Documenting Noteworthy ECD Practices – more than just a set

Working Together for Early Childhood

No.10, Special Edition 2016

THEME: Documenting ‘Noteworthy ECD Practices’ – more than just a set of case studies

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Write to us:ARNEC covers a large geographical area, totaling 47 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. This publication is one of the many ways that our network has sought to share interesting and new knowledge for cross-country learning. Within the pages of ARNEC Connections, you will find in-depth research summaries, field experiences and unique initiatives from the region.

This is a publication for ECD professionals by ECD professionals. All articles are contributed by individuals who are ARNEC members and/or are working within the field of early childhood.

ARNEC solicits articles once every year and we invite you to send us your articles so that we can share them to a wider audience. If you would like to have your article featured in ARNEC Connections, look out for the Call for Articles in 2016 with more details of the submission process and annual theme.


DISCLAIMERARNEC Connections is published annually by the Asia-Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood. The responsibility for all facts and opinions published in the various contributions are that of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARNEC.

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ContentsIntroductionDocumenting ‘Noteworthy ECD Practices’ – 2more than just a set of case studies Emma PEarson and JEnnifEr Tan Poh sim

Editorial Note 4ProfEssor Kishor shrEsTha

NEPAL Institutionalizing Community Based ECD 5 Centres in Nepal Through Seto Gurans Network sachiTa suwal

CAMBODIA Approaches to Autonomizing Community 8 Preschools in Cambodia: A Case Study of Kork Roka Community Preschool soK uTTara, Ph.d.

INDIA Sajag: A Caregiver Education Programme 12 Promoting Holistic Development of Young Children in Chhattisgarh rEEma ahuJa

THE Benefits of a Community-Based Early 17PHILIPPINES Childhood Care and Development Centre in the Philippine Countryside JoycE f. orillosa, Ph.d

INDONESIA Ensuring Quality Care for Children without 20 Parental Care or at Risk of Losing Parental Care dian fiKriani

BHuTAN Positive Influences of a Community-Based 24 ECCD in a Closed and Remote Indigenous Community in Bhutan sangay JamTsho & Karma gaylEg

PAKISTAN Mapping Linkages: A Comprehensive Vision 27 Promoting Early Child Education at Aga Khan Education Services Pakistan (AKESP) in Gilgit Baltistan ParvEEn mEhboob ali

In ClosingARNEC’s documentation of ECD Noteworthy 31Practices in 2016 focuses on Innovative Pedagogical Approaches in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) EvElyn d. sanTiago

2 3SPECIAL EDITION 2016

in march 2015, the authors of the case studies presented in this special issue, along with managers and staff from the sites that were selected for documentation, and a team of researchers from universiti brunei darussalam (ubd), met in bangkok for the first time at the ‘first Technical workshop for documentation of noteworthy Practices, 2015’. during the three-day workshop, a special bond was formed between these intrepid author-researchers, the ubd team and the host research sites. when research is reported in a standardized format (as, indeed, it must be), the personal investment, commitment and emotional attachment to research participants and sites that characterizes the research process is often missed, as are the steps taken to ensure that a rigorous approach is taken to collecting data. it is these aspects of the noteworthy Practices (2015) documentation project that we intend to highlight in our overview of the project.

documentation of ‘noteworthy Practices’ has formed a ‘flagship’ initiative of arnEc since its foundation. arnEc’s use of the word ‘noteworthy’ is purposeful: it avoids the suggestion that any particular programme is ‘better’ than another (as implied by ‘best practice’), while at the same time acknowledging the importance of highlighting a range of programmes that provide effective, relevant support for young children. The 2015 noteworthy Practices initiative was unique in that it involved a research collaboration funded jointly by arnEc, unicEf (south asia) and universiti brunei darussalam. ubd provided ‘technical support’ in the form of a team of researchers who were responsible for designing and supporting the research, leading two regional workshops, and producing a research manual as part of the process. Key steps in the process involved:

April 2015: first regional workshop (introduction to case study methodology and methods)

April – June: data collection (with visits to sites – where accessible – by the ubd team*)

Mid-June: second regional workshop (data analysis and reporting)

*Unfortunately, the UBD team was unable to visit sites in Nepal (due to travel restrictions following the earthquake) and Pakistan (visit cancelled at the last minute due to travel restrictions following unrest). The point is made here to illustrate challenges with conducting research in remote locations.

a case study approach was adopted because of the need within our region to better understand in detail what are the strategies and factors that contribute to effective programming for young children. while there are numerous examples of early childhood programmes that have adopted innovative approaches to overcoming important issues such as access and cultural relevance documentation of these innovations has not always been rigorous enough to support their wider implementation. The research reported in this special issue was conducted over a period of three to four months, during which the author-researchers (all of whom were selected and work independently of the research sites) visited the research sites, interviewed key stakeholders and observed key aspects of each site, all within strict ethical guidelines.

as part of the research process, the author-researchers also developed web blogs, where they shared their research concerns, experiences and achievements.

in order to tell the broader ‘story’ of the 2015 documentation process, we draw on some of these, as well as postings from the noteworthy Practices 2015 facebook page. These excerpts and quotes reflect, as mentioned above, the significant levels of personal investment and commitment demonstrated by each author-researcher during the important task of documenting these ‘noteworthy’ sites.

April 2015: The beginning of the process. following the first regional workshop, some felt a little daunted by the task at hand:

I am excited as well as nervous to undertake this journey..new place, new people…but from inside trying to pacify myself everything is gonna be okay,…….I am taking small steps one at a time…Read research guide thoroughly once again…have started preparing tools for data collection…just hoping that I am gonna ask right questions….but somehow feeling good…I feel I am fortunate enough to be part of this project…I am passionate but want to be on right track as well…fingers crossed..

but ready to begin the research process:

Feeling excited listening that people have embarked upon the data collection journey . My best wishes to all. I have just taken approval from my travel budget from ARNEC and am in process of fulfilling my logistics …..in the meantime I have also started

Int roduc t ion

conversation with my site officials seeking permission and getting appointments from gatekeepers of my site to begin the consent taking process.

The sites selected for this research catered specifically for ‘hard-to-reach’ communities, sometimes in remote locations requiring author-researchers to embark on long journeys (sometimes requiring up to three days of travel):

The community based ECDs in beautiful Baglung district (our research site) are in the remote areas, we have to go through the jungle and paddy fields and cross one of the longest suspension bridges in Nepal (245m) to reach the ECD Centres.

I started my journey to Gilgit for data collection at my Site on 25th April I reached Islamabad …..to take my next fight to Gilgit, but in the morning I was informed …..that flight will not operate therefore I had travel by road . It was extremely exciting, thrilled , adventurous journey full of FEAR because Karakoram Highway is very narrow , between mountains and river flowing along road side. It was 15 hours journey.. I was all alone…….. The site scenes are very beautiful feel like close to GOD and understand blessings of Him. All natural beauty, waterfalls flowing on the road, mountains full of greenery…

May-June 2015: as the author- researchers gained access to their sites and began to collect their data, they reflected on their experiences of conducting the research and getting to know their participants:

Even though children seemed unforthcoming in our initial effort during the visit to connect with them, the more they saw of us, the more they appeared to open up and the more we also seemed to see of what was going on in the centres. With our heightened awareness of what was going on in the centres in terms of children’s learning, we realize that there was so much more going on than we would initially have thought…..What I am relating here is an impression of how it felt to visit the centres again and interact with the children more. The story highlights the challenges associated with interviewing with children and how children will talk to strangers only when they are comfortable and confident about the people seeking to know them better.

I observed a joint session for infant and toddler (aged 6 months to 3 years) yesterday in Bubur Gilgit Baltistan and the observation lasted for 1 and half hours starting from 1230 to 1400 hours in the afternoon. ……… 39 children and their mothers attended the session. ……………. I organized group interviews of parents, grand parents, teachers and community members and discussed success stories attached to the programme. Community involvement in this programme is amazing in a sense that community has the ownership of the programmes. They have clear and long term plans for sustainability of the program.

and they made note of important features of their research ‘cases / sites’:

(The) organization’s name, “Seto Gurans”, means White Rhododendron, a flower which blooms in high altitudes under harsh environmental conditions. On the other hand, Lali Gurans (Red Rhododendron) is found in abundance on the foothills of Nepal and is well known and honored as the National Flower. Many people don’t know much about Seto Gurans, the white flower (in the same way that many people

aren’t aware of children whose basic rights are not fulfilled. Symbolically, Seto Gurans reflects those children who survive under difficult situation, and context with respect to gender, caste, creed, ethnicity and geographical barriers. They are also deprived of their early childhood development rights.

as data collection progressed, the ‘noteworthy’ aspects of each ‘site’ became increasingly apparent:

My child was malnourished. After (this programme), within one month she gained 1 kg. I used to dance with my baby while feeding when I learned how important interaction is (my mother in law thought I was crazy!). I learned about the importance of balanced diet during pregnancy and I had a healthy baby. Both my children are healthy. Sajag not only helped my child but my whole family. I gained knowledge and skills but I’ve also changed my behavior..

……this is not just a training package – it’s about changing lives, building connections that will enable these messages (about parenting and caring for children) to be understood, digested and perpetuated….

These short excerpts provide just a small snapshot of the work that went into the 2015 documentation of noteworthy Practices initiative. we are deeply grateful for the opportunity to work with this group of inspiring author-researchers and will continue the journey of publishing and disseminating their findings. for us, the overall findings of the 2015 initiative and its eight unique ‘cases’ are perhaps best encapsulated in a quote from one of the host sites, during a conversation about key drivers underpinning effectiveness of early childhood programme operating across very diverse contexts:

(in evaluating programmes) ……we (seem to) have created a false dichotomy between kindness and effectiveness – and yet building connections, bonds and understandings is (absolutely) key to effective implementation of programmes.

Documenting ‘Noteworthy ECD Practices’ – more than just a set of case studiesBy Emma Pearson (Bishop Grosseteste university) and Jennifer Tan Poh Sim


arnEc is devoted to promote early childhood development in asia and the Pacific region. since its inception in 2008 arnEc has been undertaking various activities including knowledge generation and information dissemination. as a part of its knowledge generation activities, arnEc has launched documentation of noteworthy practices of early childhood care and development initiatives, programs and projects being undertaken in the countries of this region. The main purpose of this initiative is to strengthen the evidence-base on innovations in the field of early childhood care and development. This special issue of arnEc connections includes documentation of noteworthy practices conducted in the year 2015. it provides a description of a wide range of important initiatives being undertaken in seven countries, namely bhutan, cambodia, india, indonesia, the Philippines, nepal and Pakistan.

The countries involved in this exercise represent a wide range of geographical backgrounds, governed by different political ideologies and systems, having varied economic backgrounds and diverse living standards of the people.

The case studies of early childhood development programmes conducted in all seven countries represent the programme which is either targeted to the neglected children or children living in disadvantaged and marginalized situations. all the countries followed a set of the same questions in undertaking the studies. The data collection procedures in the countries included administration of interviews (with children and other relevant stakeholders such as teachers, facilitators, programme implementers, officials, parents), observations (of early childhood development centres, families, households and communities), focus group discussions (with parents and community people), and review of relevant literature and documents. analysis of the data and information involved identification and categorization of the themes under study and triangulation of the data and information collected through various sources.

a review of the articles included in this volume shows the following as the major practices in the countries which participated in the documentation of noteworthy initiatives.

The case study from nepal presents how the community-based Ecd programme is helping young children to respect each other in the communities, where people are divided on the basis of caste and culture. inclusion of girls and children with disability in the Ecd centre is a unique approach of this programme. it also presents an example of how the poor communities are generating funds for operation and sustainability of early childhood programme in a resource-poor country.

The study from cambodia presents a success story of implementing community preschool in the slum areas. it presents an example of how integrated approach and coordination among different actors can have synergic effect on making early childhood programme successful and sustainable. it also describes the value of inclusiveness, equity, integrated approach, curriculum and materials that help to promote holistic development of children and availability of competent and devoted teachers in making the programme a success.

The paper from india presents a unique example of caregiver and parenting education programme for the holistic development of children below three years of age. it highlights the importance of adopting an evolutionary process of designing the programme to address the needs of the local families and community. The programme describes partnership between various responsible actors and stakeholders as a successful strategy in integrating child health, nutrition and psychosocial stimulation components for the holistic development of children.

The case study from the Philippines points out the importance of developmentally appropriate curriculum that is rich with topics and activities that reinforce the cultural heritage of the community, where children are exposed to folk songs, folk dances and folklores originated from the community. it also identifies small class size, mother-tongue based education, well-trained teachers, mid-day meal and parents and community’s involvement as the best practices for the success of a programme.

The case study from indonesia presents sos children’s villages indonesia’s innovative efforts of alternative care for children without parental care. it highlights the need for creating a family environment for the children without parental care and making the school inclusive. The study found the concept of family, village and inclusive nature

of the school instrumental in respecting differences and making all children feel as the part of a community.

bhutan presents an example of transforming the lives of young children through implementation of a community-based Eccd programme in a remote indigenous community in south-western bhutan. The study identifies synergic effect of a benevolent high profile patronage, civil society organization’s initiatives and community and parents’ involvement in making the programme a success. The study further describes adoption of community-based approach, promotion of inclusion and provision of nutrition programme as important factors for the success and sustainability of Eccd programme in the disadvantaged communities.

The case study from Pakistan presents a unique effort of aga Khan Education services Pakistan (aKEsP) in increasing meaningful community engagement in implementing Eccd programme in hard to reach areas. The study describes individualized attention to children, multilingual skills of teachers, parents and community’s meaningful participation, child-friendly supportive and resourceful environment, and inclusive education that addresses the needs of differently-abled children in making the programme a success.

what makes a programme (or some components of a programme) noteworthy? There might be several contradictory answers to this question. however, the term ‘noteworthy’ is defined here as any early childhood programme (or only a certain component of the programme) that is successful, interesting, significant and unique. it is also important to note that a programme successful in one context or background or situation might not be equally successful in another context, background and situation. however, one can always learn from the others’ experiences.

we believe that the articles included in this issue will be useful to learn from each other. we, the editorial team, would like to thank all the authors whose articles have appeared in this publication. we would also like to extend our appreciations to those who were involved in conducting the studies and documenting the innovative practices on early childhood care and development programmes of your respective countries and sharing your work and experiences.

