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Early childhood transitions research : a review of concepts, theory, and practice

VOGLER, Pia
CRIVELLO, Gina
WOODHEAD, Martin
May 2008

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This review surveys major conceptual tools that shed light on different aspects of early childhood transitions. The objectives are: 1) to review major research perspectives on early childhood transitions; and 2) to identify significant trends (and gaps) in the knowledge base of scholarly as well as professional studies

Globalisation and privatisation : the impact on childcare policy and practice

VANDENBROECK, Michel
January 2006

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This paper explores the impact of globalisation and neo-liberalism policies on child care provision, with a special focus on Belgium. It provides an overview of the historical context, and shows how even in Belgium social democratic welfare state globalisation has stimulated privatisation and decentralisation of services, and forced parents to take direct responsibility for the care of their children. The paper suggests that policy makers need to balance competing demands: government responsibility versus autonomy; standardisation versus diversity; inclusion versus exclusion

A guide to General Comment 7 : implementing child rights in early childhood

UNITED NATIONS COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD
UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND
BERNARD VAN LEER FOUNDATION
Eds
2006

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The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child applies to all children under 18 - but its implementation poses particular practical challenges when it comes to young children. This book is a guide to implementing child rights in early childhood. It is based around the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child's General Comment no 7. It contains extracts from the papers submitted to the committee at the time of the Day of General Discussion which preceded the General Comment, and other relevant material

Young children, HIV/AIDS and gender : a summary review

BHANA, Deevia
BRIXEN, Farhana Farook
2006

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(From forward) Studies point to the existence of a global HIV/AIDS emergency among young people. An estimated 6,000 youths a day become infected, an average of one new infection every 14 seconds. The most socially and economically disadvantaged young people appear to be especially at risk of infection, and young women in developing contexts are at the greatest risk. The rate of HIV infection among girls is rapidly outstripping the rate among boys. Girls already account for nearly 60 percent of the infections in sub-Saharan Africa, where the pandemic is most virulent. This paper adopts the hypothesis that this pandemic can be confronted already in early childhood. During the first eight years of life the foundations are set for the capacities, beliefs and attitudes that support individuals in later life. In early childhood, people can therefore more easily learn and integrate appropriate risk avoidance behaviours that may prove useful in the global war on HIV/AIDS. The earliest years may represent a window of opportunity for the successful implementation of HIV/AIDS reduction and prevention programmes

HIV and young children : an annotated bibliography on psychosocial perspectives

SHERR, Lorraine
February 2005

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This annotated bibliography offers a practical guide to the content of the references which informed the literature review presented in BVLF Working Paper 33 (Young Children and HIV/AIDS: Mapping the Field). It is intended to help readers who want to go deeper into the issues and explore the original source material. The bibliography presents the references - mostly to peer-reviewed medical or psychology journals - under subject headings such as "disclosure", "interventions", "parentless children", "social development", and more

Young children and HIV/AIDS : mapping the field

SHERR, Lorraine
January 2005

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This paper offers a concise and comprehensive overview of the literature from a psychological perspective. It explores a range of issues in emotional, psychological, social and physical development, and their relation to broader issues including poverty, nutrition and human rights. It idenifies gaps in knowledge and will help funders, policy makers and practitioners to locate their own work in the bigger picture. It is accompanied by an annotated bibliography

From car park to children's park : a childcare centre in development

WUNSCHEL, Gerda
July 2003

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This working paper illustrates the "Situationsansatz" pedagogical framework, as implemented at Kita, a childcare centre in Berlin. The emphasis is on children's environments, children's participation and optimal learning. The key principles of the "Contextual Child Development Approach" include: recognising the learning potential of diverse cultural heritages and intercultural interaction, developing close relations with the social environment and adopting an open planning process, with the contribution of children, parents and other adults. Includes an appendix, which briefly outlines the guidelines for working with the Contextual Child Development Approach in childcare centres

Challenges of change : a tracer study of San preschool children in Botswana

LE ROUX, Willemien
February 2002

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This study of the Bokamosa Preschool Programme describes how San children, whose culture is distinct from that of other peoples of Botswana, try to cope with an education system whose values and norms are different to their own. They must also cope with pressure from their parents who mistrust a system that 'steals' their children but feel powerless to make any changes. This book discusses the many factors that influence children as they grow; and shows that if the school system is not congruent with home circumstances, children must make immense efforts to succeed

In the web of cultural transition : a tracer study of children in Embu District, Kenya

NJENGA, Ann
KABIRU, Margaret
November 2001

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The study compares children who were taught by preschool teachers trained in the two-year course run by District Centres for Early Childhood Education (DICECE) with those who had untrained teachers. The study, carried out in Embu District (Kenya), found significant differences between the two groups of children particularly in terms of performance in primary schools, with children cared for by DICECE-trained teachers faring better, and in relation to absenteeism, repetition and dropout rates

Effectiveness Initiative : first fruits [whole issue]

