SIXTH INTER AMERICAN MEETING OF MINISTERS OF EDUCATION

“Better Opportunities for the Youth of the Americas: Rethinking Secondary Education”

Hemispheric Commitment to Early Childhood Education: Progress and challenges

Presented by Isabel Segovia Ospina, National Vice Minister of Education of Colombia

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Consensus on the concept of transitions in early childhood

Transitions are critical moments of change in the lives of children as they pass from one stage to another, opening opportunities for their development and learning for life and school.

As a relational concept that incorporates scenarios, actors and educational practices, it helps to understand the tension that takes place between the home and the programs

When children reach the expected learning goals and they feel comfortable in the educational system, it can be said that they have achieved educational transitions that will favor their development.

Projects for 2009

1. Tendencies of transition policies in rural, indigenous, afro-American and border communities.

2. Quality-based educational assessment: following-up the commitment to early childhood.

3. Policies and strategies for a successful transition of the child towards socialization and school.

4. Expansion of the Hemispheric commitment to early education through technology and communication networks.

1. Tendencies of transition policies in rural, indigenous, Afro-American and border communities.

Objective

Offer technical support to Member States to strengthen their policies geared towards guaranteeing access, improving the quality of early childhood education and facilitating the successful transition of all children between home and preschool programs to basic education.

Participants

• Countries that proposed the project and technical teams: Colombia (Universidad de Manizales and CINDE), Peru (Catholic University), Brazil (CECOM and the Ministry of Education), Venezuela (FEPAP) and Chile (JUNJI).

• Other participating countries : Costa Rica, Guatemala and Mexico.• With support from the Bernard Van Leer Foundation of the Netherlands

and the OAS

1. Tendencies of transition policies in rural, indigenous, afro-American and border communities.

Components

• Retrieve and consolidate existing information on tendencies in education and early childhood care with a special emphasis on the focus populations of the project.

• Identify and organize a process of analysis and inter-sectoral evaluation of regional policies and tendencies in education and transitions during the first years of life.

• Create institutional capacity for policymakers and national supervisors of early childhood education, preschool, and primary school for the focus populations of the project.

• Design and implement a communication strategy to raise awareness in the population on this process.

1. Tendencies of transition policies in rural, indigenous, afro-American and border communities.

Activities

• Diagnostic study and statistical analysis of early childhood education (Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Venezuela, and Chile).

• Analysis of world, national, and sectoral policies.• Analysis of the transition processes and experiences in early childhood

education (case studies have been carried out in the five countries).• Communication actions to reveal the finds of the case studies: forums and

meetings with authorities, academics and parents have been carried out.

1. Tendencies of transition policies in rural, indigenous, afro-American and border communities.

Activities

• Elaboration on two publications: a) Advances from the diagnostics and analysis on policies (in translation). b) Case studies and communication actions (in editing).

• International symposium: “Early Childhood and the challenges of basic education in the XXI century” (Puebla - Mexico, November 2009): Organized by the Government of Puebla and the Foundation for the Integral Development of Indian and Rural Communities of Mexico (Fundación para el Desarrollo Integral de Pueblos Indios y Comunidades Rurales de México/AC).

1. Tendencies of transition policies in rural, indigenous, afro-American and border communities.

2. Quality-based educational assessment: following-up the commitment to early childhood

Objective

Strengthen the capacity for early childhood care on behalf of ministries of education, specialized institutions and civil society in order to construct evaluation systems and follow policies and programs. This will allow for analysis and reflection on the factors that indicate the quality of early childhood education, guide decision-making and improve integral early childhood care.

2. Quality-based educational assessment: following-up the commitment to early childhood

Participantes

Countries that propose the project: Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Paraguay, México (Monterrey, Nuevo León) (CENDI) and the Department of Education and Culture (SEDI/OAS).

Other countries, agencies, and organizations: all OAS Member States, through Ministries of Education, universities and civil society institutions associated with other entities and international institutions: UNICEF, UNESCO, the World Bank, the Bernard van Leer Foundation of the Netherlands, Andean Development Corporation (CAF), World Association of Early Childhood Educators (AMEI-WAECE), and the World Organization for Early Childhood Education (OMEP).

Components

• Coordination and elaboration on the plan of activities and identification of the technical-financial responsibilities, as well as keeping commitments and timelines, strategies of implementation and evaluation of the project.

• Preparation of sub-regional and Hemispheric studies on “The State of Art in the Evaluation of Early Childhood.”

• National agreements with universities and civil society institutions to engage their active participation in the project.

• Sub-regional meetings of the world congress on evaluation in early childhood.

