Italian “Reggio Approach” once featured in a 1991 Newsweek issue as offering “the best early childhood programs in the world,” into the American setting. The book is supposed to fill the cultural gap by providing practical suggestions for the American early childhood educator. It is not so much to replicate the schools themselves, “as cultural restraints make that impossible,” but to use the approach relevant to the culture of the United States. By asking many questions or engaging readers in exercises through out the chapters, the reader is lead to becoming a “reflective practitioner.” Progressing through the book should allow the reader to see the difference between values and actual practice. Reflective practice, as a basic point of origin for working with children in Reggio ways, is “looking at the ways you are working and asking questions of yourself and your colleagues.” The book presents the challenge for the practitioner to take responsibility for his/her professional development, “which requires constant reflection, collaboration, and questioning.”
The book is organized by starting with the reader’s reflection of his/her “own values about children, education, and community.” These values are to be the basis of succeeding actions, through the lens of which the reader “will look at the physical environment and space; the organization of time; the Reggio approach to curriculum through progettazione, or projects; and then the documentation, questioning that give life to the curriculum and the program.” Because it is a guide book, the book proceeds on a step by step learning course. The author encourages readers to learn along and actively participate by answering questions and writing these answers in a notebook or discussing it with a study group of colleagues.
A great emphasis of the approach is its interconnectedness. The one quality, the author says, proves difficult for teachers, because the approach presents a “big, complex picture” rather than small, compartmentalized, and individual pieces.
Chapter 1 begins by asking questions fundamental questions which serve as foundations in creating a vision for the school:
What is a child?
What is childhood?
How do we learn?
How do children learn?
What is the meaning of to educate?
What is the relationship between teaching and learning?
What is the relationship between theory and practice?
What is the relationship between school and research? And what is the relationship between school for young children and research?
What is the relationship between school and education?
The premise is the view that educators have of children, or their answers to the questions stated above affect actions including even the arrangement of the environment. In Reggio Emilia, children are not viewed as fragile but rather as “strong, powerful, and rich in potential, driven by the power of wanting to grow, and nurtured by adults who take this drive towards growth seriously.” Three features of the Reggio programs are manifestations of this view of the child as competent: a “wait time” which requires teachers to give the children time to understand concepts on their own; access to the bathroom without adult supervision; and sinks at children’s level.
“The curriculum in Reggio grows from teachers, children, and their families in those schools from their cultural context.” This approach may seem very radical for an educational system, present not only in the US that traditionally espouses a clear set of objectives and materials, or to “align their work with standards or readiness guidelines.” Alignment however should come with an established vision resulting from an examination of views and moving all elements, considering what is already in existence, towards that stated vision: aligning values and practice.
Space, “the physical, unchanging features of the place in which one lives and works with children” and environment, “the way physical space is dressed up, lived in, defined, and redefine over time” is discussed in Chapter 2. The author further gives the distinction for these two terms by suggesting conceiving “the space as forming the scaffold or framework upon which we create the environment.”
Sample Questions to Ask on the Environment:
(What do the answers communicate about your view of the child?)
o Why are the plant leaves dusty or limp from lack of watering?
o Why are there fake plants instead of real ones?
o Why are many of the toys stored out of reach of children?
o Could the storage areas be covered to create a more pleasing aesthetic sense?
o Are there boxes of old materials stored on tip of cabinets?
o Why do the children eat on paper plates?
o Why is the food made the previous day and reheated?
o How are materials presented?
o Is the restroom accessible to children at all times?
o Is the documentation at an adult’s eye level or a child’s?
o Where do the children eat?
o Where do they rest?
o What do they rest on?
o Is the outdoor space cement with a play structure?
o Is there adequate natural light?
o Does the air move freely throughout the school?
o Are there mirrors for children to see themselves?
o What does the child see when he looks up?
o Are the walls stimulating?
o Are the walls orderly?
o Are the walls clean?
o What are the clothes like in the dress-up area – adult hand-me-downs or child-sized fantasy clothes?
o Are the kitchen implements in the house-play area real or from the kitchen kit for children?
o Does the environment hold the child’s attention?
o Does the child want to stare at the light sparkles made from a hanging prism?
o Are musical instruments available?
o Are there places for the children to interact with one another both inside and outside?
o Are there safe “nooks” for two or three children to go to on their own?
o How are the blocks in the construction area stored?
o Is there a construction area?
o Is there a House-play area?
o Is there a dress-up area
Working the Reggio Way: A Beginner’s Guide for American Teachers
Julianne Wurm
Working the Reggio Way: A Beginner’s Guide for American Teachers was written in the context of applying the Italian “Reggio Approach” once featured in a 1991 Newsweek issue as offering “the best early childhood programs in the world,” into the American setting. The book is supposed to fill the cultural gap by providing practical suggestions for the American early childhood educator. It is not so much to replicate the schools themselves, “as cultural restraints make that impossible,” but to use the approach relevant to the culture of the United States. By asking many questions or engaging readers in exercises through out the chapters, the reader is lead to becoming a “reflective practitioner.” Progressing through the book should allow the reader to see the difference between values and actual practice. Reflective practice, as a basic point of origin for working with children in Reggio ways, is “looking at the ways you are working and asking questions of yourself and your colleagues.” The book presents the challenge for the practitioner to take responsibility for his/her professional development, “which requires constant reflection, collaboration, and questioning.”
The book is organized by starting with the reader’s reflection of his/her “own values about children, education, and community.” These values are to be the basis of succeeding actions, through the lens of which the reader “will look at the physical environment and space; the organization of time; the Reggio approach to curriculum through progettazione, or projects; and then the documentation, questioning that give life to the curriculum and the program.” Because it is a guide book, the book proceeds on a step by step learning course. The author encourages readers to learn along and actively participate by answering questions and writing these answers in a notebook or discussing it with a study group of colleagues.
A great emphasis of the approach is its interconnectedness. The one quality, the author says, proves difficult for teachers, because the approach presents a “big, complex picture” rather than small, compartmentalized, and individual pieces.
Chapter 1 begins by asking questions fundamental questions which serve as foundations in creating a vision for the school:
What is a child?
What is childhood?
How do we learn?
How do children learn?
What is the meaning of to educate?
What is the relationship between teaching and learning?
What is the relationship between theory and practice?
What is the relationship between school and research? And what is the relationship between school for young children and research?
What is the relationship between school and education?
The premise is the view that educators have of children, or their answers to the questions stated above affect actions including even the arrangement of the environment. In Reggio Emilia, children are not viewed as fragile but rather as “strong, powerful, and rich in potential, driven by the power of wanting to grow, and nurtured by adults who take this drive towards growth seriously.” Three features of the Reggio programs are manifestations of this view of the child as competent: a “wait time” which requires teachers to give the children time to understand concepts on their own; access to the bathroom without adult supervision; and sinks at children’s level.
“The curriculum in Reggio grows from teachers, children, and their families in those schools from their cultural context.” This approach may seem very radical for an educational system, present not only in the US that traditionally espouses a clear set of objectives and materials, or to “align their work with standards or readiness guidelines.” Alignment however should come with an established vision resulting from an examination of views and moving all elements, considering what is already in existence, towards that stated vision: aligning values and practice.
Space, “the physical, unchanging features of the place in which one lives and works with children” and environment, “the way physical space is dressed up, lived in, defined, and redefine over time” is discussed in Chapter 2. The author further gives the distinction for these two terms by suggesting conceiving “the space as forming the scaffold or framework upon which we create the environment.”
