DRAFT – Please do not cite or circulate
EDUCATION FOR ALL GLOBAL MONITORING REPORT 2007
Special Theme – Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE)
Outline for Consultation
18 November 2005
(Draft - Please do not cite)
This draft outline is a work-in-progress intended mainly to solicit comments and recommendations on the structure for, and content of, the 2007 Education for All (EFA) Global Monitoring Report’s (GMR) special theme of Early Childhood Care and Education. The outline was informed by contributions from the GMR Editorial Board and from the Consultative Group on ECCD during their respective annual meetings in September 2005. This is a working document for consultation mainly with policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and scholars engaged in the early childhood work in local, regional, national, and international arenas. Comments are invited on any aspect of the outline, though the moderated online consultation will focus on the ECCE theme. The GMR Team pledges to consider all comments carefully, while maintaining its independence. The final report will not necessarily reflect all comments nor will it necessarily be organised in the same order as this consultation outline. Meanwhile, the team has commissioned thematic background papers on many of the issue in this outline, as well as a series of country and regional studies.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(Chapters not necessarily of equal length)
Introduction
1. Definitions and Analytic Framework for ECCE
2. Rationale for strengthening ECCE
3. Assessing progress towards EFA Goal 1
4. Managing and implementing national ECCE policies
5. Supporting the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children
6.Funding the expansion and improvement of ECCE
7. Improving ECCE – Making it happen
Introduction
As with the previous Reports, the 2007 Global Monitoring Report will monitor movements towards the six Education for All goals, the contributing national programmes and commitments made by the international community and focus in greater depth on one of the goals. The goal selected for this report is Goal 1, which pertains to ECCE: ‘Expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children’.
The proposed coverage of the general monitoring component will be in three chapters:
The first will record general movement across the six EFA goals by focusing on developments in: ECCE, access and coverage in primary education (and with some consideration of secondary and tertiary education), learning outcomes and quality measures of schooling, adult literacy, and appropriate learning and life skills programmes for youth. The main source of information will continue to be administrative data provided by the UIS but will be augmented by analyses of household surveys. Attempts will be made to disaggregate the data by regions, and by other characteristics, particularly for the most highly populated countries. The distribution of out-of-school children across countries will also be presented with some reporting on their background characteristics. As in previous reports, consideration will be given to the likelihood of countries, and perhaps regions within some countries, achieving various EFA goals by 2015. The possibility of refining the Education Development Index will also be examined.
The second monitoring chapter will build upon previous efforts to document and analyze country efforts to move towards the EFA goals including presentation of policy statements and strategies and partial assessments of their implementation. Measures being taken to bring out-of-school children (back) to school and/or to alternative forms of instruction will be included. Previous assessments of public education expenditure will be updated and selected financing issues examined. In addition, some issues arising from the need to include the most marginalized groups of children, and from some specific circumstances in/for which the provision of educational services is particularly problematic, will be examined and experiences shared.
The final monitoring chapter will monitor the implementation of commitments which have been made by the international community to augment national governments’ efforts to achieve the EFA goals by 2015. The levels, patterns and distributions of aid for education from bilateral and multilateral donor agencies will be examined together with an assessment for some countries of this aid in the context of total aid received and total domestic public expenditures on education. Case studies will also be undertaken of the broad impact of aid on the overall development of the education sector. The continuing efforts to improve the coordination and harmonization of donors/aid will be recorded with attention also being given to issues of dependency, sustainability, accountability and the possibilities of resource substitution between different levels of the education sector. Examples of how donor representatives are working together within specific countries and how they are interacting with governments will be presented. Finally, the ‘needs’ for external financial support over the next decade will be discussed together with an assessment of likely future aid flows, including those associated with debt cancellation.
The thematic ECCE component will attempt to reach the following objectives:
-Raise public and political awareness of the importance of ECCE and EFA Goal 1
-Trace the historical background and contemporary context of ECCE
-Synthesise international research on determinants and outcomes of ECCE
-Compile data from a range of sources to monitor country and regional progress
-Highlight innovative and effective policies and practices
-Identify strategies for helping countries achieve and monitor EFA Goal 1
-Review development aid agency policies for ECCE
Topics to be covered in the report include those listed below; this list also provides an indication of the structure of the thematic part of the report, although the latter may evolve during the development of the text.
