The South Asian Regional Conference on Early Childhood Care & Education – Policies and Practices: Towards 2015 and Beyond

Note to the Media

Recent Brain Research Calls for Serious Investment in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE)    

New Delhi, 27 – 29 August, 2012: “The South Asian Regional Conference on Early Childhood Care & Education – Policies and Practices : Towards 2015 and Beyond” from August 27 -29, 2012 at The Oberoi, Zakir Hussain Marg, New Delhi.

“Child’s play” –these two words are often used to suggest that a task is too simple or the topic does not warrant any serious consideration. However, a child’s play can no longer be taken lightly. Researchers have clearly established that a child’s brain grows at an extraordinary pace in the first 6 years of his/her life and lays the foundation for lifelong development. in the first three years of a child's life, the brain grows to almost 80 percent of the adult size and within six years to about 90 percent, thus establishing the basic architecture of the brain. And it is the play the child engages in, the experiences the child gets, the interactions the child encounters with other children and with adults which together contribute significantly to the formation of the synaptic connections in the brain. Thus nearly 700 new connections are formed every second for children who are fortunate to grow up in a stimulating environment.

When young children are deprived of responsive care and exposed to risk factors such as poverty, physical or emotional abuse, and neglect, there is 90 to 100 percent chance of developmental delay and loss of brain potential. Therefore, both the timing and the quality of early childhood experiences play a critical role in forming important neural pathways for not only schooling but also lifelong development. Given that a large percentage of children below six years in the South Asian Region do not have optimal home environments, good quality Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE)  has been found to significantly compensate for home deficits and enable children to have a sound foundation.

Economists are now providing convincing evidence that high quality early childhood care and education programs not only influence children’s development but also bring in high returns on investment for the country as a whole. According to Dr. Lawrence J. Schweinhart President of the HighScope Educational Research Foundation, the economic return from public investment in high quality early childhood programs can be as high as 16 times the original investment. The findings from longitudinal studies in United States have been supported by research in other countries such as Turkey and Mauritius, suggesting that this may be true for other regions, as well.

Acknowledging the potential of ECCE for reversing the negative effects of home deprivation and enhancing social capital, there has been international advocacy to promote ECCE. The Dakar Framework of Action (UNESCO, 2000), which has been adopted by 164 countries, identifies ECCE as its first Goal towards achieving Education for All (EFA). It calls for the “expansion and improvement of comprehensive ECCE – particularly, though not exclusively, for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children”. It advocates for an integrated approach towards care and education.

Given the importance of this first stage of education, particularly in the South Asian region, where a large proportion of children below six years reside, the Center for Early Childhood Education and Development, Ambedkar University Delhi and The World Bank have come together to organize The South Asian Regional Conference on ECCE from August 27 -29, 2012 at The Oberoi, Zakir Hussain Marg, New Delhi. The conference is being co-sponsored by UNICEF and UNESCO and is planned in close consultation with other international agencies including Aga Khan Foundation, Save the Children, CARE India, Sesame Street and with the concurrence of Government of India.

All eight SAR nations are expected to participate in this conference. The objective of the conference  is to bring ECCE center stage into policy level discussions  within the eight South Asian Countries and deliberate on ways towards supporting the governments to formulate a Regional Strategy for South Asia for ECCE.  The Conference provides a platform for dialogue and experience sharing on ECCE among policy makers, practitioners, civil society representatives and researchers in the South Asian Region. In addition to several Indian experts, some leading international experts such as Dr Lawrence Schweinhart, Prof  Hirokazu Yoshikawa from Harvard University and  Prof Eva Thorp from George Mason University will be sharing state of the art knowledge available globally in this arena.

The media is invited to the SARCON ECCE 2012, particularly for the Inaugural Session on Monday, 27 August; Session II on Tuesday, 28 August; and the Closing Session at 12:30  on Wednesday, 29 August. The remaining sessions will also have interesting topics and prominent speakers.

Dr. Lawrence J. Schweinhart President of the HighScope Educational Research Foundation, a Michigan citizen who has worked for the 50-year HighScope Perry Preschool Study for over 35 years and is currently  President of the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation in Ypsilanti, Michigan, will be the featured speaker at the Keynote Addresses:  Why ECCE matters?   session at 5.45-6.05 PM on Monday, August 27, 2012.

Prof Hirokazu Yoshikawa from Harvard University will be Chairing the session on Evidence from Research and brain development - Implications for policy and practices and  Prof Eva Thorp from George Mason University will speak about Understanding Quality Issues in ECCE -Curriculum, Standards and Teacher Preparation on 28^th August 2012 during session III.

A Draft agenda of the proceedings over the two and a half days is attached for your perusal.

Kindly advise if you or any other person covering the Child Development and Education sectors will be able to cover this important event and report on the same on behalf of your news organisation.