Training of Trainers in Sub-Sahara Africa in Early Childhood Care, Survival, Growth and Development.Chloe O'Gara traveled to Kenya in June 1999 to conduct a training for UNICEF staff and other program managers on indicators to measure education and care for cognitive and psychosocial development of young children. This was part of UNICEF's Early Childhood Care, Survival and Development initiative. Dr. O'Gara developed a comprehensive psychosocial and cognitive development component for the training manual.  

The training, writing and research were done in conjunction with the SARA project (Support for Analysis and Research in Africa) funded by USAID. This was an example of the expertise Ready to Learn can provide in the early childhood development arena; by combining knowledge and experience from nutrition and education, Ready to Learn encourages a more integrated, holistic approach to work with young children. In this particular case, Dr. O'Gara revised a nutrition-focused manual to include education, cognitive and psychosocial development.  

Recommendations for the Ministry of Education's Early Childhood Development Programming in Nepal.In late August, Diane Lusk traveled to Nepal to assist the Ministry of Education in collaboration with CERID (Research Centre for Educational Innovation and Development) on plans to open 10,000 new early childhood education centers over the next 5 years.  

Dr. Lusk's role was to help obtain consensus on a collaborative vision of the key issues and strategic plans for the new centers. To this end, she met with representatives from the highest levels of the education ministry and other multilateral and non-governmental organizations.  

The concept of ECD is new in Nepal, and many parents see school itself as an unnecessary luxury or a government program of no particular relevance. Substantial promotion efforts will be needed to enlist local organizations in the effort to reverse the perception and use of early education opportunities. Community "ownership" of centers, with decentralized planning and support, is one of the most critical factors for participation and sustainability. With members of CERID, Dr. Lusk planned a study of the factors contributing to the key decision: what will help a community organization decide to sponsor an early childhood program?  

Supporting Young Children's Development in Displaced Communities in Sudan.Ready to Learn received a grant to initiate programming to enhance early childhood development among displaced populations in Africa. This work began in October, 1999 and will continue through 2000. In cooperation with local agencies, Ready to Learn will design, field-test, and share information and skills via a flexible, 6-module program for early childhood stimulation and education. The 6 modules include: 1) parent education about the importance of practice 2) storytelling 3) singing and music 4) toy making and games 5) child care 6) community mobilization. These modules are options from which trainers, field workers, and mothers can choose in order to build a program.  

Ready to Learn will design an early childhood education and care training model to teach service providers in refugee situations no-cost, quick , and easy techniques for families to improve early childhood development. In many settlements of displaced, and famine-stricken populations, families spend their days waiting for food and health services at delivery sites. The training is intended to benefit these communities with easy-to-learn and easy-to-implement activities which promote cognitive and psychosocial development of young children.  

Improving the Care of AIDS-Affected Infants and Toddlers. Working in conjunction with the LINKAGES project at AED, Ready to Learn will explore ways to improve the care provided for young children of HIV+ parents and orphans. There are over 11 million orphans in the developing world and that number is expected to increase dramatically in the next decade because of the prevalence of AIDS.  

LINKAGES (USAID-funded project at AED) has already conducted preliminary research on the issues facing AIDS-affected mothers and the feeding of their children in Zambia. Ready to Learn will build on that research, supplement the data with focused research on care arrangements, quality of psychosocial care and physical, emotional and cognitive child outcomes, and then assess the caring practices of AIDS-affected young children.  

Ready to Learn intends to design a participatory assessment tool with communities to help understand the issues and enable NGOs and communities to develop and implement sustainable, replicable interventions to respond to the needs of young children. Once the tool is designed, Ready to Learn intends to assess the caring situation of young orphans in other HIV infected areas, review practices of families and communities in these areas, and support communities to identify and/or develop interventions to improve care of young orphans.  

Innovative Care in Resource-Poor Areas of Iran.Dr. Diane Lusk went to Tehran, Iran to conduct training sessions on early childhood care and development (ECCD) in November, 1999. She gave a speech at the ECCD Congress in Tehran, she conducted two half-day workshops for that same Congress, conducted another three-day workshop on ECCD, visited day-care centers and kindergartens, and provided recommendations for further development of ECCD in Iran. This activity was funded by UNICEF-Iran.  