Sample Questions to Ask on the Environment:
(What do the answers communicate about your view of the child?)
o Why are the plant leaves dusty or limp from lack of watering?
o Why are there fake plants instead of real ones?
o Why are many of the toys stored out of reach of children?
o Could the storage areas be covered to create a more pleasing aesthetic sense?
o Are there boxes of old materials stored on tip of cabinets?
o Why do the children eat on paper plates?
o Why is the food made the previous day and reheated?
o How are materials presented?
o Is the restroom accessible to children at all times?
o Is the documentation at an adult’s eye level or a child’s?
o Where do the children eat?
o Where do they rest?
o What do they rest on?
o Is the outdoor space cement with a play structure?
o Is there adequate natural light?
o Does the air move freely throughout the school?
o Are there mirrors for children to see themselves?
o What does the child see when he looks up?
o Are the walls stimulating?
o Are the walls orderly?
o Are the walls clean?
o What are the clothes like in the dress-up area – adult hand-me-downs or child-sized fantasy clothes?
o Are the kitchen implements in the house-play area real or from the kitchen kit for children?
o Does the environment hold the child’s attention?
o Does the child want to stare at the light sparkles made from a hanging prism?
o Are musical instruments available?
o Are there places for the children to interact with one another both inside and outside?
o Are there safe “nooks” for two or three children to go to on their own?
o How are the blocks in the construction area stored?
o Is there a construction area?
o Is there a House-play area?
o Is there a dress-up area
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Early Childhood Care and Education in Indonesia
Speaking of Indonesia’s investment in ECD, the Section for Early Childhood and Inclusive Education Division of Basic Education of the UNESCO Education Sector came up with a Policy Review Report of Early Childhood Care and Education in Indonesia in January 1995 as part of their Early Childhood and Family Policy Series.
A copy of the report in English and Indonesian may be obtained online. A search through the UNESCO library portal will also give some related documents: An earlier national case study report, and ECCE in South East Asia.
A copy of the report in English and Indonesian may be obtained online. A search through the UNESCO library portal will also give some related documents: An earlier national case study report, and ECCE in South East Asia.
Some notes:
- The major access gap between advantaged and disadvantaged children in Indonesia lies in their access to early childhood educational services.
- The current participation level for educational early childhood services is 8%.
In 2003 the total expenditure for early childhood care and education was only 0.55% of the education budget. - The absence of public investment remains a major obstacle to bridging the access gap between the disadvantage and the advantaged.
If Indonesia is serious about long-term social development, social cohesion, poverty alleviation and economic growth, it must consider making a greater investment in early childhood services. - Considering that serving poor children is one of the best ways to maximize the benefits of investment in early childhood, public investment directed mainly to the poor is a doubly sound policy option for making the best use of exiting resources.
- As many as eight ministries and government offices with their own early childhood services co-exist: The Ministry of National Education, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Social Welfare, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the Family Welfare and Empowerment Team, and the National Family Planning Coordination Board.
- Different ministries and government agencies plan policy with no apparent coordination.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Notes on Reggio Emilia
I’ve recently been reading on the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education and I’ve been learning quite a lot.
I’m posting some notes that I’ve picked up. This segment is from Reflections on the Reggio Emilia Approach, a collection of papers edited by Lilian G. Katz and Bernard Cesarone, monograph series of the ERIC/ EECE (1994).
The Reggio Emilia approach is described by Howard Gardner in “Complementary Perspectives on Reggio Emilia” in “The Hundred Languages of Children: The Reggio Emilia Approach to Early Childhood Education (1993),” as
…a collection of schools for young children in which each child’s intellectual, emotional, social, and moral potentials are carefully cultivated and guided. The principal educational vehicle involves youngsters in long-term engrossing projects, which are carried out in a beautiful, healthy, love-filled setting.”
The municipal early childhood programs in the city Reggio Emilia (pop. 130,000) located at the Emilia Romagna region, originated in cooperative schools started by parents at the end of World War II. The city currently supports 22 preprimary schools for children 3-6 years of age, as well as 13 infant-toddles centers for children under 3. Children of all socio-economic and educational backgrounds attend the programs, including special needs children; 50% of the city’s 3-6 years olds and 37% of the city’s children under 3 are served in the municipal schools and centers (Edwards, et al: Promoting Collaborative Learning)
[Why only 50 and 37%, I wonder… and how do they implement programs for special children?] – I read further and saw a figure that 90% of the children are enrolled, there are also privately funded institutions that might have catered to the other percentage of children not enrolled in the municipal funded centers.
Staff Development in Reggio Emilia
By Carlina Rinaldi, Municipal Preprimary Schools of Reggio Emilia,
Reggio Emilia, Italy
By way of introduction:
o Research as a permanent learning strategy for both children and adults.
o Staff development is a vital and daily aspect of work – of personal and professional identities.
o The group is not characterized simply by the sum of individual people or as a game between minority and majority thinking. Instead. It is a new way of thinking, it is a co-construction together towards a common interpretation of educational goals.
On competence:
o The fundamental premise of staff development is that it will develop the competence of the teacher by fostering interaction with children, parents, and colleagues. Moreover, every child has the right to have a competent, well-informed teacher. This competence is acquired through practice and through reflection within the teacher group.
o Teachers should be well educated in the broadest sense of the word. The teacher ought to be a person belonging to our present-day culture who, at the same time, is able to criticize, to question, and to analyze this culture. The teacher out to be intellectually curious, one who rebels against a consumeristic approach to knowledge and is willing to build upon knowledge rather than to consume it. To consider the teacher as such is both a premise and an objective.
o The main job [of educator] is to facilitate the entrance of children into the culture and the symbols around them and to help them to create new cultures and symbolization while respecting their own personal strategies, their own ways, their own timetable. The children are competent in this regard. We must support their “journey” by building with them and for them a network of understandings that is founded on the continual intertwining of the fields of knowledge and the fields of experience.
o The problem is not so much to question ourselves about how to teach children, but to ask ourselves what and how children can learn from a certain situation.
Promoting Collaborative Learning in the Early Childhood Classroom: Teachers’ contrasting Conceptualizations in Two Communities
By: Carolyn Edwards, Lella Gandini, and John Nimmo
Noteworthy Features of the City-financed, City-managed Systems of Preprimary and Infant-toddles Education in Reggio Emilia and Pistoia, Italy:
1. The ways in which children, teachers and parents are connected in to operative communities focused on the surrounding cit and region;
2. the ways in which children are stimulated toward cognitive, social, and emotional development through collaborative play and group projects.
o Rather than focusing on the developing child as an autonomous learner, Reggio Emilia and Pistoia educators see education as a communal activity and sharing of culture through collaboration among children and also between children and teachers, who open topics to speculation and negotiation. The Amherst, Massachusetts educators, in contrast, see education first and foremost as a means for promoting the development of each individual.
I’d like to put the Conclusion of this article in whole because it’s so interesting especially in describing the different cultural contexts with which teachers work with children, and presents as well very challenging questions on collaborative and individual learning.
Beginning with shared assumptions about the nature of the child of the schooling as a “system of relations and communications embedded in the wider social system” (Rinaldi, 1990), the educators in Reggio Emilia have developed over the past thirty years a distinctive approach to early education. The concrete features of this approach include, as key components, small group collaborative learning; continuity over time of child-child and child-teacher relations; a focus on problem solving and long-term projects involving mastery of many symbolic media; fostering of the connections between home, school, and the wider community; and awareness and appreciation of cultural heritage (city, region, and nation). Accompanying these concrete organizational features is a shared discourse or language of education that allows the Reggio teachers to collaborate, that is, in their own terms, to exchange ideals, listen to one another, and engage in meaningful conflict over ideas. Their language of education is readily apparent in their statements in the collaboration interviews, as well as the subsequent group vide-reflection discussions. It is based on a theory of knowledge that defines thinking and learning as social and communicative events – co-constructive experiences for both children and adults.
