Early Childhood Care and Education

Event
  • 03.11.2022

Harnessing a global network for the ECCE workforce development - Side event at the World Conference on Early Childhood Education and Care

Since 2017, the Teacher Task Force thematic working group on ECCE Teachers and Facilitators has brought together partners, experts and country representatives with a particular interest in developing the ECCE workforce.

The World Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education represents a unique opportunity for the thematic group to meet and bring together members and non-members to strategize on key areas of work for the forthcoming biennium, agree upon key advocacy themes and actions in light of deliberations coming out of the Conference to promote the ECCE workforce at the national, regional and global level.

The event aims to be an interactive discussion between those present, which will include the members and non-members of the TTF thematic group on the ECCE workforce.

Agenda

AGENDA   

For more information please contact Emilia Soto (e.soto-echeverri@unesco.org). 

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Event
  • 11.10.2022

Teacher Task Force consultation on ECCE teaching personnel

Register here.

In preparation of the World Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education, the Teacher Task Force thematic group on Early Childhood Education and Care and UNESCO are convening a consultation to discuss the first draft of a new research paper on ECCE personnel. This new paper will be an important input into the discussions to take place during the World Conference around ECCE personnel and help frame future discussions around this key issue.

ECCE teaching staff and educators are one of the four main themes of the World Conference and the World Report on ECCE, particularly i) covering training systems including attraction, recruitment and gender disparities; ii) professionalization focusing on certification, licensing, career advancement and coaching; iii) supervision and leadership; iv) ECCE workforce in the non-state sector; and v) parenting.

The aim of this consultation meeting is to:

  • Receive feedback from members on the draft paper on ECCE personnel, share good practices and experiences, and bring together stakeholders to prepare for the conference.
  • Identify main issues to be discussed during the parallel session on teachers during the World Conference.

Interpretation in English, French and Spanish will be provided.

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Event
  • 02.06.2021

Launch of Teach ECE: New Tool to Measure Quality of Teaching Practices for early childhood education

Despite the recent expansion of access to early childhood education (ECE) in every region of the world, quality of ECE remains extremely low, especially in LMICs. Thus, the continued scaling up of ECE globally presents both an opportunity and challenge in ensuring children are reaping the benefits and the promise of the early years.

The quality of teacher-child interactions in the classroom – otherwise known as process quality – is a critical aspect of ECE quality. The biggest bottleneck to improving process quality is the low capacity of the ECE workforce. Entry and training requirements for ECE teachers are often the lowest in education systems, opportunities for training are very limited, and ECE teachers receive little support to implement developmentally-appropriate pedagogical practices in the classroom. Measuring what currently occurs in the ECE classroom is an important first step towards better supporting ECE teachers.

The BBL will discuss the centrality of the ECE workforce in efforts to ensure access to ECE is scaled with an accompanying focus on quality. There will be an emphasis on the value of collecting data on teaching practices to drive policy dialogue in this area and inform interventions focused on improving professional development opportunities for ECE teachers. It will include a presentation on the World Bank’s new Teach ECE tool, a classroom observation tool aimed at measuring the quality of teacher-child interactions in ECE settings. The presentation will cover what the tool captures, available resources to support implementation, and initial data from pilot applications. The panel discussion will focus on best practices around measuring and supporting effective teaching in the ECE classroom, drawing on perspectives from the field, research, and policy.

Join via WebEx

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Blog
  • 14.01.2021

What we learned from the first phase of the Survey of teachers in pre-primary education (STEPP) project

Research shows that teachers and educators are the cornerstone of quality early childhood care and education (ECCE). Good teacher training and support, recognition and working conditions are proven to have positive impact on their capacity, motivation and practice with young children, and therefore constitute a critical policy issue.

The recently released UNESCO report Survey of teachers in pre-primary education (STEPP): lessons from the implementation of the pilot study and field trial of international survey instruments documents the achievements and lessons learned from the first phase of the STEPP project.

STEPP is a first international survey for low- and middle-income countries, aligned with the OECD Starting Strong Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) targeting higher income countries. Launched in 2016, STEPP is an OECD-UNESCO joint initiative that supports the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 4.2 on early childhood care and education (ECCE). The project has benefited from funding support from the Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance.

The survey collects data and information from teachers, educators and directors working in ECCE centres regarding the training, learning environment, pedagogical and professional practices and working conditions. It seeks to generate a better understanding of the situations and needs of pre-primary education personnel and to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement, which will inform policy discussions and measures to strengthen the quality of pre-primary teachers’ work.

This publication presents the achievements and lessons learned from the first phase of the STEPP project during which the STEPP instruments were developed and tested through the Pilot Study and Field Trial. It highlights the experiences of the Dominican Republic, Ghana, Indonesia, Namibia, the Philippines, Togo and Viet Nam in participating in every step of the instrument development, made possible through an effective mobilization of country expertise and resources. The knowledge and experience gained through this phase of the project acts as a building block, generating positive outcomes and constructive commentary that will feed into the design and methodology for the main survey, to be implemented in the second phase of the project.

Quality ECCE personnel is key to building strong foundations for lifelong learning in young children. UNESCO invites all partners to join efforts in increasing investments in strengthening the training and support for these critical professionals. 