- Definitions and analytic framework for ECCE
- Rationale for strengthening ECCE – A research review
- Assessing progress toward the EFA goals
- Managing and implementing national ECCE policies
- Supporting the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children
- Funding the expansion and improvement of ECCE
- Improving ECCE: Making it happen
1. Definitions and Analytic Framework for ECCE
This first part will provide an introduction to the special theme, including an overview of the broader contextual landscape for ECCE policies and programmes. It will include definitions of key terms and an overview of the framework for the rest of the thematic sections.
1.1 Context for ECCE and child well-being
Drawing on historical materials from the archives of international and professional organisations, as well as surveys conducted by UNESCO and other agencies since World War II, this section will provide the reader with a comparative historical analysis of ECCE policy and programme development around the world. In Europe, for example, some infant schools and day nurseries emerged more than a century ago. In Africa, Asia, and Latin America, the discussion will focus on (de)colonisation, diffusion of European pedagogical theories (e.g., Comenius, Froebel, Montessori, Pestalozzi, and Piaget), and growing interest of donor agencies and international institutions in ECCE projects. Special attention will be accorded to key international agreements (e.g., UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, EFA, Salamanca) and trends related to access, quality, delivery, governance, etc.
The next section will explore the main demographic, economic, social, and political factors that have influenced ECCE policies and programmes in different parts of the world over time. The section will discuss contextual changes – shifting household structures, growing numbers of mothers with young children participating in the labour market, migrating populations from rural to urban settings, diverse fertility rates in different parts of the world, economic globalisation and greater demands on the education system, the fall of the former Soviet Union, global health crises (HIV/AIDS), and other emergencies (e.g., famine, natural disasters, civil war). These factors have influenced the types of ECCE policies and programmes that have developed (part-time, full-time, public-private, etc.) as well as the extent to which nations have made progress toward expanding and improving ECCE.
With this background, what is the current status of young children’s well-being in different parts of the world? The section will discuss some of the trends in child well-being indicators including a shift away from a deficit approach, which focuses on child survival and the adults children will become in the future to a more strengths-based approach, which considers a broader notion of child well-being and the intrinsic value of childhood. The report will use available indicators to paint a picture of national, regional, and international progress toward child well-being. (Current policies and provision for ECCE will be profiled in later sections).
1.2 Visions of childhood and the objectives of ECCE
This section will provide an analysis of different views, assumptions, and understandings of childhood across disciplines and across cultures. For many years, the field of ECCE has been dominated by the discipline of developmental psychology, which takes a normative and universalistic approach to the study of children. More recently, critiques of this approach have argued that childhood is a social construction and that developmental psychology de-contextualises the wide range of children’s experiences in different cultures and situations. After reviewing the academic literature in areas of anthropology, pedagogy, sociology, child development, philosophy, health, and nutrition, as well as the emergent field of childhood studies, the section will provide a discussion of the cultural underpinnings of childhood and ECCE. We shall present prominent ECCE practices and knowledge in developing country contexts in their own right, and then explore the extent to which some of these practices have been eroded or undermined in light of the diffusion of Western views and norms.
These social constructions of childhood shape the objectives of ECCE. Indeed, ECCE around the world may have a number of different objectives including:
- Providing health care, immunization, and nutrition (feeding)
- Creating a safe environment for play and socialisation of young children with their peers
- Promoting school readiness and preparation for primary school
- Providing custodial care for children of working parents
- Supporting new parents through information sharing and parenting education
- Building community and social cohesion
1.3 EFA Goal 1 is different from other EFA goals
EFA Goal 1 for ECCE is different from other EFA goals in several ways. First, ECCE is characterised by diverse settings, arrangements, and delivery schemes (household/home, centre, school, community, NGO), funding (public, private, mixed), and programme content (education, psycho-social, health, nutrition). This diversity creates challenges for the role of the state and its relations with other public and private actors – in terms of coordinated policymaking, funding, planning and monitoring. Moreover, unlike some of the other EFA Goals, it has no quantitative targets in terms of access, participation, or quality.
Second, unlike the strong support that exists for universal primary education, governments in both more and less developed nations accord varying levels of priority to ECCE. Like literacy (the theme of the 2006 GMR), ECCE takes place largely in the non-formal sector and receives less policy attention than more formal types of education. Some policymakers view ECCE as part of the family realm, and therefore not subject to government intervention, whereas others – in part influenced by international priorities – have preferred to focus limited resources on universal primary education. Although a growing number of policymakers and donors recognise ECCE as a springboard for future schooling, fewer see ECCE as an individual right.