The Amherst educators, members of a school community founded in the 1960s based on Deweyian principles of progressive education, likewise developed a shared language of education. Central to their goals are promoting the development of each unique individual, within a strong community stretching backward and forward in time and containing children, their families, and all the staff at the school – director, librarian, teachers, assistant teachers, and others. This community is conceived as democratic, diverse, and drawing strength from the ties of cross-age relationships. Their language of education, very different from that heard in Reggio Emilia, is based on a theory of knowledge that sees thinking and learning as a matter of each child gaining knowledge of self, others, and the wider world through social interaction, research, and discussion – processes that stimulate the development of mature autonomy and self realization. Placing the two perspectives in juxtaposition, it is easy to see how each language of education constrains or directs the thinking of its teachers, but = at the same time packages ideas economically to make the communication and dialogue possible for the community. The language of education preferred in Amherst focuses teachers’ attention on individuals and how they develop and change over time. The preferred discourse makes it difficult for them to regard groups as the always desirable context for intellectual work and supports the view that teachers should closely monitor social interactions between children and be available to work closely in short, one-on-one or one-on-two spurts, with children engaged in intellectual work, so that children have opportunities for both guided and independent learning. In contrast, the language of education preferred in Reggio Emilia focuses teachers’ attention on children always in relation to the group, and makes it difficult for them to speak systematically about the value of their program in terms of what the children gain from it, year by year, across specific domains.
At the same time, the educators in each community seem to be aware of more dimensions and more complexity that what their language of education structures for them. As aw shall discuss in future writings, both groups of teachers are highly aware of the unique personality f each chills and also highly knowledgeable about the group processes in their classroom. Indeed, it appeared that the interviews and discussions involved in our research, particularly the cross-cultural video-reflection, provoked the teachers to consider the limitations of both their own and the other community’s discourse and practices.
I wonder, however, if anybody has ever made studies on the effects of the Reggio Emilia approach to the community or to Italy, for that matter. If their early childhood development programs are so world renowned to be superior, and with the knowledge that investment in ECD is worth all other investments, have the Reggio Emilia schools produced better individuals and communities as compared to other places in the world? Are the Italians better, in a sense, than other people in the world with different ECD or early childhood education approaches?
I’m posting some notes that I’ve picked up. This segment is from Reflections on the Reggio Emilia Approach, a collection of papers edited by Lilian G. Katz and Bernard Cesarone, monograph series of the ERIC/ EECE (1994).
The Reggio Emilia approach is described by Howard Gardner in “Complementary Perspectives on Reggio Emilia” in “The Hundred Languages of Children: The Reggio Emilia Approach to Early Childhood Education (1993),” as
…a collection of schools for young children in which each child’s intellectual, emotional, social, and moral potentials are carefully cultivated and guided. The principal educational vehicle involves youngsters in long-term engrossing projects, which are carried out in a beautiful, healthy, love-filled setting.”
The municipal early childhood programs in the city Reggio Emilia (pop. 130,000) located at the Emilia Romagna region, originated in cooperative schools started by parents at the end of World War II. The city currently supports 22 preprimary schools for children 3-6 years of age, as well as 13 infant-toddles centers for children under 3. Children of all socio-economic and educational backgrounds attend the programs, including special needs children; 50% of the city’s 3-6 years olds and 37% of the city’s children under 3 are served in the municipal schools and centers (Edwards, et al: Promoting Collaborative Learning)
[Why only 50 and 37%, I wonder… and how do they implement programs for special children?] – I read further and saw a figure that 90% of the children are enrolled, there are also privately funded institutions that might have catered to the other percentage of children not enrolled in the municipal funded centers.
Staff Development in Reggio Emilia
By Carlina Rinaldi, Municipal Preprimary Schools of Reggio Emilia,
Reggio Emilia, Italy
By way of introduction:
o Research as a permanent learning strategy for both children and adults.
o Staff development is a vital and daily aspect of work – of personal and professional identities.
o The group is not characterized simply by the sum of individual people or as a game between minority and majority thinking. Instead. It is a new way of thinking, it is a co-construction together towards a common interpretation of educational goals.
On competence:
o The fundamental premise of staff development is that it will develop the competence of the teacher by fostering interaction with children, parents, and colleagues. Moreover, every child has the right to have a competent, well-informed teacher. This competence is acquired through practice and through reflection within the teacher group.
o Teachers should be well educated in the broadest sense of the word. The teacher ought to be a person belonging to our present-day culture who, at the same time, is able to criticize, to question, and to analyze this culture. The teacher out to be intellectually curious, one who rebels against a consumeristic approach to knowledge and is willing to build upon knowledge rather than to consume it. To consider the teacher as such is both a premise and an objective.
o The main job [of educator] is to facilitate the entrance of children into the culture and the symbols around them and to help them to create new cultures and symbolization while respecting their own personal strategies, their own ways, their own timetable. The children are competent in this regard. We must support their “journey” by building with them and for them a network of understandings that is founded on the continual intertwining of the fields of knowledge and the fields of experience.
o The problem is not so much to question ourselves about how to teach children, but to ask ourselves what and how children can learn from a certain situation.
Promoting Collaborative Learning in the Early Childhood Classroom: Teachers’ contrasting Conceptualizations in Two Communities
By: Carolyn Edwards, Lella Gandini, and John Nimmo
Noteworthy Features of the City-financed, City-managed Systems of Preprimary and Infant-toddles Education in Reggio Emilia and Pistoia, Italy:
1. The ways in which children, teachers and parents are connected in to operative communities focused on the surrounding cit and region;
2. the ways in which children are stimulated toward cognitive, social, and emotional development through collaborative play and group projects.
o Rather than focusing on the developing child as an autonomous learner, Reggio Emilia and Pistoia educators see education as a communal activity and sharing of culture through collaboration among children and also between children and teachers, who open topics to speculation and negotiation. The Amherst, Massachusetts educators, in contrast, see education first and foremost as a means for promoting the development of each individual.
I’d like to put the Conclusion of this article in whole because it’s so interesting especially in describing the different cultural contexts with which teachers work with children, and presents as well very challenging questions on collaborative and individual learning.
Beginning with shared assumptions about the nature of the child of the schooling as a “system of relations and communications embedded in the wider social system” (Rinaldi, 1990), the educators in Reggio Emilia have developed over the past thirty years a distinctive approach to early education. The concrete features of this approach include, as key components, small group collaborative learning; continuity over time of child-child and child-teacher relations; a focus on problem solving and long-term projects involving mastery of many symbolic media; fostering of the connections between home, school, and the wider community; and awareness and appreciation of cultural heritage (city, region, and nation). Accompanying these concrete organizational features is a shared discourse or language of education that allows the Reggio teachers to collaborate, that is, in their own terms, to exchange ideals, listen to one another, and engage in meaningful conflict over ideas. Their language of education is readily apparent in their statements in the collaboration interviews, as well as the subsequent group vide-reflection discussions. It is based on a theory of knowledge that defines thinking and learning as social and communicative events – co-constructive experiences for both children and adults.
The Amherst educators, members of a school community founded in the 1960s based on Deweyian principles of progressive education, likewise developed a shared language of education. Central to their goals are promoting the development of each unique individual, within a strong community stretching backward and forward in time and containing children, their families, and all the staff at the school – director, librarian, teachers, assistant teachers, and others. This community is conceived as democratic, diverse, and drawing strength from the ties of cross-age relationships. Their language of education, very different from that heard in Reggio Emilia, is based on a theory of knowledge that sees thinking and learning as a matter of each child gaining knowledge of self, others, and the wider world through social interaction, research, and discussion – processes that stimulate the development of mature autonomy and self realization. Placing the two perspectives in juxtaposition, it is easy to see how each language of education constrains or directs the thinking of its teachers, but = at the same time packages ideas economically to make the communication and dialogue possible for the community. The language of education preferred in Amherst focuses teachers’ attention on individuals and how they develop and change over time. The preferred discourse makes it difficult for them to regard groups as the always desirable context for intellectual work and supports the view that teachers should closely monitor social interactions between children and be available to work closely in short, one-on-one or one-on-two spurts, with children engaged in intellectual work, so that children have opportunities for both guided and independent learning. In contrast, the language of education preferred in Reggio Emilia focuses teachers’ attention on children always in relation to the group, and makes it difficult for them to speak systematically about the value of their program in terms of what the children gain from it, year by year, across specific domains.
