The Consultative Group on Early Childhood Care and Development

The Consultative Group on Early Childhood Care and Development

Who Are We? • Established in 1983, the Consultative Group on • ECCD is an international consortium comprised • of: • UN Agencies (i.e UNICEF, UNESCO, World Bank (Human Development Unit) • Multi and bilateral donors (i.e. CIDA, Dutch Ministry of Foreign • Affairs) • International Foundations & NGOs (i.e PLAN International) • National and regional organizations and networks; and • Academic/educational institutions and organizations • that advocate and support program and • policy development for young children, 0-8 years

Mission and Objectives • To improve early childhood policy and practice focusing on children in disadvantaged circumstances. • Knowledge Generation andDisseminationAccessible and used by a wide range of actors and stakeholders • Communications and AdvocacyThe critical importance of ECCD to social development and poverty reduction and advocate for improved investments, policies and actions to support the holistic development of young children. • Strengthening Regional Capacity • To generate and disseminate knowledge, share information and advocate for the support of children’s overall development.

CG and EFA • 1990, Jomtien Lobbied with others to include ‘Learning Begins at Birth’ as a key statement and integrated into the agreement • 1995 Mid-Decade Review, Amman Reinforced message with ‘8 is Too Late’ • 2000, Dakar: CG became the lead organisation for the EFA and ECCE Flagship initiative • 2004 Lobbied to have EFA’s first goal as a focus of the 2007 Global Monitoring Report

GMR 2007: Strong Foundations • Contribution to Raising Awareness… • Early childhood programs are vital to offset • social and economic disadvantage. • ECCE is an instrument to guarantee • children’s rights that opens the way to all the • EFA goals and contributes powerfully to • reducing poverty, the overarching objective • of the Millennium Development Goals (p. 6)

Early Childhood Programmes should: • Be comprehensive focusing on all of the child’s needs from 0-8 (0-3, 3-6 and 6-8) and encompassing • Health, Nutrition and Hygiene, Cognitive and Psychosocial development • Be provided in the child’s mother tongue • Help to identify and enrich the care and education of children with special needs • Include activities: • Centered on the child • Focused on the family • Based within the community • Supported by national and multi-sectoral policies and adequate resources • Coordinate closely with grade 1 and 2 teachers to ensure continuity in learning experiences for children

ECCE and Links to other EFA Goals • While EFA Goal No. 1 is significant in and of itself, quality ECCE programs also set Strong Foundationsfor achieving other EFA goals...

EFA Goal 2: Access to/Completion of Quality UPE by 2015 • Countries with disaggregated data • DROP-OUT • - Grade 1 drop-out: Malawi 24%, Uganda 24%, India 14%, Bangladesh 14%, Colombia 19%, Guyana 22% - Drop-out in Grade 1 at least double drop-out in Grade 2/S. Asia Grade 1 drop-out more than triple drop-out Grade 4 77 million children drop out before completion of primary education

EFA Goal 2 (cont’d) • REPETITION • - Grade 1 repetition: Nepal 43%, Equatorial Guinea 48%, Madagascar 42%, Cameroon 33%, Mozambique 26%

Crisis in Grade 1 • In many countries as many as half the Grade 1 children repeat or drop out • The system fails children worst right at the beginning • Children not ready for schools • & • Schools not ready for children

The Opportunity- make the links • Early Years Programmes – both before and after children enter school • Linking Early childhood and primary (reduces # of underage children in grade 1) and ensuring more attention to the early grades in primary school improvement efforts: child-friendly, active learning methods etc

Making the case • - Facilitates improved primary school enrolment and smooth transition to school, which leads to better results in the first years of school, especially for disadvantaged children • - Contributes to reducing school dropout, grade repetition and the need for special education placements in schools, and therefore improve the internal efficiency of primary education and reduce costs for both governments and families

Goal 5: Gender disparity/equality • Early Childhood programs… • Are an important instrument for promoting gender parity in terms of children’s equitable participation in ECCE programs and positively influencing their subsequent enrolment in school • Releases older female siblings from child-care responsibilities and enable them to attend school

Goals 3 and 4: Lifeskills and Literacy • Provide care givers often with access to parental and adult education, as well as family literacy programs, which in turn improve adult learning

Goal 6: Quality Improves children’s school participation and achievement, and contributes to the quality of the education system as a whole

What is required? • What Is Required to Ensure Strong Foundations for All Young Children? • More Attention and • More Investment, NOW!

Commitment from Government • Increased high-level policy and • political commitment to ECC • in all nations is necessary for • achieving children’s rights and • Education For All.

ECCE in all national budgets • ECCE should be included in all • national budgets, all sectoral • plans for education, health, • sanitation and social protection, • and in all Poverty Reduction • Strategy Papers

Public Funding • Significantly increased public funding of • ECCE at national, provincial and local levels • is essential, especially targeting vulnerable, • marginalized children and their parents and • caregivers – including children living in poverty • rural areas, and ethnic minority groups or • affected by HIV/AIDS, malaria or other diseases, • malnutrition, disabilities, conflicts or domestic • violence

Commitment from Donors • Stronger political and financial commitment from international donors is urgently required for expanding ECCE

GMR 2007: A Springboard for Early Childhood Advocacy • CG Agreed Advocacy Messages & Recommendations • 4 Cornerstones to Secure a Strong Foundation for Young Children • Early childhood provides a strong foundation for success in education and good health. • Investing in young children saves money and pays off in the long run.

Cornerstone 1 • Start at the Beginning Integrate child development, early stimulation and parenting information into prenatal, early health, and education services.

Cornerstone 2 • Get Ready for Success • Ensure access to at least one year of quality early childhood development services prior to formal school entry, beginning with the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.

Cornerstone 3 • Improve Primary School Quality • Increase investments and improve quality in Grade 1 of primary by providing teachers with knowledge and training in early childhood development, adequate learning materials for children and smaller classes.

Cornerstone 4 • Promote Early Childhood Policy Development • Include early childhood in all national policies, plans and instruments including Fast Track Initiative and Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRSP), and ensure adequate resources and multi-sectoral coordination.

Global Advocacy Campaign • The launch of the report provides an • unprecedented opportunity for a Global Early • Childhood Advocacy campaign to: • Raise public awareness that improved ECCE support is an essential key to improving children’s access, retention and success in school • Provide concrete examples from around the world to indicate that improved ECCE is possible through diverse strategies that significantly contributes to the quality, equity and efficiency of primary school • Inform and stimulate public discussions and debates re the role of ECCE in basic education and an unprecedented collaborative commitment to ACTION

www.ecdgroup.com • The Consultative Group is well placed to • facilitate an international advocacy campaign • that is realised through: • Coordinated planning and collaborative action • internationally, regionally and nationally • Please let us know what YOU are doing to move the agenda forward • www.ecdgroup.com

The Consultative Group on Early Childhood Care and Development