Editorial Note By Professor Kishor Shrestha

Introduc t ion

Summary

Early childhood development (Ecd) programmes, where children come together to share daily activities including playing, learning and eating together, can be transformational in challenging social taboos in communities where people may be divided on the basis of culture, cast, ethnicity or religion. This paper, which presents selected findings from a set of case studies conducted in baglung, nepal, focuses on how members of communities from diverse backgrounds are coming together to generate funds for operation and sustainability of Ecd centres in their communities. The findings of the paper are drawn from a rigorous field study in five Ecd centres in baglung. The data collection procedures included observation, individual interviews with the key informants and focus group discussions with the mothers of the children enrolled in the sample Ecd centres.

Keywords – segregation, sustainability, institutionalization, community-based, replication

Introduction and Context

nepal remained isolated from the outside world until the 1950s; today the nepalese education system is rapidly expanding and striving to meet the needs of all the children of the country, regardless of caste, cultural background or location in the country.

The education system of nepal is administered by the ministry of Education, government of nepal. children in nepal attend Elementary school until grade eight and higher secondary level from grade nine to grade twelve. Post-secondary schooling includes four years of bachelor’s level and two years of master’s level study at university.

in 1999, an Early childhood development (Ecd) section was established under the department of Education, ministry of

Education, to look after Ecd needs in the country. at the national level, a national Early childhood development council was formed in 2005 and is chaired by the ministry of Education with members from ministry of health, local development committees, women, children and social welfare and un agencies as well as various other ngos.

nepalese people strictly follow their religion and culture. This sometimes results in discrimination against people from low castes within the community. according to the caste system, people in higher castes

are not allowed to mingle with those of the lower castes. in some places, if people from the lower castes mistakenly touch people from the higher caste, they purify themselves by taking a bath or plunging into the river. Though such mentality can be found all over nepal, peoples’ perceptions are slowly changing. as this research indicates, Ecd centres are one place where mixed groups of children from different castes and cultures are found. as children can be seen learning, playing and eating together, these centres can help in breaking barriers between people from different castes and backgrounds. since these

Institutionalizing Community Based ECD Centres in Nepal Through Seto Gurans Network By Sachita Suwal, Individual Researcher, Kathmandu universityStudent of M.Phil on Education Leadership

NEPAL

ECO-BELTS COMMuNITY INSTITuTIONAL TOTAL

Mountain 2,890 158 3,048

Hill 12,873 1,376 14,249

Valley 795 1,099 1,894

Terai 12,215 1,998 14,213

Total 28,773 4,631 33,404

Table 1: Total number of ECD centres by types and eco-belts

(Source: Flash I Report 2011-012)


centres depend on community cooperation for their sustainability, this can also bring communities together.

Background information on ECDs supported by Seto Gurans in Baglung district, Nepal

community-based Ecd centres, which draw heavily on financial and day-to-day support from local communities, with leadership provided by local government and village committees, are being run across all districts of nepal. The widespread sustainability of community-based Ecd centres in nepal provides evidence of the strong community support for Ecd that exists in the country. as a result of many of these centres, marginalized children from disadvantaged groups and ethnic minorities have benefitted from these programmes, which support their holistic development.

The Ecd programmes that were documented as part of this research were established by seto gurans national child development services. seto gurans is a pioneer organization in the field of early childhood development that works at national, district and community levels in nepal. it is registered as an Educational non-governmental organization, working since 1979 in advocacy-related activities and introducing various programmes for children, parents, community and other stakeholders. seto gurans, with its strong network through sister organisations in fifty-nine districts (out of seventy-five) of nepal, supports community-based Ecd centres as a partner of unicEf and save the children nepal. most of the community-based Ecd centres established by seto gurans were handed over to local communities for their management / ownership in 2014.

Research Questions, Methods and Analysis

This research was conducted in baglung, a district in the western part of nepal. baglung is gradually developing as the country´s model district in the field of early childhood development. it has attracted attention and focus because of the success of community-based Ecd centres in the district. a total of 351 child development centres have already been established. The centres have not only increased children´s access to education but have also helped in promoting quality learning. The centres provide child-friendly learning atmospheres,

with 25 of the centres already having their own purpose-built, well-equipped buildings. of the total number of children joining primary school grade one every year in baglung, around 40 percent are those who have attended Ecd centres.

The research was carried out by collecting data from five different Ecd centres in baglung, as part of the ‘noteworthy Practices’ initiative. The centres in different communities are equally accessible to the children, and they have similar capacities and practices. community support has remained strong since the beginning of the programmes. The Ecd centres that operate independently of the government schools have been sustained with support from the community and the local government.

research questions set by the regional team as part of the noteworthy Practices research project guided this study. The questions centred on the nature and scope of Ecd programmes; linkage between programmes and communities; identification of key ‘supporters’, and perceived benefits. The methods used for the study included observation of Ecd centres. additionally, mothers, principals, management committee members and graduates of the Ecd centres were interviewed and / or attended focus group discussions to find out more about their perspectives on the centres.

Noteworthy Practices

a thematic approach was used to analyse the data collected. The themes that emerged from the whole data set as representing the

situation of the Ecd centres baglung where this research was conducted included community diversity and support; school Environment; community mobilization and resources; Quality and sustainability of Ecds; capacity-building of Trainers / facilitators, and family support for Early learning, and community Perceptions of seto gurans.

as the list of themes outlined above indicates, many practices ‘worthy of note’ were documented as part of the research. however, due to word count limitations, this paper focuses on the findings related specifically to the role of community-based Ecd centres in promoting a strong sense of ownership of Ecd in communities, as well as promoting respect and harmony through inclusion of children from different backgrounds, as part of the theme community diversity and support.

The findings reveal what is arguably part of the story behind the successes of the Ecd centres across nepal, as they point o the importance of the structures that have been set up to support community-based Ecd centres. committees responsible for overseeing the operation of Ecd centres, made up of community members and local government officers, meet every month to discuss improvement in quality of the Ecd centres. local government bodies, community members and Ecd centre management committee members all regularly contribute funds to the Ecd centres. The committees have also opened ‘cooperatives’ to collect and save money on behalf of the community. The money collected is available in the form of loans to community members if they want to start any kind of business, with an interest rate of 18%. The interest is collected and saved to support sustainability of the Ecd centre. at the same time, the committee collects a matching fund for ‘helpers’ who assist at the Ecd centre (the salaries of Ecd facilitators is paid by the government). communities have also donated land to build Ecd centres. These practices promote cooperation, collaboration and helping each other in the community.

seto gurans trains women for human resource development so that they are empowered to facilitate the Ecd centres in the remote districts of nepal. similarly, seto gurans encourages women, especially mothers, to make environment-friendly

Ecd playing materials with locally available resources, which are cheap and easily available. in all the community-based Ecd centres where this research was conducted, locally used playing materials are made by the mothers of the Ecd centre. This has encouraged the mothers to keep themselves busy whenever they are free from their daily household chores. as part of their support for the Ecd centre in one of the villages involved in the research, the mothers’ group collected money by selling red mud (for decorating houses) and baskets of grass, and profits were saved by the community cooperative.

The Ecd children are provided food once in a while if there is any kind of occasion in the community. in addition, a support system of collecting five thousand rupees every year as child saving (TEwa) has been established in the Ecd centres, so that when the child is fifteen years of age, they can withdraw the money for his/her high school education. as a result of their work together in supporting Ecd centres, the communities that were involved in the research in baglung district are very close knit, and the bond between community members involved in Ecd centres is very strong.

while documenting noteworthy practices of the Ecd centres, interesting findings were noted on how the children from different castes and communities are accommodated without any difficulty. This has resulted in parents who previously were worried about mixing children from different castes now coming to see that all children are the same. as part of daily practice, food is shared among the children. when some children are unable to bring food in the centre, the facilitator collects all the tiffin (snack) boxes and puts them in the centre, and food is shared among all children. in some Ecd centres, a very small amount of money is collected every month from the parents and food is cooked for all the children. Therefore, children are able to eat healthy and nutritious food. This practice has allowed children to eat a good meal at least once every day. This not only promotes sharing among children and parents, but also has helped reduce malnourishment.

The Ecd centres have inclusive policies and have enrolled equal numbers of girls as well as children with disabilities. Parents of children with disabilities can stay in the centres and learn methods to take care of, and promote development in, their children.

The parents can see that their children are learning in the centre despite their disabilities. moreover, the drop-out rates of children in Ecd centres have decreased in the past few years. The community is convinced that their children are well-behaved, very active and interested to learn, read and write after they graduate from the Ecd centres. They believe that the better performance of the children in formal school is the outcome of Ecd centres. indeed, some children walk for about one to two hours to reach the Ecd centres, providing evidence of community awareness on the importance of Ecd for their children.

Conclusion

The Ecd centres of baglung district have proved to be some of the best Ecd centres in the country, which are replicable at low cost. These centres are inspiring and supportive for other Ecds throughout the country. The noteworthy practices are varied and unique and impact not only on children but on whole communities. community members are happy and proud to have Ecd centres that are supported through collaboration between the government and the community themselves. These centres are not only preparing children for life and formal schooling, so that they can grow as happy, content and productive citizens of the country; they are also changing communities for the better, promoting harmony and social cohesion.

References

nepal, g. o. (nov.2011). Flash I Report 2011/012. sanothimi bhaktapur: ministry of Education, department of Education.


Summary

This paper provides an overview of the noteworthy practices of Kork roka community Preschool, which has been implemented in one of the slum areas of cambodia, where people from several communities that had been allegedly squatting illegally on land around the city of Phnom Penh, were relocated and resettled. The community is deprived of basic infrastructure and facilities like water, electricity, school, hospital, sewage system and toilets. Even in such adverse conditions, Kork roka community Preschool achieved some encouraging positive results within a few years of its implementation. involvement of different sectors (government, civil society and Private sectors) in the implementation of the programme, integrated approach, curriculum and materials that help to promote holistic development of children and availability of competent and devoted teachers were found as important contributing factors in making the programme a success. The findings are presented here based on data and information collected through interviews, observations and focus group discussions.

Keywords – integration, equity, holistic development, inclusion, sustainability

Introduction and Context

Kork roka community Preschool (KrcP) was established on 1 august 2008 by Krousar yoeung association (Kry), and it is located in Kork roka village, Po sen chey commune, municipality of Phnom Penh, cambodia – about 24 kilometres from the centre of Phnom Penh. The rationale for the establishment of KrcP was to provide quality preschool education to the children and to improve the lifestyles of the parents who were resettled in andong in may 2006 (financing Proposal, 2008). Those newly relocated residents were brought in from several allegedly illegal communities. Each house was entitled a plot of land of 4x6 metres with no homes, no electricity, and no sewage facilities of any kind, no school,

no hospital, no clean water, no toilets, and the list would go on.

KrcP began with two classes of around 88 children (Kry annual report 2013). half of them studied in the library of the primary school and the other half studied under a large Po tree in the same location. Kry provided support of various kinds to develop the preschool. it built three classrooms adjacent to the two existing classrooms of the primary school that allowed the preschool to enrol up to five classes of about 145 children aged 3 to 5 years.

adopting an integrated approach, Kry has made great success in its mission. The evaluation report on the effectiveness of the projects of European union, agence francaise et development, and Enfants & development described this approach as “a strong leverage to quality in community preschools,” (henard & chea, 2014, p. 38). it made great efforts in promoting lifestyles of the parents through its very successful parent education programme, effective teacher training, holistic curriculum, strong linkages with the communities, and effective management. Kry’s value of inclusiveness allows the children from different backgrounds such as extremely poor, poor, medium-income, and hiv-positive, to study together in the preschool. currently, this preschool is considered a model preschool for EcE benchmarking and practices.

This paper aims to share the distinguished features of this model preschool with a focus on its sustainability, inclusion, and equity.

Methodology

in this descriptive and exploratory case study, the researcher employed mixed methods to collect data. relevant documents were analysed to gain an overall understanding of the legal framework and to be familiar with the organization and its programme. a questionnaire was used to record the demographic data about

characteristics, context, and background of the programme, and personal background of the respondents. one-on-one interviews were used to collect data from Kry staff; children currently studying in the preschool, as well as children who previously studied in the preschool and are currently studying in primary school; sangkat (district) chief; village chiefs; sangkat council; physician; officer of Khan office of Education, and primary school principal. The focus group interviews aimed at collecting data from the current teachers and past teachers, primary school teachers, parents whose children are studying in the preschool, parents whose children used to study in the preschool, non-mothers, preschool support committee, and institutions that visited the preschool. observations of the Preschool and community were also conducted to identify characteristics of the context, in which the preschool is located, to observe four classes and four teachers, and 16 homes related to the parents and home environment.

The data were analysed following the four-step procedure developed by stake (1995, p. 85): “categorical aggregation, direct interpretation, established patterns, and naturalistic generalizations.” some of the key findings are reported here, focusing on important achievements of the Preschool and aspects that have been important in supporting its success.

Approaches to Autonomizing Community Preschools in Cambodia: A Case Study of Kork Roka Community PreschoolBy Sok uttara, Ph.D.

CAMBODIA

Achievements of the Preschool

Children’s health and nutrition

The status of children’s health and nutrition in communities that are served by Kork roka Preschool has improved dramatically since its establishment. when the Preschool first opened, many of the children who began attending were suffering from poor health and sanitation. with tears flowing, one teacher who was interviewed recalled two sibling children in her class:

On the first few days, they [the two children] came to preschool very dirty and sick. They were children from the poorest families. Their parents were scavengers. Their dresses had probably not been washed for several days, nor had the children taken a shower before they came to preschool. They had runny noses, and mucus was covering their cheeks and upper part of their mouths. They were not wearing shoes.

Teachers at the Preschool have worked hard to promote the importance of nutrition and hygiene with and for communities, contributing to significant improvements throughout the community. The children of the Preschool took a general check-up early 2015 upon the request of the Preschool support committee (Psc) chair. The physician of Kork roka commune reported that 104 children went through this check-up. she found out that only one of them had malnutrition, while the rest were in good health. The physician was quite impressed by the children on the day she conducted the check-up. “while i was conducting the check-up, i noticed that all the children were ….. wearing clean dresses and washed their hands before lunch,” said the physician.