At the same time, the educators in each community seem to be aware of more dimensions and more complexity that what their language of education structures for them. As aw shall discuss in future writings, both groups of teachers are highly aware of the unique personality f each chills and also highly knowledgeable about the group processes in their classroom. Indeed, it appeared that the interviews and discussions involved in our research, particularly the cross-cultural video-reflection, provoked the teachers to consider the limitations of both their own and the other community’s discourse and practices.
I wonder, however, if anybody has ever made studies on the effects of the Reggio Emilia approach to the community or to Italy, for that matter. If their early childhood development programs are so world renowned to be superior, and with the knowledge that investment in ECD is worth all other investments, have the Reggio Emilia schools produced better individuals and communities as compared to other places in the world? Are the Italians better, in a sense, than other people in the world with different ECD or early childhood education approaches?
Malnutrition Affecting Aceh’s Youngest
I found this in one of the news bits of The Jakarta Post, July 1, 2006 issue reported by Antara: Naimah Hasan, an official of the Bureau of/ Agency for Reconstruction and Recovery for Aceh and Nias (BRR) stated that an estimated 60 percent of Acehnese children under five are malnourished according to a recent survey conducted through Aceh. A 2005 census of the province placed the population of children aged under five years old at 402,460. The official added that reconstruction efforts in Aceh had been focused on physical projects at the cost of health.
I think that Aceh especially should seriously look into its ECD investments and interventions because after the tsunami, the trend had been for families to get pregnant as a response to the loss they had incurred. There is indeed a lot of marrying and women getting pregnant around here.
I think that Aceh especially should seriously look into its ECD investments and interventions because after the tsunami, the trend had been for families to get pregnant as a response to the loss they had incurred. There is indeed a lot of marrying and women getting pregnant around here.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Planning Policies Guidelines Review
I've been reading a material which might seem very useful for our needs. I would have wanted to move forward on identifying and/ or helping develop workshop materials for ECD benchmarks, theories, and best practices but I don't know what materials we already have and what materials need to be developed. Anyway, I just assumed that I'm working from zero, so this is one of the materials which I have identified and I'll outline some of its contents that we can use. I've decided to review seemingly good materials that I have already searched and see where they can be used rather than search and save/print haphazardly. I figured that this would be a better way to manage the knowledge that is already being accumulated.
Planning Policies for Early Childhood Development: Guidelines for Action
Emily Vargas-Barón
Available online at: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001395/139545e.pdf
Because the material is a “tool kit,” it is a good guide book especially for a multi – sectoral working group who has to understand the basics of having to work in collaboration. The material works on the basic principles of participatory planning, integrated and life cycle approach to ECD.
Practical suggestions for conducting the five phases (Preparation; ECD Situation Analysis and Consultation Preparation; Community, Regional and National Consultations; Policy Drafts and Consensus Building; and Policy Approval and Adoption) of an ECD policy planning process follows after an introduction on all major areas of child survival and development.
Area/ Task/ Need:
Workshop Material for Early Childhood Development Benchmarks, Theories and Best Practices
Contents (From the Material):
The Needs and Justification for ECD Policies.......... 3
A Brief History of ECD Policy Development.......... 6
The Integrated Approach ................ 7
The Life Cycle Approach to ECD Policy Planning..... 9
Increasing Investment in Young Children...... 11
The Participatory Approach......... 12
Achieving Policy Alignment................ 13
Area/ Task/ Need:
Design and Implement a Baseline Assessment for ECD services and programming in Aceh/
Develop indicators for STC ECD Programming in Aceh
Contents (From the Material):
ECD Indicators Linked to MDGs..... 63
Policy Indicators (for content areas and policy assessment)..... 91
ECD Indicators Linked to MDGs
Goal 1 Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Target 2 under this MDG is: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger. Target 2 includes the indicator: Prevalence of underweight children under five years of age. 47
Goal 2 Achieve universal primary education
Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling. The indicators include: net enrolment ratio in primary education and the proportion of pupils starting grade one who reach grade five. Children need to be “ready for school” in all respects in order to enrol in and complete primary school, without grade repetition.
Goal 3 Promote gender equality and empower women
Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015. Indicators include: ratios of girls to boys in primary education that requires that girls be ready for school as well as boys.
Goal 4 Reduce child mortality
Reduce by two-thirds, between 1900 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate. The three indicators are: Under-five mortality rate; infant mortality rate, and the proportion of one-year-old children immunised against measles.
Goal 5 Improve maternal health
Reduce by three-quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio. The two indicators are: maternal mortality ratio and the proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel.
Goal 6 Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
Target One: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS. Indicators include: HIV prevalence among pregnant women ages 15 to 24 and ratio of school attendance of orphans to school attendance of non-orphans ages 10 to 14. Clearly, prenatal education and care plus attention to children affected by HIV/AIDS needs to be a part of comprehensive National ECD Policies.
Target Two: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases. Indicators include child-related measures of prevalence and death rates associated with malaria and tuberculosis as well as the proportion of the population in malaria risk areas using effective malaria prevent and treatment measures.
Goal 7 Ensure environmental sustainability
Target Two: Halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. Indicators include: Proportion of population with sustainable access to an improved water source, urban and rural, and proportion of population with access to improved sanitation, urban and rural. Water and sanitation are essential areas for every National ECD Policy.
Policy Indicators (for content areas and policy assessment)
The purpose of this Annex is to help Planning Teams consider a wide range of indicators previously used in many nations and provinces for possible application in National ECD Policies. Several of the indicators also have been used in Poverty Reduction Strategies and in other multi-sectoral or sectoral policies, such as health, nutrition, sanitation, education, and children’s rights that include indicators related to young children and families. Some of the ECD indicators listed in this paper are used widely while others pertain mainly to certain situations in specific nations. The latter tend to be ECD indicators that are used in nations with severe resource constraints and major human development needs. This list is not intended to be exhaustive but rather to inspire reflection in each nation about which indicators
No nation would ever use all of these indicators because the list is too long, only a few of them will be needed, and it would be very expensive to gather so much data. Each Policy Planning Team must make a judicious selection of indicators for each age range and outcomes area. Indicators that are not on this list certainly can be added. At the end of the list, a few indicators are suggested for the evaluation of the policy itself. Others could be considered but these are central to achieving policy goals and objectives.
Examples of National-level Policy Indicators Used by Nations, by Life Cycle and by Special Theme
The list below is divided into indicators for specific age ranges or special populations:
• Zero to 36 Months
• 37 to 72 Months
• 73 to 96 Months
• Special Populations
• Indicators for Assessing Policy Implementation
In each age range or special population, it is important to consider each sector: health, nutrition, sanitation, education and juridical protection. The set of indicators for each age range is divided into the following types of outcomes:
• Child Outcomes
• Family or Community Outcomes
• Programme Service Outcomes
By dividing the indicators this way, it is possible for Policy Planning Teams to ensure they have selected appropriate indicators for each age range, sector and type of outcomes.
Several of the indicators listed below are ones that the Planning Team may wish to continue to measure through the next age range. The ones recommended for consideration for continuation are asterisked when they first appear in the list. They are not repeated in the next list although they may be added in the text of the policy.
