Week: 5 Issues and Trends Early Childhood EDUC 6162

Getting to Know Your International Contacts- Part 2

Early Childhood Trends Around the World

"Persistent gaps in education and health associated with socioeconomic disadvantage impose enormous burdens on individuals, communities, and societies worldwide.  The resource states that recent reports estimate that 200 million children fail to reach their full developmental potential by age 5. Drawing on our experience in North America, the Center on the Developing Child works globally to build a broader movement to achieve breakthrough outcomes for children around the world"  (Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative, 2016). 

The following propositions guide the Center’s international work:

• Coordinated strategies to support child development can multiply the effects of investments in child survival, health, education, and economic development.
• We need to protect children from significant adversity, in addition to providing them with enriched learning opportunities.
• The early childhood years are critical building blocks for lifelong health, not just school readiness.

Together with partner organizations on the ground, the Center promotes innovation in Brazil, Canada, and Mexico, as well as across a broader international platform(Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative, 2016). 

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The country that I chose to further study is:

MEXICO

Mexico’s experience in public investment in children is very interesting and highly valued by other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The efforts to identify and estimate the resources designated to children in the country’s federal budget are impressive, as they use a rigorous methodology of calculation that has been replicated by other governments ( Post by Monica Darer, UNICEF Regional Social Policy Specialist in Latin America and the Caribbean; and Maria Fernanda Paredes, Social Policy Officer at UNICEF Mexico, 2016).

Ivan Galindo, Instituto High/Scope México, Queretaro, México declared that; 

The general trend in basic education in México, for maybe six decades, has been incrementing coverage of the population. Up to 1993 universal education was only six years (primary school); some secondary (middle schools) existed but they did not pretend to cover the whole population. Starting in 1993, secondary school is compulsory for any child in México. Since 2005, one year of preschool is obligatory and for 2008, three years of preschool will be obligatory for all children in México. Coverage in general is around 65% in preschool (3-5 years), 92.9% in primary school (6-12 years), and 88.2% in secondary school (13-15 years) for a total population of 104 million. Preschool coverage should inch up to more than 90% in the next four years. This may imply overpopulation in many school buildings. To improve quality the government has changed programs in preschool to emphasize competences and more “constructivist” style of learning in classrooms. In addition, this program promotes a more open, reflective, flexible, and creative practice from teachers. Nevertheless, the implementation of these new programs is far from satisfactory. There is a huge gap between intention and implementation. There is a great lack of good training and capacity building for teachers on the job. It is easier to change education on paper than changing 200,000 preschool teachers ( Neugebauer 2007).  

I have learned that, the reality is that in Mexico research is scarce and so are applied programs 

that focus specifically on all the varied factors 

involved in education during this period of life.

A final interesting note to add is that UNICEF reports that as of the early 21st century half of the children in the world live in urban areas. Mexico is no different than the rest of the world, with an increasing migration from rural areas to the major cities in the country. However, although there is clear preoccupation in some institutions about the effects contemporary urban life has on children’s well-being and development, little research has been conducted in Mexico regarding how urban contexts and the life practices involved in it affect children’s educational, psychological, and sociocultural development. In contrast, after the Zapatista movement that started in 1994, much effort was made to study indigenous children’s education and development, particularly the problems they face with language in schools, which resulted in a solid and consistent work published at a national and international level. Therefore, a selection of this excellent material is also included ( Azuara, 2015).

3 additional insights and information that 

I have gained:

Public spending should serve as a tool to achieve greater equity, not to reinforce or worsen the existing inequalities in the fulfillment of children’s rights. As the report states, “To the measure that the allocation is pro-poor, greater will be the capacity of public spending to promote equality of opportunities” (UNICEF, 2016)

Public spending is a tool to strengthen the capacities of children and adolescents in health, education and income and to improve the opportunities that these bring. Equitable public spending in human development promotes the effective enjoyment of rights and promotes equality of opportunities. The Mexican study demonstrates very clearly that greater investment in a particular social dimension, will lead to greater development in this area.

Public spending should respond to the evidence which has demonstrated the greater effectiveness of investing in integral development in early childhood given that delays in growth and cognitive development during these first years can be irreversible. At the same time, public health and social assistance programs become more costly for children as they get older (UNICEF, 2016).

This plan for public spending needs to take into account an adequate budget allocation to roll out the recently approved General Law for Children’s Rights. The priority that a government gives an issue is made visible through its budgetary allocation and, without a doubt, this new law requires a strong showing of budgetary prioritization in its initial phase of implementation.

The need for adequate financing with a focus on equity for interventions related to the human development of children is a message that should cause a strong echo in the entire Latin America and Caribbean region where the concentration of income and social disparities continue to be more acute than in any other part of the world.

Post by Monica Darer, UNICEF Regional Social Policy Specialist in Latin America and the Caribbean; and Maria Fernanda Paredes, Social Policy Officer at UNICEF Mexico.

References:

Azuara, Rebeca M. ( 2015). Early Childhood Education and  Development in Mexico. Retrieved from:http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199756810/obo-9780199756810-0020.xml

Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative” (2016). Retrieved from: http://developingchild.harvard.edu/about/what-we-do/global-work/

Neugebauer, Roger ( 2007). Early Childhood Trends Around The World. Retrieved from:/www.childcareexchange.com/library/5017558.pdf

UNICEF ( 2016). Retrieved from:/blogs.unicef.org/blog/key-lessons-in-public-spending-equity-from-mexico/