Children’s performance in primary school

as can be seen from the table below, all the children who graduated from the preschool went to the local primary school. it is noteworthy that all the top ten children of all grade levels were the children who came from KrcP.

What aspects of this Preschool are ‘Noteworthy’?

Strong preschool support committee

since the transfer from Kry in sy 2013-2014 to ownership by the community, the Preschool has been managed by a strong Preschool support committee (Psc), which is composed of local members including commune council chief as director, Primary school principal as deputy director, Primary school deputy principal as technical team leader, buddhist chief monk of the nearby pagoda and three volunteers as members. Psc very often involves community chiefs and parent representatives in some school activities. This Psc receives technical support from Kry, in terms of capacity development. Kry has provided training on how to make strategic plans, how to write reports, how to generate income, and how to spend available budgets.

Integrated approach to early childhood education

one of the main reasons for the success is the effective employment of an integrated approach, which includes a Parenting Program, Early childhood resource centre, and Parents’ counselling. The Parenting Program was an effective supplemental approach to developing parents’

confidence in their lives. Kry provided counselling services to restore the parents’ psychological strength and helped them make a plan to generate income. in addition, the Early childhood resource centre was established in april 2010, providing access to important documentation, training, and forum. its main goal was to share knowledge, know-how, and best practices related to Eccd in cambodia (Ecrc, 2014).

Safe and secure preschool building

safety and security are among the main reasons that parents feel comfortable about sending their children to Kork roka community Preschool. The parents leave their homes early in the morning to beg for money or to scavenge on dump sites and come back quite late in the evening. besides, the preschool building is also conducive to learning. The building stands parallel with the sun direction (from east to west). This good position can avoid direct sunlight through the doors or windows. instead, it allows cool air to flow through the building from north to south, making all the classrooms cool even though there is no electricity. The 3-metre wide corridor provides shade and shelter when it rains.

Competent and devoted teachers

Teachers received a 3-module training course from Kry, whereby 50% time was spent on theory and 50% on practice (Kry training module). The teachers were taught preschool teaching methodology, pedagogy, and material design. The intrinsically motivated teachers said they love children and were excited to see them change every day. one of them happily said, “i love children very much. i am very

Table 2: Statistic of preschool children sent to primary school

High-level preschool Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5

Academic No. No. Rank No. Rank No. Rank No. Rank No. Rank year Children Chldrn Average 1 to 10 Chldrn Average 1 to 10 Chldrn Average 1 to 10 Chldrn Average 1 to 10 Chldrn Average 1 to 10

2008-2009 33

2009-2010 48 33 33 10

2010-2011 45 48 48 10 33 33 10

2011-2012 54 45 45 6 48 48 10 33 33 10

2012-2013 53 54 54 13 45 45 6 48 48 6 33 33 12

2013-2014 55 53 53 13 54 54 14 45 45 9 48 48 6 33 33 10

2014-2015 53 55

Total 341 288 233 52 180 180 40 126 126 25 81 81 18 33 33 10


excited when i see them behave better and better from day to day.” another teacher said that despite low salary (50 usd per month), she was passionate to work with children. “i have gained a lot of experience in teaching children such as knowing about their feelings, knowing how and when to move from one teaching activity to another, etc.,” she said.

Curriculum and instructional materials that help holistic development of children

The curriculum of the preschool was designed by Kry in consultation with all key stakeholders. as a result, it was basically responsive to the community needs, in addition to being consistent with the national curriculum. “The children’s physical, intellectual, sensorial and socio-affective developments are stimulated by the activities they take part in,” (Kry annual report 2013, p. 3). basic movement, fine motor, gross motor, yoga, meditation, five senses, language skills, pre-mathematics, performance, hygiene, sanitation, basic science, environment, and free games are the varied learning activities that help enhance the holistic development of children.

Strong linkages with relevant institutions

Kry believes that community development that includes the poorest and most vulnerable families depends not only on the confidence and capacity of those families, but also on the strong functionality of local-duty bearers such as government institutions, civil society, and private sector institutions (Empowering families Project, 2012). The executive director said that the support vis-a-vis effective educational

programmes remarkably improved the people’s standard of living.

Successful transferring of autonomy

Kry strongly believes in and encourages community ownership of Preschools, providing a strategy of gradual transition of ownership. in sy 2011-2012, Kry conducted trial transferring of authority to the Psc, while still providing technical assistance, particularly for curriculum development, teacher training, and committee staff training. Kry lent 1,000 usd to the committee so that it could generate more income to support Preschool operations. The transferring was successful in sy 2013-2014.

Inclusiveness & Equity

although the target beneficiaries were children and parents of the poorest families, other children of any socio-economic backgrounds were also included. The Preschool records reflect the focus on equity highlighted by teachers and Psc members, showing that about 60% of the children come from the poorest families in the communities; almost 40% come from medium-income families, and a slightly small number come from neighbouring communes. moreover, hiv positive children are also welcomed to study at the preschool. To enhance inclusiveness and to meet the increasing demand for EcE, Kry has made available mobile games for children of different ages to play in their communities.

Relevance and consistency

KrcP was established in response to the increased needs for early childhood education of the newly relocated residents and in consistence with the 2010 national Policy on Early childhood care and development. a holistic approach to EcE including education, health, nutrition, and wellbeing is adopted. in the context of decentralization, the Psc that has multiple functions (development, pedagogy, and finance) is empowered to mobilize its existing resources to effectively operate the preschool.

Sustainability

The diversification of all available resources, with a focus on community participation, seems to be a very important approach

to secure financing of the preschool and retaining qualified teachers. Parents’ awareness of the importance of EcE, their improved living conditions, and their participation in the school activities such as meetings and material design, all contribute to the sustainability of the preschool. The other impetus that helps maintain the momentum of the preschool operation is the curriculum that is recognised by moEys. in addition, the continued technical support of Kry can assure the school’s continuous development. moreover, because the teachers are residents of the village, it is very likely that they will continue to work longer in the preschool.

Conclusions

The success of Kork roka community Preschool is based on several factors.The curriculum, management, and the community linkages appear to be the major ones. The curriculum focuses on the whole person education, health, nutrition, and wellbeing; its content is consistent with the recent trend of early childhood education,

which is the holistic development of a child. another noteworthy factor is the management style of the support committee – a participatory approach has proven very effective in involving all the relevant parties in the preschool activities. This approach enabled the preschool to gain not only the support of the parents but also to develop a sense of responsibilities for their children’s learning. in addition, the strong participation of the relevant stakeholders is a promising strategy for long-term success in the EcE in this community.

References

bush, a. (2012). Empowering Families Project, KrY 2012. cambodia: Plan international cambodia and Krousar yoeung.Ecrc. (2014). Early Childhood Resource Centre Experience in Cambodia 2010-2014. cambodia: Krousar yoeung association.

henard, f. & chea, v. (2014, p. 38). Cambodia evaluation of EU/AFD/E&D funded project in early childhood education and development in Cambodia. Paris: learning avenue.

financing Proposal submitted to social development fund, Embassy of france in cambodia. (2008). Improving living conditions and education of disadvantaged children and their families relocated in peri-urban areas in Phnom Penh. cambodia: Krousar yoeung association.

Krousar yoeung association. (2013). Krousar Yoeung annual report 2013. cambodia: author.

Krousar Yoeung preschool teacher training modules. (2008). cambodia: Krousar yoeung association.

moEys. (2010). National Policy on Early Childhood Care and Development. cambodia: author.

stake, r. E. (1995). The art of case study research. Thousand oaks, ca: sage.


Summary

This paper highlights a caregiver and parenting education programme designed to support holistic development of young children (below three years of age) that is being implemented in chhattisgarh, india and changing whole communities. The paper talks about the involvement of government departments, unicEf and other organizations in implementing the programme and the importance of following an ‘evolutionary’ process in designing the programme, in order to effectively address and respond to the needs of local families and communities. The programme found partnership between many actors and stakeholders as a successful strategy in integrating child health, nutrition and psychosocial stimulation components for the holistic development of children. in this study, it was found that contextualized and need-based materials and strategies are important for influencing child care practices at family level. also, a common understanding among all the relevant stakeholders and development of human resources at different levels is crucial for a successful child development programme. The findings presented here are based on data and information collected through interviews and focus group discussions.

Keywords – convergence, contextualization evolutionary process, sustainability, transformation

Background

young children develop holistically. one of the most important principles of development is that children develop as a whole. This is to say, development is multidimensional in various domains of development like physical-motor, socio-emotional, cognitive and language.

yet, in practice, there is a strong tendency that the focus of work for development of children, particularly in the under three age group, is on health and nutrition aspects only. in the indian context, government schemes and programmes give attention to health and nutrition domains of a

child’s development; but the domain of psychosocial stimulation still remains neglected. while the links between health and nutrition are recognized, the bi-directionality of both health and nutrition with psycho-social development (broadly comprising the cognitive, emotional and social domains) is not provided due attention in the schemes and programmes of the government.

an education specialist from unicEf chhattisgarh felt the need to develop interventions that can integrate these critical dimensions of early stimulation at the family level. as part of the holistic approach to Early childhood development, the education programme of unicEf chhattisgarh field office initiated, in collaboration with other national non-government and government agencies in 2012, a parenting education programme called ‘sajag’ (which essentially means to create critical awareness) in nandgaon block of rajnandgaon district, chhattisgarh, india.

in chhattisgarh, there are various government schemes and programmes for the development of children in their early years before they enter primary school. The most common services children receive are supplementary food, vaccination and growth monitoring, early childhood care or preschool education. These are provided through the integrated child development services (icds) and the nawaJatan programme (both from the woman and child development department) and maternal and child health programmes of the health department.

Each of these programmes, with their distinct implementation structures, focuses separately on health or nutrition, or sometimes both. what has often been missing is cross-programme integration, as pointed above. “sajag” attempted this integration through facilitation of key government departments of Education, health and woman and child development in designing and delivering a community- and home-based parenting programme to raise awareness about the importance of a ‘whole child’, holistic approach to

raising children, with particular emphasis on caregiver-infant interactions and early stimulation through play in the under-three age group.

Programme Description

“sajag” involved an education package that was designed to support caregivers in gaining a holistic understanding of young children’s developmental needs, including health, nutrition and psychosocial aspects. it was initiated as a pilot project in January 2012 in 164 villages of rajnandgaon block (chhattisgarh, india), with the aim of enhancing the quality of home-based holistic care for children in the age group of 0-3 years.

in implementing sajag, unicEf worked in collaboration with the state literacy mission authority (slma) and the centre for learning resources (clr), Pune, an independent, non-government technical agency that specializes in supporting education programmes at state level. at district level, the programme involved three departments – the state literacy mission authority (slma), the department of health (the state health resource centre – shrc) and the department of woman and child development (wcd).

altogether 33 ‘master Trainers’ were drawn from across these three departments to participate in the sajag programme. These master Trainers attended ‘training the trainer’ workshops delivered by clr to prepare them for working with communicators at village level to deliver a set of key messages regarding early stimulation. after attending the workshops, the master Trainers then worked with over 650 village communicators comprising health workers (known as ‘mitanins’) or asha/health workers, ‘anganwadi’ workers, and literacy mission Preraks (or motivators) across 164 villages to support them in disseminating child development messages among caregivers and parents through sector level training, community level meetings and regular home/family visits.

Sajag: A Caregiver Education Programme Promoting Holistic Development of Young Children in ChhattisgarhBy Reema AhujaIndependent Researcher

INDIA

The master Trainers (mTs) and village communicators (vcs) were all women from the community itself, who were married and preferably had child-rearing experience. The target audience for home visits were mothers of young children. sometimes other women in the family also attended these meetings. The mTs and vcs used a manual prepared for the purposes of the sajag programme, while each family was provided with a custom-designed child development ‘calendar’ which was visual and carried all the key messages of Ecd and the importance of early stimulation.

The programme targeted around 12000 caregivers for children in the age group of 0-3 years in 164 villages in rajnandgaon block of rajnandgaon district, chhattisgarh, india. The age group of birth to 36 months was chosen simply because this represents a critical period in a child’s life, a period which is spent mostly in a home/family environment.

This programme focused on the following objectives:

1) Enabling parents and caregivers of children between 0-3 years to understand and undertake good practices with regard to child health, nutrition and psychosocial stimulation.

2) building the understanding and capacities of the mTs and vcs from various government departments.


following are some of the core programmatic elements from which we can learn more about providing early childhood supports in hard to reach, or resource constrained communities.

Convergence: ‘Working together’ approach towards a common goal of holistic child development

The idea of ‘convergence’ adopted in this programme was basically an effort to promote partnership between many actors and stakeholders so that they can work together towards the holistic development of the child. This is reflected in the bringing together of staff from a range of government departments (comprising health workers or asha/health workers, ‘anganwadi’ workers, and literacy mission Preraks, or motivators) to work together in delivering the same set of messages related to early child development at community level.

Prior to this programme, provision of services was siloed across different departments, with little communication between Education and health sections. however, as a core principle of sajag was based on the concept of holistic development through enhancing parental awareness, a combination of expertise and input from various departments was required, including adult literacy programmes; health and the department for women and child development. in this programme, inter-government departmental convergence was achieved at both district and state level, and effort was made in bringing together various government functionaries at sector (cluster of 5-6 villages) and village level. convergence also took place at different levels between unicEf, civil society organization, and government education departments.

in the process of implementing the sajag programme, it was found that, at the grassroots level, bringing government departments together on one common platform was very challenging. government departments are traditionally not used

to regular coordination, especially when it comes to programmes that demand convergence. To address this challenge, many activities were conducted by clr to bring various departments together towards a uniform strategy, which included providing support and ownership at the block, district and state levels. The programme staff and other stakeholders worked hard to bring the three departments together for sajag.

The most noteworthy aspects of “sajag” are the above lessons learnt about bringing various actors and stakeholders who are working for the development of the child on one common platform. it was an extremely challenging task for the clr programme staff to make this convergence a reality at the government level; but it was successful to the extent that these ideas of viewing the child as a whole were adopted by the government departments at the state level. sajag was successful in advocating this agenda at the policy level, and it was the first step in creating a dialogue as regards how this holistic development (especially including messages to facilitate psychosocial stimulation) can be integrated into the on-going government programmes, thereby sustaining the work that is happening in the state.