Indicators for the Prenatal/Perinatal Period
Child Outcomes: Birth Outcomes
• Infant Mortality Rate (per 1000)
• Ratio of infant mortality rate of poorest quintile to infant mortality rate of least poor quintile
• Percent of infants with low birth weight (<2500 gm)
• Percent of infants born pre-term (<32 weeks)
• Percent of newborns with national identification number and birth data nationally registered
• Percent of newborns with a congenital malformation, hearing or visual impairment or other disability identified at birth or very shortly thereafter
Family or Community Outcomes: Maternal Outcomes
• Rate of pregnancies to girls 11 to 17 years of age
• Percent of pregnancies to single girls or women
• Percent of pregnancies to women living in poverty, in extreme poverty (national measures)
• Percent of women with anaemia or other vitamin or mineral deficiency during the prenatal period
• Maternal mortality rate
• Percent of infants who receive only breast milk for the first six months of life
Programme Service Outcomes
• Percent of pregnant women who begin receiving prenatal health and nutrition care and parenting education during first trimester
• Percent of pregnant women who receive all regularly scheduled prenatal checkups
• Percent of pregnant women who receive at least four home visits or group meetings on prenatal health, nutrition and parenting education before they give birth
• Percent of births attended by a trained and skilled health worker
• Percent of births taking place in a government or other quality health facility
• Percent of women who make at least three post-natal health and education visits in a health centre
• Percent of women receiving at least four home visits or group meetings on infant care and psycho-social stimulation, parenting, child development, health, nutrition before child is six months old*
• Percent of mothers informed about good infant feeding practices and who follow those practices*
Indicators for Zero to 36 Months
Child Outcomes
• Number and percent of children identified to be developmentally delayed or are at high risk of delay at certain ages (for example: three, six, nine, 12, 18, 24, and 36 months)
• Number and percent of children who achieve normal development by three, six, nine, 12, 18 and
36 months of age
• Percent of infants under six months (or 12 months) with vision or hearing problems
• Percent of infants and young children with complete DPT3 coverage
• Percent of infants and young children at 36 months who received all immunisations on time
• Percent of young children who consistently receive a breakfast*
• Percent of infants and children having enough vitamin A, vitamins and minerals, including iodine*
• Incidence of diarrhoea among children under 36 months of age (under 60 months of age)*
• Percent of mortality attributable to diarrhoea among children under 36 months (under 60 months)*
• Percent of mortality attributable to malaria among children under 36 months (under 60 months) *
• Percent of children under 36 months diagnosed with malaria (under 60 months) (or other disease)*
• Percent of children under 36 moderately or severely stunted (height for age) (under 60 months)*
• Percent of children under 36 months moderately or severely wasted (weight for height) (under 60 months)*
• Percent of children under 36 months moderately or severely underweight (weight for age) (under 60 months)*
• Number and percent of children identified to be malnourished whose growth curve improves*
Family or Community Outcomes
• Percent of mothers who maintain breastfeeding until six, 12, 18 months
• Percent of parents that maintain or develop good parenting skills (as measured by a parent observation scale)*
• Percent of parents who have a good knowledge of basic nutrition, health and child development stages and learning activities (as measured by a survey questionnaire)*
• Percent of mothers and fathers that state they feel greater support and ability as parents due to participating in early childhood programmes*
• Percent of mothers who completed primary school*
• Percent of parents who report that they read or tell stories to their children three to six times a week*
• Percent of parents who report that they have supportive networks and are able to access parenting advice and resources*
• Percent of families with young children with access to piped or protected clean water as their main drinking water source*
• Percent of households able to fetch clean water in under 30 minutes*
• Percent of families living at or below the basic needs poverty line*
• Number and percent of families with young children and no working parent*
• Number and percent of single mothers who are working*
• Number and percent of single mothers without work*
• Percent of families living at or below the food poverty line*
• Percent of districts reported to be food insecure*
• Percent of households who eat no more than one meal a day *
• Percent of absent fathers who provide adequate financial or material child support (as specified by national child support policy)*
• Total fertility rate*
• Number of reported cholera cases (or other prevalent disease)*
• Life expectancy*
Programme Service Outcomes
• Number and percent of children whose development is screened or assessed at three, six, nine, 12, 18, 24, and 36 months (assessment instrument required)
• Number and percent of infants and children identi.ed with developmental delays or at high risk of becoming delayed served by community parent education and child stimulation programmes*
• Number and percent of children receiving services for a developmental delay or a high-risk condition who are tracked and followed up until 36 months of age (48 or 60 months)*
• Number and percent of children screened for vision and hearing before 24 months
• Percent of parents participating in some form of early learning programmes (e.g. home visiting
programmes, family or centre-based child care, family resource centres, or others)*
• Availability of family resource centres or similar parent education and support services for families per city, town or village*
• Number of community educators trained and who teach health, nutrition and child development*
• Number and percent of communities with trained community educators*
• Number and percent of families served by each/all community educators*
• Number and percent of children zero to 36 months served by community educators (37 to 60 months)*
• Number of outpatient health visits per child per annum*
• Percent of children receiving primary health care and well-baby checkups according to schedule*
• (Alternative) Percent of children who have had a physical examination or well-child visit during the interval recommended for their age group*
• Number and percent of children with a well-child check-up booklet*
• Number and percent of malnourished children whose parents receive appropriate services*
• Total number of family planning acceptors*
• Percent of mothers reporting to be satisfied with health services for them and their children*
• Number of radio and/or television programmes with messages regarding parent education, early child development, health and nutrition*
• Number and percent of infants and children zero to 36 months who receive quality child care
Indicators for 37 to 72 Months
Child Outcomes
• Number and percent of children 48 and 60 months who are screened or assessed and identi.ed to be delayed in their development or at high risk of delay
• Number and percent of children who achieve normal development by 48 and 60 months of
• Child mortality rate (under 60 months of age)
• Percent of children with severe developmental delays or disabilities receiving special education
programmes*
Family or Community Outcomes
• Percent of families that report they have access to quality child care or preschools
• Percent of families that report their children are safe from accidents and protected before and after child care or preschool
Programme Service Outcomes
• Number and percent of children whose development is assessed at 48 months and 60 months (assessment or screening instrument required)
• Number and percent of children requiring quality child care or preschool who receive care
• Total number of child care centre slots (places)
• Total number of preschool slots (places)
• Total number of child care centres
• Total number of licensed child care centres
• Total number of preschools
• Total number of licensed preschools
• Total number of child care centres using age-appropriate curriculum for holistic child development
• Total number of preschools using an age-appropriate curriculum for holistic child development
• Total number of child care centres repaired and upgraded
• Total number of preschools repaired and upgraded
• Number and percent of child care centres or preschools with functioning latrines
• Number and percent of child care centres or preschools with access to abundant clean water
• Number and percent of child care centres that are assessed to be of acceptable quality (according to a scale including: age-appropriate curriculum, methods, suf.cient trained staff, suf.cient learning materials, adequate building and equipment, etc.)
• Number and percent of preschools that are assessed to be of acceptable quality (according to a scale including: age-appropriate curriculum, methods, suf.cient trained staff, suf.cient learning materials, adequate building and equipment, etc.)