 

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Event
  • 25.09.2020

Professionalization of early childhood care and education personnel: the missing piece for strong leadership?

Context

Quality early childhood care and education (ECCE) lays the foundation for good health, socio-emotional development, educational success in subsequent schooling and lifelong learning, and future labour market participation. As a key determinant of quality, teacher capacities and working conditions must be paid increased attention in efforts to promote the achievement of SDG target 4.2 on ECCE.  

A critical aspect in the professionalization of all education personnel, including ECCE personnel, is the reinforcement of leadership. Early childhood teachers and educators are in a position to take leadership in determining and adjusting curriculum and pedagogical practices and reaching out to parents and other stakeholders for the wellbeing and learning of young children. This capacity has been called upon particularly at times of crisis, such as crisis arising from natural disaster or conflicts or health crisis including the COVID-19 pandemic that we are still facing today. 

However, is leadership an integral part of pre-service and in-service training of early childhood teachers and centre directors? Is leadership a notion that teachers and centre directors are aware of as part of their professional identify as well as pedagogical and professional practices? Early childhood personnel may not consider that leadership is a quality that everyone can nurture, as they lack societal recognition of the importance and value of their work due to their inadequate working conditions and status. What can be done concretely to motivate early childhood teachers to constantly improve their leadership competencies? 

The World Teachers’ Day of 2020 is an excellent opportunity to raise these issues in relation to ECCE, to celebrate the tireless efforts and dedication of ECCE personnel in supporting young children and their families in uncertain and difficult times, and to reflect upon and learn from others’ experiences to enrich our own perspectives and practices. The webinar is jointly organised by VSO International, VVOB and the Thematic Group on ECCE Teachers of the International Taskforce on Teachers for Education 2030 (TTF).

 

Objectives and expected outcomes

The aim of the session is to raise awareness of the importance of teacher leadership in relation to ECCE, to discuss key issues around teaching leadership in the context of ECCE, and to point to innovations and recommendations on how to strengthen teacher leadership in ECCE. This will be accomplished by reviewing a set of international guidelines developed on the promotion of decent work of early childhood educators from the perspective of teacher leadership; discussing two concrete national studies from Africa and Asia; and highlighting lessons and experiences from the perspectives of an early childhood education centre leader working in a refugee camp as well as of an education ministry department in charge of early childhood education. Some of the key questions to be raised during the webinar are:

  • Why is teacher leadership important in the context of ECCE?
  • How leadership at different levels (i.e. classroom-, school/centre-, and community-level) affect factors of teacher motivation?
  • What kinds of pre-service and in-service training and other mechanisms are needed for nurturing a strong teacher leadership?
  • How can early childhood centre managers and education authorities facilitate teacher leadership in early childhood education, thus increasing their motivation?
  • What experiences can we find in teachers taking leadership, notably in curriculum and pedagogical innovations in times of crisis, including emergency situations and the COVID-19 pandemic?

The session is intended for all those concerned with the development of and investment in early childhood care and education (ECCE) and the education sector. This includes teachers and directors of early childhood centres, professionals from policymakers, teachers and directors of early childhood centres, professionals from teacher training institutions, civil society, private sector and international organisations supporting ECCE and education sector development.

Provisional agenda

PROGRAMME

 


Speakers’ bios

Anna Carmen Murru, VVOB

Zambian by birth, I hold a Masters’ Degree in Political Sciences, with a focus on International development and Africa, Anna Carmen Murru is currently the Partnership Manager at VVOB, working out of Zambia, but covering all VVOB partner countries. With VVOB, Anna has also previously served as Zambia Country Programme Manager, working with the Ministry of General education to build the capacity of teachers and educational leaders through existing educational structures, which is VVOB’s core work and approach. Her current role in the organization is to support networks, partnerships and programmes that cut across our country specific engagements.

Nikolina Postic, ILO

Nikolina Postic is a Technical Officer in the Sectoral Policies Department of the International Labour Organization. Her work primarily focuses on working conditions and labour rights in the teaching profession, with emphasis on social dialogue and the future of work in the education sector. She is currently managing a project on digitalisation, the future of work and the teaching profession in East Africa. Nikolina co-chairs the thematic group on ECE teachers and educators of the International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030.   

Purna Kumar Shrestha, VSO International

Mr. Purna Kumar Shrestha is an expert in education and development with 30 years of experience in classroom teaching, education leadership, teacher training, project management of grass roots-development works, research, advocacy, and participatory facilitation skills. He started his teaching career as a pre-primary teacher in 1990, and worked for Room to Read in Nepal. He is currently Education Lead Technical Advisory at VSO International. He led an innovative home-based early childhood education programme for Rohingya children in Jamtoli camp, Cox’s Bazar, and developed a mobile application VSO School app to empower ECE teachers and caregivers. He contributed to the development of MESHGUIDES on Early Childhood Care and Education in Emergencies. Purna is a member of the steering committee of the International Task Force on Teacher for Education 2030 and a member of United Nation Girls’ Education Initiative International Advisory Committee. Father of two young children, he founded the Early Years Education Society – UK ( www.eyes-uk.org) in the UK in 2017.

Join the webinar here

 

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