Dialogue: Sajag was successful in initiating a dialogue about integrating parenting messages on psychosocial stimulation at the State level

The most encouraging development as a result of sajag was the interest shown in the programme by the health department at state level. for the first time, as a result of the success of the sajag programme, the health department (through the state health resource centre-shrc) has agreed to incorporate the dimension of early psychosocial development (in addition to information related to nutrition and vaccination) in the 17th round of state-wide training of some 70,000 health workers (mitanins).

another example where these experiences have been scaled up is the Phulwari scheme of the health department, in which community-based crèches were set up in 85 tribal blocks of the state. with support from unicEf, clr and the shrc are involved in demonstrating a pilot programme in 50 selected Phulwaris (community-based crèches) of sarguja district. The idea is to develop these crèches as integrated child development centres.


Sustainability: Preparing a force of ECD messengers and strengthening government systems

mT’s and vc’s who participated in the sajag programme were selected from staff already working in the various government departments involved in the programme. no separate structures or groups dedicated to this programme specifically were created, as one of the core principles of sajag was to ensure that enough understanding and capacity building of all the government functionaries (mTs’ and vc’s) from various government departments at ground level was built so that it would be sustainable and an ongoing process even after this programme would get over.

The important lesson to be learnt is that existing structures should be used and their capacities need to be built. This is the only way to sustain innovations within the system. The idea of a holistic approach to parenting was therefore introduced within government structures and systems. sajag is sustainable as a force of community-based women who were trained as master Trainers and village communicators and continue to act as messengers in their families, and community. sajag is still ongoing in the form of other programmes and the women continue to carry messages on parenting in the community. as one of the clr programme staffs said,

“Our key principle was to ensure that enough capacity...is being built within the local context...that would be an ongoing process after this project is over...new children will continue to be born...their parents will continue to need support...what we wanted to do was to make sure that local expertise is available in the course of this project...that would remain available to future parents as well.”

Transformation: Stories of personal transformation in lives of government functionaries and programme beneficiaries

one of the unexpected outcomes of this programme was that not only it helped in building capacity of government functionaries, but also brought change in their personal lives. as these were married women with child-rearing experience, during their training they first applied the messages learnt to their own children and families and saw a personal transformation.

already two such stories have been documented as case studies by a student from harvard graduate school of Education. in one case, one of the government functionaries, who changed her behaviour and approach towards her son with down syndrome, after attending training given by clr team, found tremendous change in his behaviour and found that it also helped her in forming a strong bond with him. in the field, many women during interviews and focused group discussions shared how their lives changed after getting involved in sajag, describing how when they incorporated affection and care in their daily interactions, relationships with their children and families changed for better. many women shared that they had previously used authoritarian styles of parenting to discipline their children, but during training they learnt how such practices could have detrimental effects on child’s development.

Evolutionary approach: Evolutionary approach was integral to programme design

another highlighting feature of this programme was that the ‘evolutionary’ approach was integral to sajag programme design and strategies, as a lot of redesigning, rethinking and refinement went into adapting, customizing the training process, learning material, and mode of communication in order to meet the needs and to reflect the daily habits and customs of local communities. Piloting and testing of this programme allowed and gave opportunity to experiment with the existing and acceptable notions of working with the community, which also led to refinement

and discovery of innovative materials. These contributed to the existing knowledge about early childhood programmes based in a particular context with restrained resources.

rethinking and redesigning led to the refinement of the programme in turn – scaling up to the state level as there was extensive designing of a prototype which could be implemented across the state. To scale up a programme, naturally, a model is required which is replicable, simple and doable. so clr was already refining it through sajag. hence an important outcome was that 66000 health workers in rural areas and 3700 in urban areas (70, 000 health workers in total) across the state were given training on psychosocial stimulation.

in order to provide better and effective programmes, it was learnt from the above noteworthy practice that tailor-made or customized and contextualized programme design and materials are needed. firstly, the programme staff need to have a basic understanding about the local environment, culture, and community needs of that particular context in which the programme is operating. a programme needs to be embedded in a particular culture and customized on the basis of community needs – that is to contextualize the programme according to customs, traditions, stories, nature of child care practices of that particular culture, and then tailor it to the local conditions.

Contextualized materials: Contextualized advocacy material designed according to community needs and priorities to influence child care practices at the family level

The unique characteristic of this programme is that it uses a module that integrates health, nutrition and psychosocial development and aims to influence child care practices at the family level. The module has been designed in such a way that it can cater to age-appropriate developmental needs of children below three years of age. it consists of a manual for communicators, discussion photographs, other visual materials, handouts for caregivers and home visit cards. advocacy material is unique and adapted to community needs, contextualized, and has pictures with which parents can easily relate. Thus, the material is easy to use.

The original module “vikaas shishu ka sehbhaag sabhi ka” (means development of the child is through support of all) and its adapted version ‘chakmak mai aag’ (means sparks from the flintstones) in the form of a picture calendar, were prepared keeping in mind the community priorities and needs, based on the feedback received from the mothers who are not able to manage time out of their daily routine for the child. clr adapted and modified the module in a way so that caregivers can provide psychosocial stimulation to the child during feeding, sleeping, bathing and playing time. universally, it is a well-known fact that children respond more to “Touch, TalK and Play” and based on this criterion a set of messages were conceptualized for this programme. over time, the entire approach to parenting or caregiver education, both in sajag and elsewhere, has boiled down to three simple and key messages – touch, talk and play. These three elements comprise the domain of psychosocial development, in addition to health and nutrition. Taken together, they represent a holistic approach to young children’s development.

Child and family outcomes: Influenced child care practices at the family level

child malnutrition is a major concern in india, and chhattisgarh is no exception. some mothers have discovered that when they incorporated affection, love and light-hearted interactions in their child’s feeding routines, their children’s weight increased dramatically and relatively quickly. in the very first year of its implementation, clr team began to see glimpses of substantial behavioral and attitudinal changes in the field. The most striking amongst these were 15 anecdotal cases of caregivers of malnourished children who had reported an immediate improvement in the weight of their children as a result of changing their own approach towards feeding their

children. These anecdotes indicated that when parents try and feed their children playfully and affectionately, the children’s readiness to consume supplementary diet improves, and there is an immediate effect on their malnourishment status. The table below presents anecdotal evidence (as verified by the aww) of improvement in the 15 children.

one of the interesting reasons offered for the improvement in nutritional gains is given by the caregivers themselves. caregivers strongly believe that it is due to a change in their attitudes towards their children. affectionate and more responsive caregiving has resulted in the child tending to come closer to the caregiver, resulting in more and regular feeding. in turn, this has led to the increase in weight and height, an important indicator of nutritional status. it is interesting to note this analysis shared by the caregivers themselves, much to their pleasant surprise. These observations are anecdotal, no doubt. still, they merit a closer look, as they might be indicating some important results and developments which we must not overlook. all these cases came up during the field visits also, and the above findings were validated.

Conclusion and Recommendations

finally, it can be concluded that all the actors and stakeholders need to work together for the holistic development of the child. long ago in the year 1995, the international society for study of behavioral development (india) in a south asian workshop on the theme “culturally relevant intervention strategies for the psychosocial development of children and youth in poverty” also recommended that effectiveness of early stimulation strategies depends on an integrated approach and an active convergence of all related sectors and services.

an innovative programme like sajag can also serve as a strong advocacy tool for raising awareness about the importance of integrating psychosocial stimulation messages in early childhood programmes. children develop as a whole. Therefore, early childhood programmes need to widen their horizon by focusing on this equally important aspect.

This documentation of sajag programme in india highlights a programme that has targeted a specific need in a particular context. There are elements of this initiative that have been shown to be particularly noteworthy as well as difficult. it is hoped that sharing details of the case study will be of interest and relevance to those working in EccE and Ecd in the region and the lessons emerging from the initiative will be found useful in adapting to their context.


References

culturally relevant intervention strategies for the Psycho-social development of children and youth in Poverty. workshop report [of] the international society for study of behavioural development (india) south asian workshop (chandigarh, india, november 20-23, 1995)

noteworthy Practices initiative guidance notes and case study protocol (brunei research council, universiti brunei darussalam)

shonkoff, J.P. (2010). building a new bio developmental framework to guide the future of early childhood policy. Child development, 81(1), 357-367

People of india national series (volume vi) india’s communities (n-Z), K.s. singh anthropological survey of india, oxford university Press, new delhi 1998

arnEc connections, (2011), retrieved from http://www. arnec.net/ntuc/slot/u2323/connection/arnEc%20connections%202011_specialEdition_bw_small.pdf)

madhusudan s., (2014) Promoting holistic development in young children – ‘Sajag’, the parenting education programme in Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh (India) 6. unpublished manuscript

united nations development Programme State Human Development Report 2005: Chhattisgarh retrieved from http://www.undp.org/content/dam/india/docs/human_develop_report_2005_chhattisgarh_full_report.pdf

ministry of women and child development. (2012). Report of the Working Group on Child Rights for the 12th Five Year Plan (2012- 2017). retrieved august 15, 2015, from http://wcd.nic.in/reportwgdtd01032012.pdf

sooryakumar d. s., Himanshu’s Story: A Case Study of the Effects of the Sajag Programme on a Child with Special Needs unpublished manuscript

sooryakumar d. s., Neetu and Gollu: Employing the Parenting Techniques in the Sajag Programme for Improving the Relationship between Parents and Older Children unpublished manuscript.

Table 3: Sajag Rajnandgaon – Cases of Significant Improvement in Malnutrition Status

Names of mothers and children have been disguised to protect their privacy

Surgi

Surgi

Surgi

Surgi

Surgi

Sahaspurdalli

Somani

Kumhalori

Kumhalori

Sindhola

Sindhola

Sindhola

Sindhola

Sindhola

Maya

Mandira

Nitya

Neela

Vidya

Satya

Champa

Pragya

Taaraa

Madhumati

Vasundhara

Kaalika

Chetana

Sharada

Manasi

Pramod

Raghu

Prakash

Adarsh

Achala

Sooraj

Aditya

Paresh

Arun

Beena

Sujata

Bhaskar

Prem

2Y 10M

1Y 6M

2Y 4M

2Y

2Y

2Y 6M

1Y 6M

1Y 7M

1Y 8M

1Y 9M

5M

3Y

3Y

8M

8.7

8

9

10.7

7

8.8

7.4

8.5

9

10

4.9

11

11.8

7

9.5

10

10

11.7

8

9.7

7.9

9

10

10.8

5.9

12.2

13

8

-3.59 Severe

-2.81 Moderate

-3.12 Severe

-1.12 Mild

-4.57 Severe

-3.09 Severe

-3.47 Severe

-2.42 Moderate

-2.07 Moderate

-1.29 Mild

-2.82 Moderate

-1.85 Mild

-1.62 Mild

-1.91 Mild

-2.55

-3.00 Moderate

-0.97 Normal

-2.33 Moderate

-0.48 Normal

-3.72 Severe

-2.36 Moderate

-3.07 Severe

-2.07 Moderate

-1.29 Mild

-0.60 Normal

-1.77 Mild

-1.11 Mild

-0.91 Normal

-1.17 Mild

-1.78Average Z Score

0.8

2

1

1

1

0.9

0.5

0.5

1

0.8

1

1.2

1.2

1

1 mth

1 mth

1 mth

1 mth

1 mth

1 mth

1 mth

1 mth

1 mth

1 mth

1 mth

1 mth

1 mth

1 mth

Name

Mahavidya

Jaganmata

Mahalaxmi

Shivapriya

Vishnumaya

Shubha

Shanta

Siddhasiddha

Saraswati

Preetipradha

Prasiddha

Vindhyavasini

Siddhavidya

Mahashakti

Prithvi

Age

25

20

28

27

24

30

26

26

23

25

20

24

23

25

21

MOTHER

Name

Kanta

Om

Kamini

Vishvam

Vishnu

Keshav

Smriti

Prahladini

Purushottam

Shiv

Durga

Bharat

Vidya

Aditya

Aparna

Age

2.5 yrs

2 yrs

1 yr 11 mths

1 yr 4 mths

2 yrs

1.5yrs

2 Yr 3 mths

2yrs 2 mths

1yr 3 mths

2yrs 2 mths

1 yr

1yr 3 mths

1yr 11mths

1.5yrs

10mths

CHILD

Weight

7.5

9.0

8.0

8.0

9.5

9.5

10.5

8.0

7.0

6.5

6.5

7.6

8.2

8.5

9.0

Malnourishment Category

-4.5 SD (Severe)

-2.7 SD (Moderate)

-3.1 SD (Severe)

-2.4 SD (Moderate)

-2.3 SD (Moderate)

-1.7 SD (Mild)

-1.5 SD (Mild)

-3.5 SD (Severe)

-3.5 SD (Severe)

-5.4 SD (Severe)

-2.9 SD (Moderate)

-3.2 SD (Severe)

-3 SD (Severe)

-2.7 SD (Moderate)

-0.4 SD Normal

-2.85 SD

AFTER VILLAGE MEETING

Weight

2.5

2.0

2.2

0.5

1.2

2.5

2.5

1.0

0.5

0.5

0.5

0.2

0.3

0.5

3.0

Duration

2 mths

1 mth

1 mth

1 mth

1 mth

2 mths

2 mths

2 mths

1 mth

2 mths

1 mth

3 mths

2 mths

3 mths

3 mths

DIFFERENCE

Average Z Score

BEFORE VILLAGE MEETING

Weight

5.0

7.0

5.8

7.5

8.3

7.0

8.0

7.0

6.5

6.0

6.0

7.4

7.9

8.0

6.0

Malnourishment Category

-6.5 SD (Severe)

-4.5 SD (Severe)

-4.9 SD (Severe)

-2.7 SD (Moderate)

-3.3 SD (Severe)

-3.7 SD (Severe)

-3.5 SD (Severe)

-4.3 SD (Severe)

-3.8 SD (Severe)

-5.6 SD (Severe)

-3.3 SD (Severe)

-3.0 SD (Severe)

-3.0 SD (Severe)

-2.8 SD (Moderate)

-2.9 SD (Moderate)

-3.85 SD

Village Name

Dilapahari

Dilapahari

Farhad

Farhad

Paneka

Bhedikala

Parevadiha

Surgi

Surgi

Surgi

Surgi

Somni

Somni

Kuaarjhorki

Bheeri

Name Age

MOTHER

Name Age

CHILD

Weight Malnourishment Category

AFTER VILLAGE MEETING

Weight Duration

DIFFERENCEBEFORE VILLAGE MEETING

Weight Malnourishment CategoryVillage Name

Summary

This paper discusses the benefits of community-based Eccd centres in the Philippine countryside, drawing on a case study conducted at the Tulunghaan sa batang Pit-os (TbP). TbP is a community-based Eccd centre whose existence is a response to the growing need for more Eccd centres. The success of the programme was found in its developmentally appropriate curriculum that is rich with topics and activities that reinforce the cultural heritage of the community. children are exposed to folk songs, folk dances and folklores originated from the community. small class size; mother-tongue based language education; well-trained teachers who follow a holistic approach to child development; provision of nutritious snacks to children every day, and connections between families and the centre are some of the major ‘noteworthy’ components of this programme. strong support for TbP from community organisations, as well as proximity of the Eccd centre to the families in the community and low fees have also contributed to the success of this programme, which offers an important alternative to parents who may not be able to afford private day care fees.