• Number and percent of children in family child care by single year, by age, sex and region
• Number and percent of children in publicly funded and regulated family child care by single year, age, sex and region
• Number and percent of children in a child care centre by single year, age, sex and region
• Number and percent of children in a preschool by single year, age, sex and region
• Number and percent of children in publicly funded and regulated child care centre by single year, age, sex and region
• Number and percent of children in publicly funded and regulated preschool by single year, age, sex and region
• Number and percent of children requiring quality child care or preschool services who receive them, by age, sex and region
• Number and percent of child caregivers who receive at least 10 days (80 hours) of in-service training each year
• Number and percent of preschool teachers who receive at least 10 days (80 hours) of in-service training each year
• Number and percent of child caregivers and preschool teachers who have completed formal training, as specified by national guidelines
• Number and percent of caregivers and teachers trained and certified for providing services to children with malnutrition, low birth weight, developmental delays and chronic ill health
• Percent of annual staff turnover of caregivers in child care centres
• Percent of annual staff turnover of caregivers in preschool centres
• Average caregiver duration in post
• Number and percent of family child care homes that have received of.cial recognition
• Number and percent of trained directors of child care centres
• Number and percent of trained directors of preschools
• Number and percent or family child care homes assessed as acceptable (quality assessment scale)
• Ratio of children to trained staff in family child care homes
• Ratio of children to trained staff in child care centres
• Ratio of children to trained staff in preschools
• Average hourly cost per child enrolled in family child care homes
• Average hourly cost per child enrolled in child care centres
• Average hourly cost per child enrolled in preschools or
• Average daily or weekly cost per child of full day family child care
• Average daily or weekly cost per child of full day child care centre services
• Average daily or weekly cost per child of full day preschool services
Indicators for 73 to 96 Months
Child Outcomes
• Percent of children assessed to be “ready for school” with age-appropriate skills and behaviour, by age, sex and region (assessment instrument required)
• Percent of children entering primary school with one or more years of preschool, by sex/region
• Net primary school enrolment rate
• Gross primary school enrolment rate
• Girl/boy ratio in primary school
• Percent of children identified upon school entry to have developmental disabilities or delays
• Rate of school attendance
• Percent of children with mother tongue that is not the national language who receive their first instruction in their mother tongue
• Percent of children who pass the first, second and third grades
• Percent of children who repeat one or more grades before completing third year of primary school
• Percent of children who are at or above grade level in reading by the end of third year of school
• Percent of children who are at or above grade level in mathematics by end of third year of school
• Percent of children who drop out of school by age, sex and region
• Percent of children who complete primary school
• Percent of students passing the Primary School Leavers’ Exam
• Percent of children in the labour force and not going to school
• Percent of children fully immunised at school entry
Family or Community Outcomes
• Percent of parents that state they have developed positive relationships with local schools, child care providers and health facilities
• Percent of parents that report they have become involved in the schooling of their children
• Percent of parents reporting they contribute to the development of their child’s school
• Percent of parents who consider their children to be safe before and after school
Education and Programme Service Outcomes
• Percent of primary schools that screen or assess children’s school readiness at school entry
• Ratio of students per teacher
• Ratio of students per class
• Percent of children identi.ed to have developmental disabilities or delays who receive inclusive special education services in the schools
• Rate of school attendance
• Percent of primary schools with high drop out rates
• Percent of primary schools with high repetition rates
• Percent of primary schools with low levels of primary school completion
• Percent of primary schools assessed to have quality learning environment (observation scale)
• Number and percent of primary schools with functioning latrines
• Number and percent of primary schools with access to abundant clean water
• Percent of primary schools that have a parent orientation programme for the school year, especially for the first year of school
• Percent of primary schools whose teachers make at least one home visit per year
• Percent primary schools that report they work with families to support learning
• Percent of primary schools with parent involvement policies and activities
• Percent of primary schools with children in special education that provide family support
• Percent of primary schools offering family support services
• Percent of primary schools providing school feeding programmes (specify breakfast and/or lunch)
Indicators for Special Populations
• Rate of substantiated child abuse or neglect (per 1000)
• Number and percent of abused or neglected children whose parents receive parenting education and family support and counselling
• Rate of reported cases of family violence where children are present in the family (per 100,000)
• Number and percent of families with violence receiving counselling and parenting education
• Rate of reported cases of maternal depression
• Number and percent of women identified to be depressed that receive support to meet their needs,
counselling and parenting education
• Number and percent of children, three to eight years of age identified to be in child labour
• Number and percent of children ages three to eight years in child labour who enter child development
programmes to prepare for school entry or are placed in primary school
• Number and percent of children affected by war or living in displaced families
• Number of children affected by war or living in displaced families who receive appropriate trauma, child development and parent education services
• Number and percent of children infected or affected by HIV/AIDS
• Number and percent of AIDS orphans
• Number and percent of HIV/AIDS infected or affected children who receive early child development services
• Number and percent of children identified to be begging in the streets
• Number and percent of former beggar children who are placed in good care or homes
Indicators for Policy Assessment
• Annual ECD Action Plan prepared, reviewed, approved and adopted
• Structures for implementing, co-ordinating, monitoring, evaluating and revising ECD Policy established and functioning (national, regional/provincial and district/community levels by phases)
• Policy Implementation and Evaluation Unit established and conducting all expected roles successfully
• Priority ECD programmes designed, augmented or improved according to Policy and Action Plan
• ECD Training Plan designed and functioning in accordance with the Annual ECD Action Plan
• Policy Advocacy and Social Communications Plan designed and implemented according to Annual ECD
Action Plan
• Donor and Partnership Co-ordination Plan implemented according to schedule
• Investment Plan implemented and additional investments made according to plan
• Data for assessing the achievement of Policy indicators collected, analyzed and disseminated widely and used for preparation of next Annual ECD Action Plan
• Consultations and consensus meetings for the preparation of next Annual ECD Action Plan designed, convened and reported
• Second Annual ECD Action Plan prepared, reviewed, approved and adopted
Planning Policies for Early Childhood Development: Guidelines for Action
Emily Vargas-Barón
Available online at: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001395/139545e.pdf
Because the material is a “tool kit,” it is a good guide book especially for a multi – sectoral working group who has to understand the basics of having to work in collaboration. The material works on the basic principles of participatory planning, integrated and life cycle approach to ECD.
Practical suggestions for conducting the five phases (Preparation; ECD Situation Analysis and Consultation Preparation; Community, Regional and National Consultations; Policy Drafts and Consensus Building; and Policy Approval and Adoption) of an ECD policy planning process follows after an introduction on all major areas of child survival and development.
Area/ Task/ Need:
Workshop Material for Early Childhood Development Benchmarks, Theories and Best Practices
Contents (From the Material):
The Needs and Justification for ECD Policies.......... 3
A Brief History of ECD Policy Development.......... 6
The Integrated Approach ................ 7
The Life Cycle Approach to ECD Policy Planning..... 9
Increasing Investment in Young Children...... 11
The Participatory Approach......... 12
Achieving Policy Alignment................ 13
Area/ Task/ Need:
Design and Implement a Baseline Assessment for ECD services and programming in Aceh/
Develop indicators for STC ECD Programming in Aceh
Contents (From the Material):
ECD Indicators Linked to MDGs..... 63
Policy Indicators (for content areas and policy assessment)..... 91
ECD Indicators Linked to MDGs
Goal 1 Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Target 2 under this MDG is: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger. Target 2 includes the indicator: Prevalence of underweight children under five years of age. 47
Goal 2 Achieve universal primary education
Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling. The indicators include: net enrolment ratio in primary education and the proportion of pupils starting grade one who reach grade five. Children need to be “ready for school” in all respects in order to enrol in and complete primary school, without grade repetition.
Goal 3 Promote gender equality and empower women
Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015. Indicators include: ratios of girls to boys in primary education that requires that girls be ready for school as well as boys.
Goal 4 Reduce child mortality
Reduce by two-thirds, between 1900 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate. The three indicators are: Under-five mortality rate; infant mortality rate, and the proportion of one-year-old children immunised against measles.
Goal 5 Improve maternal health
Reduce by three-quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio. The two indicators are: maternal mortality ratio and the proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel.
Goal 6 Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
Target One: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS. Indicators include: HIV prevalence among pregnant women ages 15 to 24 and ratio of school attendance of orphans to school attendance of non-orphans ages 10 to 14. Clearly, prenatal education and care plus attention to children affected by HIV/AIDS needs to be a part of comprehensive National ECD Policies.