October 2001

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Describes the emerging findings from the Effecitveness Initiaitve (EI), an open and flexible dialogue between ten international sites investigating good practices and lessons in early childhood development. Includes description of a variety of tools and strategies that have been used `for listening to different voices' and for finding out information about each of the projects. These include the `river analogy', used to construct a visual history of projects in Peru and Colombia; the farm land `machamba' analogy form Mozambique that helps people to analyse the evolution of community based early childhood development sites; seasonal calenders from the Philippines; meetings and debates from Portugal; different forms of open and unstructured interviews; personal diaries and `family books'; and the analysis of anecdotes and stories in almost all the teams. This issue looks at a range of the projects and a number of issues related to the EI enquiry, such as: looking at how `Atlas-ti' qualitative analysis software has been used to identify common elements of effective programming while retaining links with the original qualitative data - charting both 'thematic affinities' and diverse local expressions of what makes for effectiveness; and how data gathered by the projects is returned to all the people who provided it for challenge and modification in open meetings; also describes the way different kinds of information were collected, compared and `triangulated' to confirm findings. Key findings include: that `credibility', built on trust and respect of local priorities, is vital; also simply creating room for reflection and research by those involved in projects is an important component of making effective programmes; and conducting research in the local language helps to get at issues that are important for participants and staff

The Convention on the Rights of the Child and young children

SMALE, Jim
Ed
2001

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This edition of Early Childhood Matters provides arguments, examples of work at all levels, and analyses to contribute to the discussions needed to elevate the Convention on the Rights of the Child to its rightful place in early childhood programming as a key strategy in realising the aspirations of the Convention. Built on varied legal systems and cultural traditions, the Convention on the Rights of the Child is a universally agreed set of non-negotiable standards and obligations. There is no dedicated section that addresses the rights of children from birth to eight specifically, but rather encompasses children up to the age of 18. This paper argues that the world's young children demand special attention to reflect their particular needs

Valuing evaluation : a practical approach to designing an evaluation that works for you

THOMAS, Alain
March 2000

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An introduction to the basics of evaluation, its role and importance. Based on a 1997 workshop, this short paper takes a self-evaluation or learning-oriented approach with the emphasis on learning lessons for the future. It includes a discussion of qualitative versus quantitative methods, deciding on indicators, the involvement and input of different stakeholders, and issues for implementing an evaluation plan

Mapping the contours of effective programming : The Effectiveness Initiative 1999-2002 [whole issue]

October 1999

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This edition is about trying two share two new things: first, sharing a process that Bernard van Leer are currently engaged in, as it is happening, in the hope that this, in turn, will encourage readers to react and contribute toward the further formation of the Effectiveness Initiative (EI). Second, presents material in a special edition of ECM with the Coordinator's Notebook (CN). In recognition of the collaboration and dialogue built into the EI, decision was taken to join forces in this initial publication to reach out to both the Early Childhood Matters and Coordinators' Notebook audiences

View of the Yeti : bringing up children in the spirit of self-awareness and kindredship

VANDENBROECK, Michel
1999

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Using the mythical creature of the Himalayas, the Yeti, as a symbol for the prejudices and assumptions that people prematurely make about each other, this book discusses bringing up children to accept and cherish diversity and helping them to thrive in an increasingly diverse world. The concept 'diversity' here includes language, gender, physical characteristics, social origin and religious beliefs. Directed to educators and caregivers of toddlers and preschoolers, the book takes insights from Dutch-, French-, and English-language literature and provides practical examples based on European issues and context

In searc h of the rainbow : pathways to quality in large-scale programmes for young disadvantaged children

WOODHEAD, Martin
1996

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In this report, Martin Woodhead takes the four local studies conducted as part of the Bernard Van Leer project on 'The Environment of the Child' as a starting point for examining issues of quality development in early childhood programmes. These studies took place in Venezuela, Kenya, India and France. The aims of the publication are to (i) make explicit the frameworks of thinking that underpin judgements of quality, (ii) explore the possibility of working towards a shared frame of reference, which is context sensitive and allowing for diversity and (iii) apply this framework towards a better understanding of the quality issues that confront large scale early childhood programmes. The concept of 'the environment of the child' focused on those cultural variables relating to communities and individuals, directly affecting the development of children growing up in poverty. The author argues that sensitivity to diversity and to one's own preconceptions should be key elements informing all early childhood work

Bernard Van Leer Foundation

BERNARD VAN LEER FOUNDATION (BVLF)

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The Bernard van Leer Foundation is an international grant making foundation with the mission to improve opportunities for children up to age 8 who are growing up in socially and economically difficult circumstances. The foundation primarily works to support programmes that are implemented by local partners by focusing upon strengthening the care environment, successful transitions from home to school, and social inclusion and respect for diversity. Their website highlights information about the foundation, their programmes and grants, and the countries where they work. It also features links to related publications, a newsroom and a blog

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