Keywords – community-based, cultural values, holistic development, growing population, access

Introduction

Early childhood care and development (Eccd) was institutionalized in the Philippines in 2000. until introduction of the 2011 Kindergarten Education act, which made enrolment in preschool education mandatory for five-year-old children in order to meet the Education for all (Efa) 2015 goals, formal programs for young children in the Philippines were mainly offered by the private sector, thus serving a very small number of families. for children below the age of five years, informal play-based programs are offered through the Philippine department of social welfare and development (dswd). at present, with the assistance of dswd, every community in the Philippines has established a day care centre assisting the children below five

years. The day care centres are managed by the community with the assistance of teachers and volunteers. with the steadily growing population of the Philippines, day care centres are becoming crowded these days, leaving some parents looking for alternatives for their children’s early learning needs.

despite the rapid growth in numbers of children attending both kindergartens and day care centres, as the asia-Pacific End of decade notes on Education for all published in 2012 notes, there is a lack of qualitative and quantitative data that systematically document Eccd programs in order to improve their implementation and monitoring. also, a country analysis that is context-specific and relevant is unavailable. This research responds to this need by providing documentation of innovative examples of early childhood programs across the asia-Pacific region, specifically the Philippines, that can advance knowledge in provision of effective, sustainable support for early childhood

This article discusses the benefits of community-based Eccd centres in the Philippine countryside, drawing on a case study conducted at the Tulunghaan sa batang Pit-os (TbP). TbP is a community-based early childhood centre located in the southern part of the Philippines, near to the city of cebu. TbP is located in a rural-urban area in the community of Pit-os. The community has characteristics that are both rural and urban in nature. it was once a rich agricultural community with its inhabitants owning small parcels of land. Today, it is more accessible to the business district of cebu city. although the majority of the present-day families in Pit-os are no longer directly involved in farming, agricultural products and livestock are still the main produce of the community. due to the community’s proximity to the city, development was eminent and migrants from different parts of the city were relocated to the community. The community is presently populated by families that are working either in public or private companies while others have family members working overseas, which has afforded them a good lifestyle. some original inhabitants of the community are still living in the area and most of them

derive their income from selling food, washing clothes, farming in their backyard, providing transportation services in the form of motorcycle vehicles, doing construction work and giving household help. The disparity in economic status is clearly seen in the community, where the migrants belong to the middle-income class and the ‘natives’ belong to the lower-income bracket.

The Eccd centre in focus was founded by Kababayen-an alangsa Katilingbanong Kalambuan (KKK), a local community-based women’s organization which aims to assist women and their families through livelihood projects and in child-rearing. KKK aimed to establish a community-based Eccd centre that implements developmentally appropriate practices to respond to the growing need for more centres in the community, in particular for children from lower income bracket families, who are unable to afford fees of private day care centres. with this as motivation, KKK sought the assistance of a non-government organization (ngo), the women’s resource centre of visayas (wrc), located in the visayas, which is one of the main islands of the Philippines. wrc provides support services for organizing education activity among grassroots women through awareness-raising, capability-building, resource-building and popularization of grassroots women’s concerns. both organizations responded to the needs and requests of local families, particularly mothers, to provide a developmentally appropriate early childhood programme, which led to the founding of the Eccd centre in 2012. TbP is currently recognized by the local government as a community-based Eccd centre. with this the centre is a recipient of child health services. also the local government provides assistance such as transportation and resource speakers, to complement learning experiences in the centre.

There are four modalities through which Eccd is delivered in the Philippines: home-based, clinic-based, school-based and centre-based. all these modalities aim to provide quality early childhood experiences to young children. in this case, TbP is a community-based Eccd centre whose existence is a response to the growing

Benefits of a Community-Based Early Childhood Care and Development Centre in the Philippine Countryside

By Joyce F. Orillosa, Ph.D

THE PHIL IPPINES


need for more low-cost centres in the community due to the growing population. furthermore, the centre caters to families who yearn for a smaller class size, and practices are developmentally appropriate in the centre. and fortunately, the presence of the centre has thus far been highly beneficial to the community, to the families and most importantly to the children.

TbP’s vision is to be part of a community whose children are well-rounded, self-motivated and independent and whose full potential is realized by a caring and loving environment with good role models who value sense for others and service to the society. The centre aims to provide meaningful and enjoyable early childhood experiences through activities that cultivate love for learning and also prepare them for formal schooling. in addition, the centre’s philosophies are grounded on different theories of child development – particularly by Jean Piaget, Erik Erikson, lev vygotsky, and rudolf steiner. also the centre uses an integrated and thematic approach to the curriculum and uses authentic assessment.


as to the area served by TbP, access to basic education is limited in the community – with only one day centre, one kindergarten centre and one high school (grades 7-10). The community has no grade school. with the limited access to education, the government day cay centre operated by dswd is also incapable of serving all the children in the community below five years of age, and numerous families fail to enroll their children, missing the opportunity of early education. in effect, some families are forced to wait until their children are five years old to enter kindergarten to get in school.

The opening of TbP responded to the need of families who wanted to be able to access affordable early education for their children, through a community-based Eccd centre. families in the community were able to access this community-based Eccd centre primarily because (1) it is near to their homes and (2) school fees were kept to a minimum. TbP is located at the centre of the community, so most of the children walk to school with one of their parents or a caregiver, while other families bring their children on public motorcycles (motor taxis) which are readily used and available in the community. young children come to the centre every morning for the entire

week. during the classes the children are exposed to developmentally appropriate practices which include mother-tongue based language education.

TbP is kept accessible to all families in the community due to the minimal fee of less than ten us dollars a month, which is affordable for most families. The monthly fee covers school materials and daily snacks. aside from the fact that it is affordable, TbP is appealing to families due to the small class size and the existence of a developmentally appropriate programme. with this programme in place, children are exposed to well-trained teachers who follow a holistic approach to child development. TbP is further appealing to families because of the nutritious snacks given to children every day. healthy snacks such as boiled banana, chocolate porridge and macaroni milk soup are examples of their daily snacks. The children are not allowed to bring any junk food or sugar based drinks. a mother stated that “i like the centre because they teach my child to eat healthy food, even when at home he looks for food that is served in the centre”. The centre is very proud of this practice because it is the only school that provides for nutrition on a daily basis.

a day care centre in every community is definitely helpful to the families and their young children. however, early education must be accessible to all the children in the community and not just to a few. The opening of TbP, a community-based centre, created wider access to more children in the community, thus lessening the number of children who may be at risk.

The centre’s curriculum is rich with topics and activities that reinforce the cultural heritage of the community. cebu is the place where the spanish expeditions during the colonial era first arrived and during that time catholicism was very popular and widely practiced. Presently, these catholic religious practices and celebrations are still evident in the community. These celebrations are used as topics in the centre so that children can gain an understanding of their history. The centre takes part in various celebrations featuring catholic saints and the child Jesus, an important icon particularly for the catholics in cebu. These celebrations are commonly known as ‘fiestas’. additionally, children are exposed to folk songs, folk dances and folklores originated from the community.

This community was once noted for its agricultural landscape. various produces could be found in the community, and cultural activities were common to symbolize the different farming seasons. Presently these cultural activities are also viewed as economic activities. These include the activities of planting and harvesting of fruits and vegetables. These activities are valued and promoted by the centre because of their importance in sustaining the local economy. in addition, families in the centre are directly involved in farming as a means of livelihood.

The Eccd centre also partners with the parents, providing opportunities for learning to the parents through seminars and family and school activities. seminars and teacher conferences help equip parents with the strategies to assist their children in their learning process. furthermore, these activities help parents understand child development including parenting. Through these parenting seminars, parents are exposed to strategies that aim to develop character.

children are taught respect to older members of the family. in this way, high regard for the elders in the family is ensured. children in the centre are expected to do such daily chores which complement their life at home. They are taught in the centre to use words that encourage harmony. These practices are embedded in the centre’s curriculum. various themes are used in the centre, such as the theme on ‘family’ to show the importance of values that families practice in their everyday lives. during interviews, mothers mentioned that their children like doing household chores in their homes moreover, children try to independently do this type of work. additionally, learning how to do household chores by the younger generation is valued in the community because children are expected to do these chores while their parents and grandparents work. lastly, there was preponderance in the use of politeness markers in student language in the classroom. children were reminded to use words like “po” or “opo” as a sign of respect to teachers during questioning. These words are used in the homes of the children and the teachers further develop the use of politeness markers in the classroom to strongly inculcate these practices in everyday language. The centre advocates the importance of practicing the values that are cherished in their homes. home visits of teachers to homes of children create a strong connection between the family and

the school. in effect, there is a continuity and consistency of family values in practice.

with the growing population of the Philippines, more Eccd centres are needed to serve the needs of young children. a government-funded day care centre for each community is not enough as it cannot accommodate a huge number of children who are at risk. The case of TbP provides a useful example of local ngo’s working together to support both families and children in providing affordable Eccd. community support is very important to sustain the centre and its programs. This centre was able to draw support from partners like the women’s resource centre of visayas, dolores children’s fund of the ramon aboitiz foundation and the local government. wrc was the first organization to support KKK in the founding of the centre. wrc’s mission is to provide support services to the advancement of organizing and education work among grassroots women through awareness-raising, capability-building, resource-building and popularization of grassroots women’s concerns. wrc assisted the KKK in the organizing of the centre which includes early childhood program development, teacher training, marketing and business requirements. Presently, wrc continuously supports the centre and has worked with local government to achieve ‘recognized’ status for the centre, which means that the government provides health services for children through the centre.

Conclusion

The case of TbP depicts the importance of community-based Eccd centres whose primary purpose is to provide educational access to all young children. in the case of TbP, multiple stakeholders are working together (KKK; wrc; local government; families and community members) to provide access to Eccd for lower-income families. The presence of the centre is beneficial to all its stakeholders, particularly to the children who are provided with the learning opportunities for holistic development. in this case, the community-based centre is managed by women from the community. This means that the centre is able to effectively cater for specific needs of the community (for example, making sure that the centre’s location is easily accessible). These women also advocate for the preservation of their cultural heritage as seen in the centre’s curriculum. it is important that the centre integrates themes

that strengthen the cultural identity of the children. The community-based centre is a medium where family values are well-preserved. The involvement of families and community in the school activities results in constant consultations which includes value formation. additionally, community-based Eccd centres could be instrumental in preserving cultural values and practices. all of these ‘noteworthy’ aspects indicate that support for community-based centres is crucial in promoting universal access to quality Eccd across the region.

References

united nations Educational, scientific and cultural organization. (2006). Philippines Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programmes. geneva, switzerland.

united nations Educational, scientific and cultural organization. (2015). Education for All 2011-2015: Achievement and Challenges. Paris, france.

united nations Educational, scientific and cultural organization. (2012). The asia-Pacific End of decade notes on Education for all. bangkok, Thailand.


Summary

in indonesia, a large number of neglected children are living in orphanages, although most of them are not orphans. The data presented in this paper is based on a ‘case study’ of two programmes offered by sos children’s villages indonesia: the family based care (fbc) and family support Programmes (fsP). sos children’s villages is an ingo that provides care for ‘abandoned’ and ‘neglected’ children around the world. in this case study, the alternative care for children without parental care focussed on creating a family environment where children called caregiver “mother” and other children in the household “brother and sister”. This developed emotional ties between the children and caregivers and made children feel secure and increased their self-esteem. in addition, the concept of each family as being part of a ‘village’ and the inclusive nature of the school that children attended was found instrumental in supporting respect for religious and cultural differences, and making all children feel as sense of belonging as part of a community. involvement of ‘families’ and ‘community’ was found vital in supporting disadvantaged children. The information presented in this paper is based on a case study of sos children’s village indonesia. necessary information was collected through observation, interviews, focus group discussions, and document analysis.

Keywords – neglected children, orphanage, alternative care, family-like environment, community empowerment

The context of neglected children

a government of indonesia report on the situation of children losing parental care marked the significance of providing quality care and appropriate intervention for such children. almost 60% of neglected children are living in residential care in indonesia, many of whom still have their biological parents. only five percent of children in orphanages are without both biological parents and 27% of the children in orphanages still have one living

parent (ministry of social welfare, 2015). The most common reason behind this situation is economic factors associated with the family, where they have to make an agonising choice because they have to worry about food to eat or gaining access to basic services. There is a need of an alternative solution for children to escape from abusive relationships and be able to receive love and support from extended family members or other parties (delap, georgalakis and wansbrough-Jones, 2009).

losing parental care can have devastating impacts on children’s rights. for example, the right to survive, freedom from violence, abuse and exploitation, growing up in a supportive family environment, developing and learning, and the right to participate in matters that affect them count the most (delap, et al., 2009). when seeking to determine the best alternative care option, article 5 of uncrc supports the argument that care by relatives of the child’s parents’ is, implicitly, the first option to consider when ‘care by the child’s own parents is unavailable or inappropriate’ (cantwell and holzscheiter, 2008, p. 37). nevertheless, providing alternative care for children without parental care should always be optional given that some children in particular situations will need institutional care, since it may be the most suitable and necessary care for them (cantwell and holzscheiter, 2008). The experience of sos children’s villages indonesia may signify important resources in providing services to strengthening families at risk of not being able to provide quality care for their children, as well as providing alternative care for children without parental care.