A third specificity is that ECCE is multi-sectoral, combining education, health, nutrition, and family support. Several ministries, levels of government, and non-governmental actors are engaged in providing and funding ECCE. A monitoring approach that is restricted to education data would miss some of the key aspects of ECCE, such as the ability to support children’s comprehensive early development and learning and the flexibility to be delivered in diverse settings and arrangements. At the same time, a definition which is too broad might be unwieldy for the EFA team to monitor, especially given the limited and uneven data available.
1.4 Definition of terms
EFA Goal 1 states: “Expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.”
The Dakar Framework for Action provides additional guidance. Although government holds the primary responsibility for policy, the Framework says that ECCE can be implemented in partnership with governments, NGOs, communities, and families in both formal and non-formal settings. Comprehensive ECCE means addressing the whole child, including health, nutrition, and hygiene, as well as cognitive, social, and emotional development. The framework calls for flexible, adaptable programmes that are appropriate to children’s age and not simply a downward extension of formal schooling. Improving access to quality ECCE should be a priority for vulnerable and disadvantaged children (i.e., poor, disabled, orphans, workers in exploitive conditions, etc.). To the extent possible, services should be delivered in children’s mother tongue. Achieving EFA Goal 1 can be facilitated through the education of parents and other caregivers. Finally, the Framework calls on governments to use early childhood indicators systematically to monitor progress on EFA Goal 1.
Guided by the Dakar framework, the GMR proposes to use the following definitions:
This report follows the commonly accepted definition of early childhood as birth to age eight. In this report,early childhood care and education (ECCE) serves children prior to their entry into primary schooling[1] in informal and non-formal settings (delivered by partnerships of governments, NGOs, communities, and families),with a focus on supporting children’s comprehensive growth, development and learning (e.g., health, nutrition, hygiene, cognitive, social, and emotional development). The report will address the need to adapt the early grades of primary education to the fact that children are still in their early childhood. The report will highlight the linkages between ECCE and the transition to primary school, as well as other EFA Goals.
Note: Given the limitations in available comparable data, we will need to use a more narrow definition for cross-national monitoring purposes (see section 3). As much as possible, the report will seek to move beyond the narrow definition of ISCED 0 - pre-primary education.[2]
1.5 Proposed structure of the thematic sections of the report
Part 2 provides the rationale for strengthening ECCE as part of a child-centred, rights-based approach to the EFA agenda. Through a review of international research, the section will also discuss a variety of short- and long-term outcomes of access to quality, comprehensive ECCE for children, families, and society-at-large. Part 3 will assess progress toward EFA Goal 1.[3] It will focus on participation, access, and quality proxies. It will also discuss the determinants participation in ECCE using a variety of administrative and survey data. Part 4 will explore national strategies and policies for meeting EFA Goal 1 and highlight successful efforts for overcoming common challenges. Part 5 will focus on identifying and addressing the needs of children living in the most vulnerable and disadvantaged circumstances. Part 6 will address the role of national and international funders in expanding and improving ECCE. Building on identified challenges and lessons learned from country experiences, Part 7 will outline strategies for expanding and improving comprehensive ECCE, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children, and will delineate the possible roles of different stakeholders in working toward EFA Goal 1.
2. Rationale for strengthening ECCE
Part 2 will present a rationale for strengthening ECCE. First, it will argue for a child-centred, rights-based perspective. Second, it will discuss the importance of the early years of children’s lives in terms of brain development and other precursors for children’s later learning. Third, it will present evidence, drawn from evaluations around the world, in support of the short- and long-term benefits of comprehensive ECCE interventions. Fourth, it will argue that ECCE is central for meeting key international development and education goals.
2. 1 Children have a right to have their care and learning needs met
As with previous reports, this GMR will adopt a framework for EFA for “rights, capabilities and development.” Building on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which affirms children’s rights to survival, development, and protection, the EFA agreements at Jomtien and Dakar recognise that children are born with the right to have their learning needs met, and properly-designed, comprehensive ECCE may be an adequate answer to those needs. As part of a rights-based perspective, the report will recognise children’s needs, strengths, and capacities, which vary for individual children depending on their age and the context in which they live. Taking a child-centred approach means viewing positive early childhood as both an end in itself and a springboard for further learning. A rights-based perspective also means including children’s voices in making decisions about their lives – even though this may be challenging with very young children.