2. Quality-based educational assessment: following-up the commitment to early childhood

Activities

• “Central American Sub Regional Congress”: “Assessing development and learning in children between the ages of 0 and 8”. Coordination: Costa Rican Education Ministry. (UNICEF, CECC-SICA, OAS). Held on June 17-19, 2009 (indicators, strategies, works plans were defined for 8 countries).

• Second MERCOSUR Forum on Early Childhood Care Policies, “Early childhood care policy comprehensive development and service quality”; Held on December 2, 3 and 4, 2009, in Asunción, Paraguay.

2. Quality-based educational assessment: following-up the commitment to early childhood

2. Quality-based educational assessment: following-up the commitment to early childhood

Activities

Seminary for exchanging experiences on the design, adaptation, application, and evaluation of the EDI (Early Development Instrument) in some countries of the Hemisphere (will be carried out by the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) and the Offord University in Canada, June 2010).

Seminary of exchanging experiences between Caribbean countries (date, venue, and content to be determined).

Sub-regional congress of the Andean countries in Colombia (date, venue, and content to be determined).

World congress of evaluation in Paraguay (date, venue, and content to be determined).

EDUCATIONAL POLICIES FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD,EDUCATIONAL POLICIES FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD,in the framework of integral carein the framework of integral care

ColombiaColombia

INCLUSIVE EDUCATION FOR THE DURATION OF LIFE

An education that improves the educational

opportunities of the poor and starts from birth and continues throughout life.

Community Homes ICBF

FAMI Homes ICBF

Childhood Home ICBF

Other official and private

kindergartens

Newly under integral care *

Total cared for

723,213 228,940 135,136 304,571 198,525 1,590,385

Children receiving care:

Population under 5 years of age in Colombia

Total Population (1) 4,282,837

Vulnerable Population (2) 2,650,851

% Vulnerable Population (2)/(1) 61.9%

Population under 5 years of age that receive Integral Care

Total Attended Population (3) 1,590,385

Vulnerable Population(4) 1,288,120

% Vulnerable Population (4)/(2) 48.6%

(1) DANE, Population projection 2008 a from the 2005 Census.

(2) SISBEN Survey, November 2008.

(3) Reports from ICBF, SIMAT, Programa de Atención Integral a la Primera Infancia MEN – ICBF.

(4) Estimate from the Estructura de la Encuesta de Calidad de Vida 2008.

National Profile

* Cited numbers until July 31st, 2009, PAIPI program.

Which children? Modalities of Care

Children being taken care of by their families (in rural and urban areas).

Family-based: Educational meetings at home, accompanied by an adult.

Children benefitting from the program Community Mothers from the Colombian Institute for Family Welfare (ICBF) .

Community-based: Educational care for children, accompanied by teachers or Community Mothers.

Children that do not have access to care services for lack of availability.

Institutional: Daily integral care for children in early childhood centers.

* Until July 31st, 2009

Modalities of Care

Special Projects

Implementation of alternate methodologies for local capacity-building and awareness of cultural and ethnic diversity

Project Beneficiaries

Chocó: National Ministry of Education (MEN), Colombian Institue for Family Welfare (ICBF), International Organization for Migration (IOM) and municipalities “Attention to Community and Family Environments and Constructing Centers for Childhood and Family”

14 municipalities

Agreement of the National Ministry of Education (MEN) and Corporation for Children’s Day (CDN) “Care for children under 5 years of age at Toy Libraries NAVES (Spaces for games and socialization for early childhood education)

60 Toy libraries59 municipalities

Medellín “Local Consumption Basket Agreement for the care of children younger than 5 years of age and gestating/lactating families”.

Medellín

Guambia “Convention of integral care in the houses of Taita Payán y redefining the educational project of the Guambiana indigenous community.”

Community Guambiana del Cauca

* Until July 31st, 2009

How have we progressed to July 2009?

Total Children Cared for

4-year goal% Progress toward

the goalInvested Resources

(amount in dollars)

198,525 400,000 49% USD$ 137,052,354 *

* TRM COL$ 2,050.45 from August 12th, 2009

Constructed and Intervened InfrastructuresProgress to July 2009

Type of Infrastructure AmountCapacity of

children

KINDERGARTENS 21 6,300

CHILDREN CENTERS 27 3,240EARLY CHILDHOOD AND FAMILY CENTERS 14 17,302

TOTALES 62 26,842

INFRASTRUCTURES TO BE CONSTRUCTED 2009 - 2010

INFRASTRUCTURES TO BE CONSTRUCTED AND/OR INTERVENED

NATIONAL TOTAL MEN, ICBF, OIM and municipalities

1,973