Research Methodology

This research forms part of a larger project coordinated by arnEc and universiti brunei darussalam that aimed to document ‘noteworthy practices’ of early childhood care and development in the asia-Pacific region. a case study approach was taken to collect data for this research. The study examined and documented the two

programmes offered by sos children’s villages indonesia; the family based care (fbc) and family support Programmes (fsP). The methods used in this study were: observation, interviews, focus group discussions, and document analysis. observations were conducted in the sos children’s villages compound as well as in the community. also included were the voices of the children, reflected through their stories. focus group discussions (fgd) were conducted with two groups. The first group was that of children and the second group was of mothers, preschool teachers and educators. document analysis was used to study the philosophy of the programme.

Findings

Alternative Care for Children without Parental Care

The Family Concept

one of the defining characteristics of institutional care provided by sos is the concept of ‘family’. children live with a mother in a house that consists of a maximum of 10 children. They are housed according to similar religious beliefs in order to support consistency in daily practice. There is a duty roster from which children are responsible for the daily housekeeping of their homes. within each house, the

Ensuring Quality Care for Children without Parental Care or at Risk of Losing Parental CareBy Dian Fikriani

Drawing by the children from FGD

INDONESIA

mother plays an important role in leading the ‘family’ dynamics and ensuring that each child receives a nutritious and healthy food, choosing the right kind of education for the child and making sure that the child can access health services when needed.

living in a family-like environment has created emotional bonds between the children with their mother as well as with other children within the same house. because of the loving nurture the children receive, they call their mother in sos as “mother” and other children as “brother and sister”. The emotional ties between the ‘family’ members make the child feel secure and increase their feelings of self-worth. sos creates a family for these children. The significance of the ‘family’ in their lives was expressed by children during fgd. The drawing of their house along with their mother as well as their ‘siblings’ is reflected in all the children’s drawing.

The Village Concept

The village concept allows children to play with their neighbors and interact with many people. The village in sos provides public space, which plays crucial role in providing social interaction for children within and outside of the ‘village’. The playground inside the sos compound is also used by children who live outside of sos in the local community. This way, sos children have opportunity to interact with other children outside sos and increase their social skills.

community cohesion in indonesia is shown by the tradition of gotong royong, which can be translated into the spirit of neighborhood and mutual assistance by cooperation among members of the community (Kobayashi, 2007). Every afternoon in

sos, scenes that are also common to that of the traditional kampong or village are found everywhere. all the children in sos clean the public space. some of them are found sweeping, picking up the dried leaves and some cleaning public facilities. nevertheless, the children felt no burden in doing gotong royong. This activity is also used by them as a medium to play.

Access to Inclusive Schools

children without parental care are at risk of discrimination and losing their right to be looked after. Providing them with schools that hold inclusive values will help them to overcome these obstacles. inclusive schools cater to children with various backgrounds, including those living under institutional care. These children often face discrimination in the society, and therefore integrating them with a wider community that values openness will make them feel as part of a community.

a school with children from diverse backgrounds provides opportunities for them to celebrate diversity and value differences. The research indicated that other children outside the sos receive much benefit from the interaction with sos children. They become more open to differences and increase their social skills. having friends with various backgrounds also benefits sos children, so that they can understand and respond to wider social interactions outside sos.

values taught in an inclusive classroom also provide opportunities for sos children to know and appreciate their own identity. The children can learn about themselves without any fear of being compared negatively with the ‘common’ situation that is different from their own. on the classroom wall, all

the kindergarten children hang their pictures taken of them with their sos family in the family corner. The pictures of sos children usually portray them and their family in the house where the mother and other children reside.

Addressing Children Deprived from Family Environment

in addressing the situation of children deprived of a family environment, the basic principles upheld by crc is the right of the child, as far as possible, to be cared for by their parents. moreover, the convention highlights the responsibility of the government in providing services to support families in bringing up their children. The indonesian government has also acknowledged this principle shown in the child Protection act article 14, which states that every child has the right to be cared for by their own biological family, unless their separation is for the best interest of the child and it should be the last option.

children meet various situations that force them to live outside their family environment. The intention of the family strengthening Programme (fsP) launched by sos is to enable children who are at risk of losing the care of their biological family to grow within a caring family environment by providing advice and access to necessary supports for the whole family. The family environment in this case is defined as caring and support for children within extended biological family, either with their parents, grandparents, aunty, uncle or neighbour. This concept reflects the choices that the families often make when they meet situation where the family is in danger of separation. a grandparent who takes care of his grandchildren attended the fsP programme. asked whether he wants to put his grandchildren in an orphanage, he said:

SOS Village as a public space

Children conduct gotong royong to clean public space in SOS village

Family corner in the kindergarten classroom


“Who would I live with if they are taken away from me?” (suroto, grandparent of two children whose parents are leaving as told by Pak Pur, family committee in ambarawa)

in order to ensure the conditions for the children’s development within a safe and secure family environment which supports them in reaching their potential, fsP offers services by providing material support, childcare, education, counselling or whatever support needed so that families can care for their children and become self-sufficient (sos children’s villages, nd).

Economic empowerment is the main priority in supporting families. sos provides trainings in developing entrepreneurial skills, or assisting the development of co-operatives. it also provides networks and assistance such as facilitating the communities to form co-operative and contacts related government bodies that can support families’ economic empowerment. aside from that, sos also provides parental education for increasing parents’ knowledge on child protection and skills in child-rearing.

Empowering Families and Communities

strengthening the capacity of families requires the participation of communities. in each fsP site, there is a family committee that consists of families from the target group. family committees have the task to discuss ways to support child development, health and education. They also have the task to identify the needs of the families in the target group and discuss the possible solutions to challenges that families are facing.

The fsP supports coordination and collaboration to support families at the village level. There is a team that consists of local government officials, such as the head of the neighbourhood association and head of the village, other ngos if there are any, and other related stakeholders. They also involve policy makers from the neighbourhood level to village level. The teams are necessary in order to assist the families in the target group, as well as the community at large, to provide supportive environments for children at risk of losing parental care. The community can support the children with the resources available in the community and also find networks to seek support for families. The team facilitates the community to gather and discuss their plan to create a child-friendly village and identifies the necessary resources to support their plan. some of the plans can be seen in the picture below.

using a developmental approach in dealing with children at risk of being deprived of their family environment means that the programme benefits not only the children, but also the whole community. it supports

children, families and communities to empower them to build knowledge, skills and confidence to improve their quality of life.

Conclusions

This study highlights several important principles that underpin the sos children’s villages programmes. These are applicable more broadly to programmes that seek to support ‘abandoned’ and ‘neglected’ children. by working to i) ensure that children are given access to loving, inclusive family and community experiences while at the same time ii) providing supports and mechanisms for families who are struggling to provide a loving and supportive environment for their biological children, the programme documented here provides important insights into the provision of ‘holistic’ care. within a holistic approach suggested by delap et al. (2009), the fsP aims to address poverty in the community and also supports families and communities to protect disadvantaged or ‘at risk’ children. on the other hand, fbc provides an ideal example of residential care for children without access to appropriate parental care.

in order to decrease the number of children deprived of their family environment, advocacy should be made to have government commitment to support families and communities. The aim is to reduce children’s exposure to violence, abuse and neglect in the home, and most importantly ensuring environments are conducive for children’s development, quality education and health care. The support could be in the form of individual counselling, support groups, parental education and consolidation of community boards (cojojaru, 2009). in addition, community-based social services that are needed to

Family Committee monthly meeting in Turus Becik community, Jogjakarta

Action Plan in Sanggar Pusaka Community 2015-2017

1. Creating a healthy environment

2. Increasing community’s economy

3. Better child rearing practice

strengthen the capacity of families to care for their children and of extended families and communities to provide alternative care include the provisions of day care, parenting education and home support for children with disabilities (unicEf, 2006).

continuing support for residential care to provide family-like environments for children without parental care is also important. This research shows benefits for children living in institutional care that uses family-like structures and approaches, allowing them to meet their full potential and claim their rights as citizens.

Acknowledgments

abundant thanks to ayu Putu Eka novita from sos children’s villages, indonesia, as well as the family of sos children’s village semarang and Jogjakarta. i would also like to thank Emma Pearson, Jennifer Tan and Kiran sagoo for their generous support and guidance at various stages of the research.

References

cantwell, n & holzscheiter, a. (2008). article 20: children deprived of their family environment, in a. alen, J. vande lanotte, E. verhellen, f. ang, E. berghmans, & m. verheyde (Eds.), A Commentary on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. leiden: martinus nijhoff Publishers.

cojocaru, s. (2009). child rights based analysis of children without parental care or at risk of losing parental care in romania, Revista de cercetare [i interven]ie social, 24, pp. 41-71.

delap, georgalakis, & wansbrough-Jones. (2009). Missing: Children without parental care in international development policy. london, uK: Everychild.

Kobayashi, K. (2007). The “invention of tradition” in Java under the Japanese occupation: The tonarigumi system and gotong royong (working Paper series no.31). shiga: afrasian centre for Peace and development studies, ryukoku university

ministry of social welfare of indonesia (2014). Child Protection Act 2014.

ministry of social welfare of indonesia. (2015). Profil Programme Kesejahteraan Sosial Anak [children social welfare Programme Profile]. Jakarta: ministry of social welfare

sos children’s village. (nd). Family Strengthening Programme, retrieved from http://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/what-we-do/family-strengthening

unicEf. (2006). Children without parental care (child Protection information sheet). new york, usa: child Protection section Programme division unicEf ny


Summary

This study investigates the synergic effect of a benevolent high profile patronage, civil society organization’s initiatives and community and parents’ involvement in transforming the lives of young children, through implementation of a community-based Early childhood care and development (Eccd) programme in a remote indigenous community in south-western bhutan. findings from the study point at the importance of various components and strategies for the success of the programme. based on the findings reported here, this article highlights: having the Eccd centre in close proximity of the local community; adopting a community-based approach that actively engages parents and community; promoting inclusion, and including a nutrition programme in the Eccd centre, are important factors for the success and sustainability of programmes which provides support for disadvantaged communities. such programmes not only support the young children in their development but can also contribute to positive changes in families and the community.

The findings of the study presented are drawn from data and information collected using interviews, focus group discussions, observations, and analysis of available documents to allow triangulation of findings.

Keywords – holistic development, involvement of parents and community, integrated approach, high profile patronage, positive changes

The Context

imagine a closed, indigenous community of a little over 500 residents with a unique language and culture that has no similarities with any of its surrounding communities. They are called the lhops. They strictly marry within the community, and follow time-honoured customs such as animal sacrifice, burying the dead with all their belongings on a piece of land owned by the family, and slash-and-burn shifting cultivation. This is a snapshot of the villages of Jigme and singye, sites for this study, a

few years ago. This is still true to a large extent despite rapid changes in the last few years. during our visits, we observed a mix of traditional and ‘modern’ practices, with some community members owning utility trucks; many prefer wearing pants and shirts that are more readily available than their traditional attire. most houses have cardamom growing around them, a crop that is a good source of cash income. most adults can understand and communicate in dzongkha, the national language, and nepali which is spoken by surrounding communities. nevertheless, the lhops represent a vulnerable community with multiple disadvantages for their children. within this unique community, there are challenges related to the importance of maintaining cultural customs and beliefs, while at the same time providing opportunities for community members to improve livelihoods.

The Eccd centres in Jigme and singye are part of Tarayana foundation’s initiatives to support development in the lhop community. Tarayana foundation is a civil society organization that supports community development in poor rural communities in bhutan. Tarayana follows an integrated approach that combines a range of activities to enhance community livelihood. These include the use of local skills and resources to generate cash income, introduction of farming practices such as kitchen gardening and livestock rearing, provision of safe drinking water and sanitation, support to build better houses, and promoting education, among others. in a number of communities where the Taryana foundation has successfully implemented community development initiatives, the foundation is now supporting the establishment of Eccd centre.

The Eccd centres in Jigme and singye initially began as the “buzip” (literally ‘child-minder’ in dzongkha) programme that employed local school dropouts to mind the children, freeing the parents for work. however, consistent with the ministry of Education Eccd policies and their support, the centres now have trained facilitators, basic resources that promote holistic

development and actively involve the parents and community.

The Eccd centres use a community-based approach adopted by the ministry of Education. in this approach, the community provides the land, and helps build the centres through labour contribution. The ministry of Education educates and helps the community create play materials by using locally available skills and resources. it requires the active participation of the community in managing the centres as well as running it through parent volunteers.

recognizing the need to enhance dietary habits and awareness, and to provide children with proper nutrition, the centres also have a nutrition programme. Parents are advised on children’s nutrition requirements, and asked to bring children’s lunches to the centre where the children eat together. children are given milk supplements at the centre twice a week.


adopting a case study approach, we sought to understand the ways in which the programme was responsive to the characteristics of the community, the key factors that contribute to its effectiveness or ineffectiveness, and the perceived and observed benefits of the Eccd programme.

data were collected using interviews, focus group discussions, observations, and analysis of available documents to allow triangulation of findings (rose, spinks and canhato, 2014, p.1). we interviewed children, parents, community leaders, Eccd facilitators, a Tarayana field officer, local health worker, school teachers, and the Principal of the local primary school. we closely observed children, parents and other members of community for over 200 hours, both at the centres and in other community spaces including children’s homes, over a span of three weeks. relevant documents such as annual reports, school statistics, annual health household survey reports, and Eccd centre records were collected and reviewed.

Positive Influences of a Community-Based ECCD in a Closed and Remote Indigenous Community in BhutanBy Sangay Jamtsho & Karma Gayleg

BHuTAN

What Makes this Programme Noteworthy?

in this section, we first discuss some key factors that have contributed to the success of the programme. This will be followed by a discussion of perceived and observed benefits of the programme to the children’s growth and development, and the benefits to the community in general.

Drivers of Success

our analysis of data collected suggests a number of factors that have contributed to the effectiveness of the Eccd programme. These include a benevolent high profile leadership and patronage; Eccd as an integral part of a broader community development programme; parent and community involvement; nutrition programme; improvement in facilitator quality; introduction of new languages, and centre location.