Target Two: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases. Indicators include child-related measures of prevalence and death rates associated with malaria and tuberculosis as well as the proportion of the population in malaria risk areas using effective malaria prevent and treatment measures.
Goal 7 Ensure environmental sustainability
Target Two: Halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. Indicators include: Proportion of population with sustainable access to an improved water source, urban and rural, and proportion of population with access to improved sanitation, urban and rural. Water and sanitation are essential areas for every National ECD Policy.
Policy Indicators (for content areas and policy assessment)
The purpose of this Annex is to help Planning Teams consider a wide range of indicators previously used in many nations and provinces for possible application in National ECD Policies. Several of the indicators also have been used in Poverty Reduction Strategies and in other multi-sectoral or sectoral policies, such as health, nutrition, sanitation, education, and children’s rights that include indicators related to young children and families. Some of the ECD indicators listed in this paper are used widely while others pertain mainly to certain situations in specific nations. The latter tend to be ECD indicators that are used in nations with severe resource constraints and major human development needs. This list is not intended to be exhaustive but rather to inspire reflection in each nation about which indicators
No nation would ever use all of these indicators because the list is too long, only a few of them will be needed, and it would be very expensive to gather so much data. Each Policy Planning Team must make a judicious selection of indicators for each age range and outcomes area. Indicators that are not on this list certainly can be added. At the end of the list, a few indicators are suggested for the evaluation of the policy itself. Others could be considered but these are central to achieving policy goals and objectives.
Examples of National-level Policy Indicators Used by Nations, by Life Cycle and by Special Theme
The list below is divided into indicators for specific age ranges or special populations:
• Zero to 36 Months
• 37 to 72 Months
• 73 to 96 Months
• Special Populations
• Indicators for Assessing Policy Implementation
In each age range or special population, it is important to consider each sector: health, nutrition, sanitation, education and juridical protection. The set of indicators for each age range is divided into the following types of outcomes:
• Child Outcomes
• Family or Community Outcomes
• Programme Service Outcomes
By dividing the indicators this way, it is possible for Policy Planning Teams to ensure they have selected appropriate indicators for each age range, sector and type of outcomes.
Several of the indicators listed below are ones that the Planning Team may wish to continue to measure through the next age range. The ones recommended for consideration for continuation are asterisked when they first appear in the list. They are not repeated in the next list although they may be added in the text of the policy.
Indicators for the Prenatal/Perinatal Period
Child Outcomes: Birth Outcomes
• Infant Mortality Rate (per 1000)
• Ratio of infant mortality rate of poorest quintile to infant mortality rate of least poor quintile
• Percent of infants with low birth weight (<2500 gm)
• Percent of infants born pre-term (<32 weeks)
• Percent of newborns with national identification number and birth data nationally registered
• Percent of newborns with a congenital malformation, hearing or visual impairment or other disability identified at birth or very shortly thereafter
Family or Community Outcomes: Maternal Outcomes
• Rate of pregnancies to girls 11 to 17 years of age
• Percent of pregnancies to single girls or women
• Percent of pregnancies to women living in poverty, in extreme poverty (national measures)
• Percent of women with anaemia or other vitamin or mineral deficiency during the prenatal period
• Maternal mortality rate
• Percent of infants who receive only breast milk for the first six months of life
Programme Service Outcomes
• Percent of pregnant women who begin receiving prenatal health and nutrition care and parenting education during first trimester
• Percent of pregnant women who receive all regularly scheduled prenatal checkups
• Percent of pregnant women who receive at least four home visits or group meetings on prenatal health, nutrition and parenting education before they give birth
• Percent of births attended by a trained and skilled health worker
• Percent of births taking place in a government or other quality health facility
• Percent of women who make at least three post-natal health and education visits in a health centre
• Percent of women receiving at least four home visits or group meetings on infant care and psycho-social stimulation, parenting, child development, health, nutrition before child is six months old*
• Percent of mothers informed about good infant feeding practices and who follow those practices*
Indicators for Zero to 36 Months
Child Outcomes
• Number and percent of children identified to be developmentally delayed or are at high risk of delay at certain ages (for example: three, six, nine, 12, 18, 24, and 36 months)
• Number and percent of children who achieve normal development by three, six, nine, 12, 18 and
36 months of age
• Percent of infants under six months (or 12 months) with vision or hearing problems
• Percent of infants and young children with complete DPT3 coverage
• Percent of infants and young children at 36 months who received all immunisations on time
• Percent of young children who consistently receive a breakfast*
• Percent of infants and children having enough vitamin A, vitamins and minerals, including iodine*
• Incidence of diarrhoea among children under 36 months of age (under 60 months of age)*
• Percent of mortality attributable to diarrhoea among children under 36 months (under 60 months)*
• Percent of mortality attributable to malaria among children under 36 months (under 60 months) *
• Percent of children under 36 months diagnosed with malaria (under 60 months) (or other disease)*
• Percent of children under 36 moderately or severely stunted (height for age) (under 60 months)*
• Percent of children under 36 months moderately or severely wasted (weight for height) (under 60 months)*
• Percent of children under 36 months moderately or severely underweight (weight for age) (under 60 months)*
• Number and percent of children identified to be malnourished whose growth curve improves*
Family or Community Outcomes
• Percent of mothers who maintain breastfeeding until six, 12, 18 months
• Percent of parents that maintain or develop good parenting skills (as measured by a parent observation scale)*
• Percent of parents who have a good knowledge of basic nutrition, health and child development stages and learning activities (as measured by a survey questionnaire)*
• Percent of mothers and fathers that state they feel greater support and ability as parents due to participating in early childhood programmes*
• Percent of mothers who completed primary school*
• Percent of parents who report that they read or tell stories to their children three to six times a week*
• Percent of parents who report that they have supportive networks and are able to access parenting advice and resources*
• Percent of families with young children with access to piped or protected clean water as their main drinking water source*
• Percent of households able to fetch clean water in under 30 minutes*
• Percent of families living at or below the basic needs poverty line*
• Number and percent of families with young children and no working parent*
• Number and percent of single mothers who are working*
• Number and percent of single mothers without work*
• Percent of families living at or below the food poverty line*
• Percent of districts reported to be food insecure*
• Percent of households who eat no more than one meal a day *
• Percent of absent fathers who provide adequate financial or material child support (as specified by national child support policy)*
• Total fertility rate*
• Number of reported cholera cases (or other prevalent disease)*
• Life expectancy*
Programme Service Outcomes
• Number and percent of children whose development is screened or assessed at three, six, nine, 12, 18, 24, and 36 months (assessment instrument required)
• Number and percent of infants and children identi.ed with developmental delays or at high risk of becoming delayed served by community parent education and child stimulation programmes*
• Number and percent of children receiving services for a developmental delay or a high-risk condition who are tracked and followed up until 36 months of age (48 or 60 months)*
• Number and percent of children screened for vision and hearing before 24 months
• Percent of parents participating in some form of early learning programmes (e.g. home visiting
programmes, family or centre-based child care, family resource centres, or others)*
• Availability of family resource centres or similar parent education and support services for families per city, town or village*
• Number of community educators trained and who teach health, nutrition and child development*
• Number and percent of communities with trained community educators*
• Number and percent of families served by each/all community educators*
• Number and percent of children zero to 36 months served by community educators (37 to 60 months)*
• Number of outpatient health visits per child per annum*
• Percent of children receiving primary health care and well-baby checkups according to schedule*
• (Alternative) Percent of children who have had a physical examination or well-child visit during the interval recommended for their age group*
• Number and percent of children with a well-child check-up booklet*
• Number and percent of malnourished children whose parents receive appropriate services*
• Total number of family planning acceptors*
• Percent of mothers reporting to be satisfied with health services for them and their children*
• Number of radio and/or television programmes with messages regarding parent education, early child development, health and nutrition*
• Number and percent of infants and children zero to 36 months who receive quality child care
Indicators for 37 to 72 Months
Child Outcomes
• Number and percent of children 48 and 60 months who are screened or assessed and identi.ed to be delayed in their development or at high risk of delay
• Number and percent of children who achieve normal development by 48 and 60 months of
• Child mortality rate (under 60 months of age)
• Percent of children with severe developmental delays or disabilities receiving special education
programmes*
Family or Community Outcomes
• Percent of families that report they have access to quality child care or preschools
• Percent of families that report their children are safe from accidents and protected before and after child care or preschool
Programme Service Outcomes
• Number and percent of children whose development is assessed at 48 months and 60 months (assessment or screening instrument required)
• Number and percent of children requiring quality child care or preschool who receive care
• Total number of child care centre slots (places)
• Total number of preschool slots (places)
• Total number of child care centres
• Total number of licensed child care centres
• Total number of preschools
• Total number of licensed preschools
• Total number of child care centres using age-appropriate curriculum for holistic child development
• Total number of preschools using an age-appropriate curriculum for holistic child development
• Total number of child care centres repaired and upgraded
• Total number of preschools repaired and upgraded
• Number and percent of child care centres or preschools with functioning latrines
• Number and percent of child care centres or preschools with access to abundant clean water
• Number and percent of child care centres that are assessed to be of acceptable quality (according to a scale including: age-appropriate curriculum, methods, suf.cient trained staff, suf.cient learning materials, adequate building and equipment, etc.)
