This week I completed the alternative assignment; Harvard’s University’s “Global Children’s Initiative”
The commitment to global work is
to meet the needs of all children in order to invest in the roots of economic
productivity, positive health outcomes, and strong civil society in all
nations.
Zambian Early Childhood Development Project
While a large number of studies
have investigated the impact of early childhood experiences on children’s
developmental, health, and educational outcomes in developed countries,
relatively little evidence is available on early childhood development in sub-Saharan
Africa. To address this knowledge gap, the Zambian Early Childhood Development
Project (ZECDP) was launched in 2009. It was a collaborative effort to measure
the effects of an ongoing anti-malaria initiative on children’s development in
Zambia (Global Children’s Initiative).
The Zambian Child Assessment Test
(ZamCAT) was created to review children’s development before and throughout their
journey in school.
The ZECDP collaborators hope that
the data collected will not only improve the understanding of child development,
but to help identify key interventions towards improved outcomes in a rapidly
changing developing world.
Un Buen Comienzo
Un Buen Comienzo (UBC), “A Good
Start,” is a collaborative project in Santiago, Chile, to improve early
childhood education through teacher professional development. The idea is to
improve the quality of educational offerings for four-to-six-year-olds,
particularly in the area of language development. This project is also designed
to intervene in critical health areas that improve school attendance as well as
socio-emotional development, and it seeks to involve the children's families in
their education.
UBC also incorporates a
comprehensive evaluation: a cluster-randomized experiment in all 60 schools.
This type of longitudinal evaluation in early education has not been carried
out in any other country in Latin America and will place Chile at the forefront
of demonstrating the impact of a high-quality early education.
Applying the Science of Early Childhood in Brazil
As part of its Global Children’s
Initiative, the Center is launching Núcleo Ciência Pela Infância, its first
major programmatic effort outside the United States. In collaboration with
local experts, this project aims to use the science of child health and
development to guide stronger policies and larger investments to benefit young
children and their families in Brazil (Global Children’s Initiative).
Reference
Center on the Developing Child.
Harvard University: Global Children’s
Initiative (http://developingchild.harvard.edu./initiatives/global/initiative/
Hello Sha-Kevia,
ReplyDeleteI also researched the Harvard website but I didn't include the Zambian project to my post, I'm glad you did, now we've covered the 4 of them ;). I thought that the ZamCAT is a great assessment to see where the children are at at the beginning of the program and where they want them to be at the end.
The ZamCAT assessment seems to be a effective tool. Not only will it measure where the child is before starting the program; however, it will show the skills acquired along the way, which will show competence among the teachers.
DeleteSha-Kevia,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds as though these countries are behind in their research on early childhood development as compared to the United States. What is encouraging is the fact that they understand enough now to collect data and follow children's progress. They will receive very good information from these efforts and will be able to develop a good early childhood education program. Chile's efforts should be applauded. Professional development is a key factor in developing a quality early childhood program. Thanks for the information.
Mary Jo
I was pleased with Chile's efforts to implement a program to get the families involved in their children's education. Family engagement and involvement is vital while educators work to teach their children in school settings. If schools and parents will work together for the betterment of their children, children would excel in the classroom because not only are they obtaining the information at school, but parents are also reiterating the information at home.
Delete