The lhops have resisted several years of efforts by the government to bring change, fearful of the impact that change would have on their communities. it was only after her majesty the Queen mother ashi dorji wangmo wangchuck’s visit in 2003 that the breakthrough came. The trust and respect that her majesty commands with the lhop community is very special, something that Tarayana foundation has been able to use effectively in engaging the lhops in a range of programmes and activities over the years.

The Eccd programme in Jigme and singye forms part of a range of programmes aimed at improving community livelihood (such as better housing, safe drinking water). community development and income generation activities were introduced in the villages before implementation of the Eccd programme. local leaders and other community workers believe that the lhops’ acceptance of Eccd is due largely to this integrated approach, whereby community involvement in development activities is already well established and strong positive relationships have been built between stakeholders.

one of the key features of the Eccd centres is the involvement of parents and community. This has not only fostered a sense of ownership, but also helped parents understand the benefits of the Eccd centres to their children’s growth and development first hand.

a nutrition programme is particularly important, given the lhops’ socioeconomic status, and food habits. according to the Tarayana field officer, lhops traditionally have only one meal per day. she also explained that they are not used to storing food.

one of the drivers behind improved attendance and learning at the two Eccd centres is attributed to the improved quality of facilitators. when the first childcare centres were started, the facilitators themselves were school dropouts with only a few years of schooling. however, with the parents becoming familiar with and supportive of the Eccd centres, and also as required by the ministry of Education’s policy, trained facilitators were recruited. significant differences were observed since their appointment. children are keen to go to the Eccd centres and their learning is apparent in the way they interact with adults, both within and outside their community.

one of the difficulties that the lhop children face, especially when they go to school, concerns language. at school children are required to learn dzongkha (national language), and English as the medium of instruction. being in school is extremely challenging for the lhop children as they have to cope with two completely new languages, in addition to a new surrounding full of strangers who do not speak their language but require them to adapt to their ways. with the introduction of better qualified facilitators from outside the community, children who attend the Eccd centres are introduced to dzongkha and English, with some use of lhop language spoken by parent volunteers. a noticeable benefit of this is that children are much more at ease when they go to school.

other factors, such as the ease of access to the Eccd centres for the children, parents and others providing support also contribute to its effectiveness. The Eccd centres are located right in the hearts of the villages, and not very far from the local school.

Perceived and Observed Influences

interviews with various stakeholders and our own observations indicate a range of positive influences that are linked to the Eccd centres. These include a smoother transition to primary children’s interaction with outsiders; improvements in health and well-being, as well as positive changes in

parental awareness and attitude towards the Eccd centre, and learning and childcare practices.

The parents we interviewed all acknowledged the learning and development benefits of the Eccd centres. The teachers who teach the first year students at the local school observed that students who come from the Eccd centres are willing to be in the school, “compared to other children who experience separation anxiety,… where children cry and cling on to their parents and do not let them go away from their sight.” They are also, “far more confident,… have no issues for communicating with strangers and respond to questions spontaneously, … they are already aware of many things about the school, and they readily mix, play and communicate with other children.” They also note that the Eccd children have a positive influence on other children as they encourage other children to open up and interact, and serve as models for other children who are not familiar with classroom norms and routines. This is an observation consistently shared by others such as the district Education officer and the school principal who feel that this is a great leap towards improving school retention for lhop children, one of their key challenges. children coming from the Eccd centres also typically perform better in school, most likely because they are now familiar with the languages of instruction, and are not totally the strangers to a classroom culture.

one observation that we noted during our visits to the Eccd centres was the children’s willingness to interact with us, and how they were least bothered and uninhibited in their activities by our presence in the room. Participants who had encounters with lhop children prior to the Eccd centres indicate that there has been a sea change. The Tarayana field officer recounted, “when i was here in 2009, they would just run away and hide somewhere. They were not used to strangers at all. now, they don’t do that but rather try to interact and show curiosity.” Today, all children (3-5 years of age) in Jigme and singye attend the Eccd centres.

improvement in children’s health and wellbeing was reported as another significant change observed since the Eccd centres started. at the Eccd centres, children are taught how to maintain personal hygiene, and parents are reminded to send their children to the centre neat and clean. besides the personal hygiene


that they are taught, community leaders attribute their children’s good health to the nutrition programme. for the health worker, the Eccd centres are convenient places for children’s timely immunization, and for giving them deworming tablets and vitamin supplements.

The Eccd centres have also contributed to positive changes in families and the community. one of the village elders pointed out that even though community members were reluctant to bring their children in the beginning, now “everyone wants to send their children to the Eccd centre.” The Eccd centres are seen as places where children learn, are safe, fed, and cared for. Through the parent volunteer arrangement, parents have been allowed to observe healthy childcare practices as well as receive parenting advice, which have resulted in positive changes in their practices.

Discussion and Recommendations

apart from the positive influences, we would like to point out two areas requiring careful consideration. while it is desirable for Eccd services to be mother-tongue based (ball, 2010), it may be practical in circumstances such as that of the lhops to support development of skills in the medium of instruction. feedback from the interviewees in this research suggest that the use of dzongkha and English at the Eccd centres in fact afford the children opportunities to venture beyond the confines of their closed community, in addition to preparing them for school. it does, however, pose a dilemma for a language and culture becoming increasingly prone to extinction due to outside influence. it is our view that the use of mother tongue should be promoted to the extent possible, whilst also recognizing the benefits of children’s exposure to the official languages of instruction.

one observation during our visits to the Eccd centres involved the nature of parents’ involvement that was largely restricted to performing chores such as cleaning and washing. They are mostly passive onlookers when the children are engaged in learning activities. however, the parent volunteer programme provides a great opportunity to engage parents in playing more active roles in their children’s learning by teaching them lhop culture and identity through stories, songs, dance, and games. we recommend the use of a “funds of knowledge”

approach in which knowledge that families and children bring is used as a foundation for developing culturally relevant learning and development (gonzalez, moll & amanti, 2005; moll, amanti, neff & gonzalez, 1992; hedges, cooper, lovatt, murphy, spanhake, et al, 2014). given that parenting education and support has been an effective strategy for reducing inequalities and improving developmental outcomes for children from the disadvantaged and low-income communities (Engle et al, 2011), the Eccd centres can engage in parenting education in more organized ways, as currently it happens only in informal ways.

what makes the Eccd programme at lhotokuchu noteworthy is the positive changes it has brought to the children’s development and the community within a short span of time. instrumental in making this happen is a benevolent high profile patron whose leadership has been followed up with an integrated approach to community development. our findings suggest that a community-based approach that actively engages parents and community in a range of livelihood-enhancing activities, combined with a nutrition component, can be effective ways of promoting inclusion, ownership, and sustainability of Eccd in disadvantaged communities. They also confirm evidence reported on the links between school readiness and achievement (aboud, 2006; berlinski, galiani & gertler, 2009; Kagitcibasi, sunar & bekman, 2001), with potential to help break the inter-generational cycle of disadvantages that many children in low socio-economic communities face.

References

aboud, f.E. (2006). Evaluation of an early childhood preschool programme in rural bangladesh. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 21 (1), 46-60.

ball, J. (2010). Enhancing learning of children from diverse language backgrounds: Mother-tongue based bilingual or multilingual education in early years. Paris: unEsco.

berlinski, s., galiani, s. & gertler, P. (2009). The effect of preprimary education on primary school performance. Journal of Public Economics, 93 (1-2), 219-34.

Engle, P.l., fernald, l.c.h., alderman, h., behrman, J., o’gara, c., et al (2011). strategies for reducing inequalities and improving developmental outcomes for young children in low-income and middle-income countries. Lancet, 378, 1339-53.

hedges, h., cooper, m., lovatt, d., murphy, T., spanhake, n., et al (2014). Inquiring minds, meaningful responses: Children’s interests, inquiries, and working theories. Teaching & learning research initiative (nZ). retrieved January 28, 2016 from: http://www.tlri.org.nz/sites/default/files/projects/Tlri_hedges%20summary(final%20for%20website)2.pdf

gonzález, n., moll, l., & amanti, c. (Eds). (2005). Funds of knowledge: Theorizing practices in households, communities and classrooms. mahwah, nJ: Erlbaum.

Kagitcibasi, c., sunar, d. & bekman, s. (2001). long-term effects of early intervention: Turkish low income mothers and children. Journal of Applied Development Psychology, 22 (4), 333-61.

moll, l. c., amanti, c., neff, d., & gonzalez, n. (1992). funds of knowledge for teaching: using a qualitative approach to connect homes and classrooms. Theory Into Practice, 31 (2), 132-141.

rose, s., spinks, n., & canhoto, a.i. (2014). Management research: Applying the principles. london: routledge.

Summary

This study examines the unique efforts of aga Khan Education services Pakistan (aKEsP) to increase meaningful engagement in educating the children of early years in hard to reach areas of gilgit baltistan, a region of northern Pakistan. The study presents findings from a case study of one ‘cluster’ of schools that involved early childhood education settings as part of aKEsP’s Education development and improvement Programme (EdiP) programme. results of the case study revealed a series of enhancements that can be attributed to the EdiP intervention, including benefits for wider communities, children and teachers. findings reported here focus specifically on benefits related to enhanced professional development and enhanced practice among early childhood education (EcE) teachers.

The findings of the study are drawn from the analysis of data and information collected through interviews, observations, focus group discussions and review of relevant documents.

Keywords – child-friendly, parents and community’s participation, resourceful environment, inclusive, capacity building

Background

aga Khan Education service, Pakistan (aKEsP) has been supporting the development of education in Pakistan since the 1940’s. The programme studied as part of this research (the Education development and improvement Programme) forms part of a three-year programme which was centrally concerned with improving the accessibility and quality of education in the most remote and marginalized communities of Pakistan. The purpose of EdiP was to enhance access, equity and quality of education with increased gender parity, participation and sustainability of community interventions in targeted clusters of schools.

gilgit baltistan is a region of immense geographical beauty; it is also a region where

there have been unrest and significant challenges associated with community development. while there have been examples of successful implementation of community initiatives, there is also evidence of challenges in engaging some communities in programmes that depend upon their support. due to inadequate attention to access, quality and relevance of education right from the independence of gilgit-baltistan (november, 1948), the entire region lags far behind the other parts of the country. for example, compared to the overall 54% literacy rate at national level, the literacy rate in gilgit-baltistan is 44%. The female literacy rate in some segments of population (e.g. districts of diamar, ganche, and skardu) is among the lowest in the country. however, private sectors, particularly the aKdn institutions, have complemented government’s efforts to increase the accessibility and quality of education in gilgit-baltistan.

special focus was therefore given, as part of the EdiP programme, to increase stakeholder participation in the education sector in gilgit baltistan. The programme sought the involvement of local communities, non-governmental organizations, civil society and the private

sector in the implementation of its activities. while the most relevant stakeholder was the government, the EdiP sought to achieve successful implementation of its strategies through capacity building of all stakeholders from the government’s Education department, community leaders, parents and teachers, for quality child education in an effort to ensure that all children learn.


EdiP is implemented by aKEsP, partner agencies and government departments. it adopts a ‘cluster-based approach’, involving a set of interventions designed to enhance teaching and learning settings through engagement with key stakeholders. ‘clusters’ consist of a designated learning resources school (lrs) that supports and facilitates training and development of ‘feeder’ schools. in addition to providing professional development for teachers and school leaders and implementing community-based initiatives to improve schools buildings and facilities, EdiP works closely with parents and communities within each cluster to canvas their views and promote their participation in children’s education. in the case of this study, three schools of a cluster located in ishkoman,

Mapping Linkages: A Comprehensive Vision Promoting Early Child Education- Aga Khan Education Services Pakistan (AKESP) in Gilgit BaltistanBy Parveen Mehboob Ali

PAKISTAN

Table 4: Sample: EDIP cluster-based approach

Research participants Number Interview Role

Parents (grandparents, parents) Twenty focus group interview beneficiaries and home visits

Programme managers (general four one to one Programme manager, Ecd head, Programme implementer coordinator & Teacher Educator)

community members Twenty focus group interview beneficiaries and (village Education committee, implementers school management committee, Parent Teacher association)

EcE student teachers four one to one Practitioner

school head teachers Three interviews leaders

government officers one interview Partners

Total Forty eight


gilgit baltistan, were purposively selected, representing three systems of education in gilgit baltistan; one lrs operated by aKEsP education system, and two feeder schools including one government school and one national Education foundation (nEf – an independent non-government body) school. The aims of the research were to i) understand the purpose and nature of EdiP and ii) document impact of EdiP on EcE environments.

Findings

although data related to community participation and partnership were also generated, this paper focuses on the impact that this ‘cluster-based’ approach has had on the early childhood education (EcE) settings. The findings reported here focus specifically on related themes emerging from the data:

• UnderstandingNotionsofECE

• EarlyChildEducationandPolicy

• CurriculumandPractice

• ProfessionalDevelopment

within each theme, key elements are also presented under a set of subtitles

Theme 1: understanding notions of ECE

Children’s interactions and Quality of Learning

it was observed that children were actively participating in group and peer discussions and at ‘learning corners’ children were engaged in well planned activities.

Teacher a said “Before starting teaching I was novice about how to teach young children, I was sent to PDCN for diploma in early child education and the on -going training and support at LRS provided me professional support, the teacher educator observe the teaching process and even discuss my teaching plan and give me feedback which is a great help for me to understand how child learn and how a teacher should teach”

Learning is a social process

strong bonding of sharing and supporting each other in and outside the classroom was observed among the children of the

chatoorkhand community. The most important learning was the task commitment, social skills, responsibility and feeling of usefulness in the children. The data from parent focus groups reveals that almost all parents said that “Hamray bachy ab zimadar ho gay hai hamari izat karaty hai, kahna mantay hai, homework foran kar laytay hai, awr teacher ki har baat aisay manatay hai jaisay un par wajib ho gay hai “.

Translation: our children have become more responsible, obedient, respectful and strictly follow teachers’ instruction and even force us to obey teachers.

Emotional wellbeing

Teachers treated children with love and affection; even a child showing tantrum was also treated calmly (with the teacher leaving the child for a while/ allowing him/ her do what they want to do) and then after that explaining what was wrong in their attitude.