• Number and percent of preschools that are assessed to be of acceptable quality (according to a scale including: age-appropriate curriculum, methods, suf.cient trained staff, suf.cient learning materials, adequate building and equipment, etc.)
• Number and percent of children in family child care by single year, by age, sex and region
• Number and percent of children in publicly funded and regulated family child care by single year, age, sex and region
• Number and percent of children in a child care centre by single year, age, sex and region
• Number and percent of children in a preschool by single year, age, sex and region
• Number and percent of children in publicly funded and regulated child care centre by single year, age, sex and region
• Number and percent of children in publicly funded and regulated preschool by single year, age, sex and region
• Number and percent of children requiring quality child care or preschool services who receive them, by age, sex and region
• Number and percent of child caregivers who receive at least 10 days (80 hours) of in-service training each year
• Number and percent of preschool teachers who receive at least 10 days (80 hours) of in-service training each year
• Number and percent of child caregivers and preschool teachers who have completed formal training, as specified by national guidelines
• Number and percent of caregivers and teachers trained and certified for providing services to children with malnutrition, low birth weight, developmental delays and chronic ill health
• Percent of annual staff turnover of caregivers in child care centres
• Percent of annual staff turnover of caregivers in preschool centres
• Average caregiver duration in post
• Number and percent of family child care homes that have received of.cial recognition
• Number and percent of trained directors of child care centres
• Number and percent of trained directors of preschools
• Number and percent or family child care homes assessed as acceptable (quality assessment scale)
• Ratio of children to trained staff in family child care homes
• Ratio of children to trained staff in child care centres
• Ratio of children to trained staff in preschools
• Average hourly cost per child enrolled in family child care homes
• Average hourly cost per child enrolled in child care centres
• Average hourly cost per child enrolled in preschools or
• Average daily or weekly cost per child of full day family child care
• Average daily or weekly cost per child of full day child care centre services
• Average daily or weekly cost per child of full day preschool services
Indicators for 73 to 96 Months
Child Outcomes
• Percent of children assessed to be “ready for school” with age-appropriate skills and behaviour, by age, sex and region (assessment instrument required)
• Percent of children entering primary school with one or more years of preschool, by sex/region
• Net primary school enrolment rate
• Gross primary school enrolment rate
• Girl/boy ratio in primary school
• Percent of children identified upon school entry to have developmental disabilities or delays
• Rate of school attendance
• Percent of children with mother tongue that is not the national language who receive their first instruction in their mother tongue
• Percent of children who pass the first, second and third grades
• Percent of children who repeat one or more grades before completing third year of primary school
• Percent of children who are at or above grade level in reading by the end of third year of school
• Percent of children who are at or above grade level in mathematics by end of third year of school
• Percent of children who drop out of school by age, sex and region
• Percent of children who complete primary school
• Percent of students passing the Primary School Leavers’ Exam
• Percent of children in the labour force and not going to school
• Percent of children fully immunised at school entry
Family or Community Outcomes
• Percent of parents that state they have developed positive relationships with local schools, child care providers and health facilities
• Percent of parents that report they have become involved in the schooling of their children
• Percent of parents reporting they contribute to the development of their child’s school
• Percent of parents who consider their children to be safe before and after school
Education and Programme Service Outcomes
• Percent of primary schools that screen or assess children’s school readiness at school entry
• Ratio of students per teacher
• Ratio of students per class
• Percent of children identi.ed to have developmental disabilities or delays who receive inclusive special education services in the schools
• Rate of school attendance
• Percent of primary schools with high drop out rates
• Percent of primary schools with high repetition rates
• Percent of primary schools with low levels of primary school completion
• Percent of primary schools assessed to have quality learning environment (observation scale)
• Number and percent of primary schools with functioning latrines
• Number and percent of primary schools with access to abundant clean water
• Percent of primary schools that have a parent orientation programme for the school year, especially for the first year of school
• Percent of primary schools whose teachers make at least one home visit per year
• Percent primary schools that report they work with families to support learning
• Percent of primary schools with parent involvement policies and activities
• Percent of primary schools with children in special education that provide family support
• Percent of primary schools offering family support services
• Percent of primary schools providing school feeding programmes (specify breakfast and/or lunch)
Indicators for Special Populations
• Rate of substantiated child abuse or neglect (per 1000)
• Number and percent of abused or neglected children whose parents receive parenting education and family support and counselling
• Rate of reported cases of family violence where children are present in the family (per 100,000)
• Number and percent of families with violence receiving counselling and parenting education
• Rate of reported cases of maternal depression
• Number and percent of women identified to be depressed that receive support to meet their needs,
counselling and parenting education
• Number and percent of children, three to eight years of age identified to be in child labour
• Number and percent of children ages three to eight years in child labour who enter child development
programmes to prepare for school entry or are placed in primary school
• Number and percent of children affected by war or living in displaced families
• Number of children affected by war or living in displaced families who receive appropriate trauma, child development and parent education services
• Number and percent of children infected or affected by HIV/AIDS
• Number and percent of AIDS orphans
• Number and percent of HIV/AIDS infected or affected children who receive early child development services
• Number and percent of children identified to be begging in the streets
• Number and percent of former beggar children who are placed in good care or homes
Indicators for Policy Assessment
• Annual ECD Action Plan prepared, reviewed, approved and adopted
• Structures for implementing, co-ordinating, monitoring, evaluating and revising ECD Policy established and functioning (national, regional/provincial and district/community levels by phases)
• Policy Implementation and Evaluation Unit established and conducting all expected roles successfully
• Priority ECD programmes designed, augmented or improved according to Policy and Action Plan
• ECD Training Plan designed and functioning in accordance with the Annual ECD Action Plan
• Policy Advocacy and Social Communications Plan designed and implemented according to Annual ECD
Action Plan
• Donor and Partnership Co-ordination Plan implemented according to schedule
• Investment Plan implemented and additional investments made according to plan
• Data for assessing the achievement of Policy indicators collected, analyzed and disseminated widely and used for preparation of next Annual ECD Action Plan
• Consultations and consensus meetings for the preparation of next Annual ECD Action Plan designed, convened and reported
• Second Annual ECD Action Plan prepared, reviewed, approved and adopted
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