UNESCO: A Program to Help All
As with any early child care programs, this organization focuses on EC Care and Education (ECCE) for children from Birth to age 8. Their goal is to watch for health, nutrition, security, and learning which provide children with a holistic environment (www.unesco.org).
UNESCO held its first WORLD conference on ECCE issues in September of 2010. Here they adopted the Moscow Framework for Action and Cooperation Harnessing the Wealth of Nations. This organization works globally to find the best care and environments for children all over the world.
UNESCO mission as stated on the website is that foundations of human development are laid during early childhood years requires an integrate approach of care development and learning. It also is a leading organization among international policies regarding ECCE.
ECCE should be looked at and is more than just a "prep" stage. With today's policies are placed within a larger context of social development, gender equality and poverty reduction.
UNESCO is a huge supporter of EC development and wants to build a SOLID foundation for a LIFE LONG learning of children.
The first goal of UNESCO was the program 2000 Dakar Framework for Action which calls upon an expansion and improvement of comprehension for ECCE. Here organizations collaborate with officials and policy makers to review and develop national policies and procedures.
UNESCO has been around for many decades starting in the 1950s. This organization has been around for many policies, and has achieved the accomplishment of getting support, but worry is why is there not more being done with this support from officials and policy makers. I think that UNESCO has amazing ideas, but like everything else in education, it is glanced over and thrown to the side.
Personally, I feel like EC is treated like the ugly step child and is "out of sight out of mind". This saddens me because this is where the most of our money should be invested! Perhaps if more professionalism, time and money were given to these ECCE programs then we as a nation wouldn't have so many citizens in jails, prisons, and living off of welfare!
Reference:
www.unesco.org
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ReplyDeleteI agree that most funding should be invested education, including early childhood development. Research has been proven that investing in early care and education with yield the greatest return on society.
DeleteI also wrote about UNESCO and found out about many things. I have to agree with you that more money should be invested in early childhood. It does seem as though the EC field is on the back burner. Something needs to happen sooner than later. I appreciate that UNESCO is a supporter of the EC field and is working towards building a solid foundation for lifelong learning. Good post, Natasha!
ReplyDeleteHi Natasha,
ReplyDeleteIt is wonderful to have organizations that support us as EC practitioners. The greatest difficulty faced by countries in their efforts to expand and improve the quality of early childhood care and education is the mobilization of resources. This is particularly daunting in developing countries, where early childhood may be overshadowed by other pressing priorities, such as universal primary education.
Governments, if they deal with the issue at all, often approach early childhood from the context of national social policy or health services.
Hi Natasha,
ReplyDeleteI think that this is a great organization and resource as well. I can also relate to you with the ideas you gave about the lack of care for the early childhood field in some areas. ECE does so much children. The success rates are unmatched. The early childhood programs in my area give children skills for life. Although parents love their children, there are things they may learn from their peers that they will never get from their parents.