Social competence

children engaged in cleaning the classroom after lunch; taking turns standing in a queue for hand washing; learning from each other, and working together at learning corners are some of the practices observed by the researcher.

Positive approaches to learning

Teachers were very soft spoken, never scolded children and believed that each child is unique. one of the teachers said “Har bacha mukhtalif hota hai, aur koi bhi bach mar peet san ahi seekh sakta ya

galt hai hamray walidain kay a maana tha kah mar paray gi to bacha seekhay ga yah sahi sooch nahi thi, har bacha aik special individual hota hai us ko spajna aur spaj kar seekhana hi to early child education teacher ki beauty hai jo hm ko dosaray etachers sa munfarid karti ha”.

Translation: Every child is different, child do not learn by punishments, it was wrong belief of our parents that if teacher beats then child study, i believe that every child is special individual, it is the duty of early year child teacher to s/he understand the child first and then teach, this is the beauty of early grade teachers which make him/ her different and unique normal traditional teachers.

Communication skills

Teachers were bilingual and communicating with children in a soft manner, asking questions and instructing students to raise hands to respond.

Cognitive and general knowledge

Teachers’ plans reflected ‘routine timetable’ and it was observed that during ‘circle Time’ teachers asked general questions to children such as (name of the president of Pakistan, capital of Pakistan, days in a week, name of months etc.) besides concept building time, in which teachers planned activities to teach concepts such as subtraction.

Effective Learning Environments

following the developmentally appropriate approach in planning and teaching, teachers constructed subject based learning corners allowing the children to construct their conceptual knowledge in peers and

Documenting ‘Notewor thy Prac t ices ’ – more than jus t a set o f case s tud ies

Emotional wellbeing

Early Childhood Development (ECD)group setting. Enhancements to learning environments were supported through continuous professional development and shared construction of knowledge among teachers within the cluster. a teacher from govt. school said that muj ko to yah leanring corner bana our activites banan nahi ata tha mai LRS gai thee or un ki tecahers na seekhaya ab bhi planning mai mushkil hoti hai mai isee lya planning nahi karti.

Translation: i was not aware of learning corner and preparing resources and activities, routine time table and planning is very new for me, i went to lrs and learnt from them, observed them and they coached me, (although) still i am not good at planning so i hesitate to plan.

Theme 2: Early Child Education and Policy

ECE and Policy development measures building upon ‘Equity’

from the review of the current (under discussion) policy document for 2015-2025 gilgit baltistan (gb) department of Education EcE has been given vital importance and special fund has been allocated for resources, constructions and professional development of EcE teachers. EdiP interventions have provided evidence

to support reasons for investing in early education that are embedded in cultural and societal beliefs about children; the role of family; community, and purpose of education.

Early Years services and role of private organizations

in Pakistan and gb in particular there is clear policy drawn between early child ‘care’ and ‘education’. children start attending formal education from grade i (primary) at the age of (6 to 8 years). aKEsP’s interventions in EcE programmes have reinforced the concept of EcE (care) in formal school settings in gb, promoting a combined focus on education and care. although EcE remains a mainly private funded entity provided by either ‘for profit’ or ‘not for profit’ service providers, community members are coming to see the benefits of early childhood and care for their children.

one of the parent said “humaray bachey pahlay 7 saal ki ummar mai school dakhil hotay thay ku kahy humari saaas ur ammmi khati this cha (6 years) taak bachoo ka bachpan hotta ha us ka khayilnay ka din hay.kuch AKESP nay kaam kia to hum nay school daal diya pahlay baas assaiy .mai kamm karti hu to mai nay apnay bachy ko daal diya magar EDIP mai too school wala mahool ha”

Translation: my children started schooling at the age of 7 because my grandmother and mother in law say that till 6 years is the age of play let the child enjoy childhood. some services were started by private organizations and then by aKEsP for small children so i enrolled them because i am a working lady, but in EdiP young children are experiencing a very good environment and my child is learning through play.

There is evidence of increased access, affordability & quality of ECE environment settings for children

The EdiP approach to EcE services, where a combination of community engagement, care and education of children is a key focus, is relevant to the needs of children and the community and is welcomed by the parents. The various programmes provided by EdiP are seen to reduce low literacy, unemployment and mortality rates. for example, the adult literacy programme (alc), one of the components of EdiP, has developed parents’ literacy and numeracy skills and has been carried out in the region in response to parents’ demands, because they saw it as beneficial to support their children in getting an education. This has led to increased retention of children in school, as well as increasing enrollments.

Quality Environment

in the lrs and feeder cluster schools, the EcE infrastructures have been purpose-built, with carpets and colorful, child-friendly furniture provided to lrs schools. resources that are appropriate for young children have also been introduced to model appropriate teaching and learning.

Structural and Conceptual adjustments for ECE system

The intervention of EdiP has led to structural changes in the gb Education system. EcE classes have now been incorporated in schools where there is appropriate space available. while teachers are not officially recruited and teachers salary is borne by the community, the government provides logistical support and conceptual

Learning corners

Vaccination

The purpose of the Adult literacy center

To enable the women as a productive person for their family and society.

To help their children in completion of home work

To keep and maintain home financial budget

To read and write newspaper and story books etc.


adjustments have been made in the curriculum through EdiP-EcE intervention based activities.

Theme 3: Curriculum and Practice

Child Development, Learning and Pedagogy

recognizing the child’s role in the process of learning, aKEsP designed EcE teacher training programme with support from EcE experts to ensure learning environments where children are seen as active participants in learning.

Teacher c said that “all children, even younger ones, are given ability by Allah for holding ideas and beliefs, which through discussion and interaction can be improved or moved towards constructing valuable knowledge/ concept building”.

Teacher d said “Child-Centered Learning is not simply a view of learning with mutual understanding but it is more than this, it is less patronizing towards the child’s mind. I try to exchange my understanding and promote other children to exchange their views to find the perceptions of each child”.

This practice was reflected during classroom observation where teacher was probing and promoting discussion, with a belief that her approach helps the children to develop strong concepts and the confidence to work with adults.

Theme 4: Professional Development

Capacity Building of teachers contribute to sustain quality

it was very obvious from the findings of the research that the contribution of the senior trained teachers who have received intensive training as part of aKEsP’s interventions has been very effective in enhancing EcE environments. They have provided role models for novice, newly appointed teachers.

Teacher E said “ I am always worried about how my children are learning and thinking, I believe that accumulating knowledge and skills are not enough…..children must be taught how to learn and teaches must understand how child learn, think and grow”.

Conclusions and reflections

The EdiP programme in gilgit baltistan has significantly contributed to both promoting the quality and raising awareness of EcE. due to its multi-pronged intervention and cluster-based approach, EdiP has supported community participation and professional development of teachers. Early childhood practitioners celebrate diversity, and identify as well as challenge the hurdles to inclusion. They critically reflect on children’s acts and address them in their practices, keeping high expectations for every child’s growth and development, providing need-based support, facilitating and advocating for promotion of equity in early childhood. They assess children’s learning and development, and keep records for monitoring and providing individualized support to develop unique abilities and interests of children. Practitioners have high expectations for themselves and are devoted to best-practice teaching through training, adequate staffing, additional resources, critical reflections and peer support.

The evidence from this research study also indicates that EcE teachers involved in the case study may require on-going support. some were not yet comfortable and competent in adopting and practicing the

child-centred teaching methods. if aKEsP and the gb department of Education are serious about moving towards a real acknowledgement of the critical value of Early child development then they will need to continuously contend with the implications for professionalization of EcE teachers. a well-educated teacher working

directly with children, sensitive to their role, enhances the quality of early learning experiences of children and ultimately benefits society. continuity of collaboration, cooperation and concentration for capacity building and sharing experiences within all systems and school settings through a shared understanding of practice among teachers, can contribute to enhancing the positive impact of EcE on children and their communities.

References

shafa, m.d. (2011). getting the girls to school: The community schools project in gilgit-baltistan of Pakistan. International Journal of Business and Social Science……………

Kristin E. geiser and et al. (2013). Early childhood community school linkages: advancing a Theory of change…………

howard adelman and linda Taylor (2002). fostering school, family, and community involvement………..

management research: applying the Principles © 2015 susan rose, nigel spinks & ana isabel canhoto

http://concordia-expeditions.com/trekking-in-pakistan-2015/k2-base-camp-concordia-trek-baltoro-trek/

http://www.decaturisd.us/domain/10

http://www.upedu.org/process/activity/ac_elstk.htm

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9284100

http://iel.org/ece

ECE classroom

Picture students doing activities

The unEsco asia and Pacific regional bureau for Education and arEnc, together with unicEf and the world organization for Early childhood Education (omEP), are documenting innovative and effective pedagogical approaches and tools used in diverse early childhood care and education settings in asia and the Pacific.

The project aims to contribute to enhancing the equity and quality of EccE programmes in asia and the Pacific that cater for children from birth to 8 years of age, by collecting evidence that (i) showcases examples of innovation that are unique to the region and, hence, (ii) provides early childhood educators or practitioners working with communities and parents with inspiration, ideas and guidance to implement innovative approaches in their own work with children and families.

under this initiative, arnEc is managing the documentation (in the form of reports and videos) of 8-10 ‘innovative pedagogical approaches’ from various countries. The cases being documented demonstrate one or more of the following principles:

• Child-centred (child as a competent, active learner): learning involves culturally-relevant, negotiated, respectful interactions between children and teachers / practitioners / caregivers;

• Holistic development: learning incorporates a focus on linkages between socio-emotional; physical; cognitive; linguistic; spiritual development;

• Equity: Quality learning opportunities are available to all children without discrimination, especially those from marginalized groups;

• Inclusiveness: learning responds to the diversity of needs among all learners;

• Sustainability: (i) The innovation presented is coherent with other activities of the programme and has potential for continued utilisation, and (ii) builds children’s skills to affect social change for now and in the future;

• Cultural reflection/relevance: learning is rooted in the learners’ socio-cultural context and reflects traditional/indigenous knowledge that supports children’s development and learning.

in this first round, the following 10 cases are documented:

• Kaede Kindergarten: “Play Makes us Human” (Japan)

• Education for children of migrant labour (india)

• Child-based Community Center (india)

• Curriculum and Community in Early Years Aboriginal Education (australia)

• Empowering Local People to support ECD in Solomon Islands (solomon islands)

• Sihuan Play group, a community-based non-formal pre-school education (china)

• Te Puna Reo o Nga Kakano (new Zealand)

• Educate the Future (nepal)

• Mother tongue based ECCE programme (Thailand)

• Broadclass – listen to learn (Pakistan)

The documentation of these innovative pedagogical approaches, both the narrative reports and videos will be made accessible from arnEc website in the 3rd quarter of 2016. watch the space!

ARNEC’s documentation of ECD Noteworthy Practices in 2016 focuses on Innovative Pedagogical Approaches in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE)By Evelyn D. Santiago

In Clos ing


Editor:Dr. Kishor ShresthaProfessor, research centre for Educational innovation and development,Tribhuvan university, nepal

Editorial Board:

Dr. Ghazala Rafiquedirector, aga Khan university, human development Programme – Karachi, Pakistan

Dr. Lynn Angsenior lecturer, department of Early years and Primary Education, institute of Education, university of london, uK

Dr. Mami Umayahara chief of the director’s office and Programme cycle management specialist, unEsco’s asia and Pacific regional bureau for Education, bangkok

Dr Margaret Sims Professor of Early childhood, university of new England, armidale, nsw australia

Dr Sheldon Shaeffer international consultant, member, board of directors, arnEc

Mr Sven Coppenscountry director, Plan china

Final Editor:Dr. Emma Pearson bishop grosseteste university

Coordination:Silke Friesendorfcommunications manager, arnEc

Design and Layout: TTM

No.10, Special Edition 2016

Theme: Documenting ‘Noteworthy ECD Practices’ – more than just a set of case studies

For more information, contact:ARNEC Secretariat1 commonwealth lane #03-27, singapore 149544 website: www.arnec.netEmail: [email protected]

uNDERSTANDING OuR NETWORK

“We envision that the development potential of the young child is realised with support from families, communities and governments in the Asia-Pacific region”

The asia-Pacific regional network for Early childhood (arnEc) is established to build strong partnerships across sectors and different disciplines, organisations, agencies and institutions in the asia-Pacific region to advance the priority on and investment in early childhood.

MISSION AND ACTION PILLARS

arnEc works to ensure the rights of every child to optimal holistic development. To achieve this aim, arnEc implements programmes in the following activity areas (action Pillars):

Advocacy for Policy Change:support national partners and members in their assessment and review of national early childhood policies, frameworks and implementation, and facilitate the exchange of models and tools from other contexts.

Knowledge Generation:facilitate the continuous analysis and synthesis of regional Ecd evidence and research, identify priority areas for further learning, and support strategic research activities.

Information Management and Dissemination:Provide a platform for Ecd professionals to share information and resources, ensuring these are easily accessible to all.

Capacity Building:Provide opportunities for professional development and learning related to Ecd through strategic arnEc events, external outlets, and strengthen national networks through targeted technical support.

Partnership Building:build external partnerships and coalitions to create a supportive environment to leverage resources for Ecd and arnEc’s capacity to fulfil its mission.

arnEc is guided by 15 steering committee members made up of early childhood experts from the asia-Pacific region who provides direction for the planning and development of the network and its activities.

The network is supported by the following organisations: unEsco asia and Pacific regional office for Education, unicEf, Plan international, open society foundation, save the children and childfund international.

WHO ARE OuR MEMBERS?

our members are individuals in the field of early childhood who are concerned with young children and families of asia and the Pacific. The network’s strengths draws upon the support of our members who are experts in health, education, nutrition, social welfare, human development, social research or policy, sociology, or anthropology. becoming an active arnEc member means you are able to contribute your knowledge and share with others your experiences.

friends of arnEc, or institutional memberships, are also available and receive additional benefits such as the eligibility to enter into joint activities with arnEc and be featured on our website.

interested individuals or organisations may find out more information about the arnEc membership categories on www.arnec.nethttp://community.arnec.net

www.arnec.nethttp://community.arnec.net

Documenting Noteworthy ECD Practices – more than just a set

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