Assessment of Complementary Feeding Practices in Kenya. Through the LINKAGES program, Dr. Huffman went to Kenya to assess complementary feeding practices amount children six to twenty-four months in urban areas. This project is funded by USAID.  

Design of early childhood programs in Albania. Sophie Mosko had the opportunity to work for three months in Albania through Save the Children. During that time she conducted a needs assessment for programming catered to young children, designed a six-month program for the Save the Children office, and worked with educators to improve the quality of care for children under four.  

Strategy on Infant and Young Child Feeding. WHO and UNICEF have begun the process of developing a joint strategy paper on infant and young child feeding. Dr. O'Gara will support the development process and draft the final joint strategy.  

Strengthening Early Childhood Development in USAID Supported International Child Development Services (ICDS) Programs in India. With the BETI Center (Better Education Through Innovation) in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Ready to Learn staff is implementing participatory research on the links between child care, girls' education, child development and program impacts. ; 

Indicators and Quality of Education Programs. Dr. O'Gara presented her work on indicators for measuring early childhood development at the Education in Emergencies and Transition Situations Conference held at the World Bank in Washington, DC, April 1999. She discussed the issues of defining indicators for programs in unusual circumstances. Providing a framework of success for early childhood programs in post-conflict settings is particularly important because of the chaos that surrounds the program and the short-term nature of the programming. 

The Consultative Group on Early Childhood Care and Development Annual Meeting, April 1999. Dr. O'Gara and Sophie Joy Mosko attended the annual meeting in Paris, France in April, 1999. The week-long discussion focused on global indicators and measurements in early childhood development. This meeting brought together international leaders in early childhood development from foundations, UN organizations, NGOs, and multi and bilateral donors.  

The State of the World Forum, October 1999. Dr. O'Gara attended the State of the World Forum in San Francisco, CA as the discussant for issues of early childhood development. The forum's Whole Child initiative brings together influential members of the international community to strategize about how to make ECD a global priority. 

"Home to School Transitions Through Preschool," April 1999. Dr. O'Gara organized and participated in a panel presentation at the Annual Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) in Toronto, Canada. In this panel the participants examined the diverse local expectations for preschools, children's learning, and school outcomes. The panel examined preschool from a multi-cultural, international perspective and presented the variety of definitions of quality and success.  

"Improving Young Child Feeding with Processed Complementary Cereals and Behavior Change in Urban Kenya" March 1999. Dr. Huffman presented a paper written with Ruth Oniang'o, and Victoria Quinn at the Pan American health Organization (PAHO) workshop on "Processed Complementary Foods in Latin America: Why, Where, and How?" held in Washington, DC March 18-19, 1999. The paper reviewed the literature on young child feeding practices in urban Kenya and reported on results of focus group interviews in urban slums of Nairobi among mothers of infants 6-24 months of age. Based on that information, the potential to improve feeding practices through the social marketing of fortified pre-processed cereals was discussed.  

"Multiple Micronutrient Supplements for Women in Developing Countries," July 1999. Dr. Huffman presented her work on multiple micronutrient supplements for women at a UNICEF/UNU/WHO Meeting on "Composition of a micronutrient supplement for women" in New York on July 9, 1999. At this workshop, a proposed multiple micronutrient supplement was suggested for distribution by UNICEF. 

"Breastfeeding and Neonatal Mortality" May 10-12, 1999. Dr. Huffman presented a paper at the Johns Hopkins University Workshop "Reducing Perinatal and Neonatal Mortality- Review of Potential Interventions and Implications for Programs and Research." Dr Huffman's paper (co-authored with Cesar Victora and Elizabeth R. Zehner), examines the extent of the impact of early and exclusive breastfeeding in preventing neonatal mortality.  

Early Childhood Development Seminar, Thrasher Foundation October 1999. Dr. O'Gara and Dr. Huffman were invited to participate in a seminar in Salt Lake City, Utah to assist the Thrasher Foundation with strategic planning for a new program of applied research on sustainable means to improve the health and nutritional status of children in developing countries.  

"Qualities of Caring: Good Practices in Infant and Toddler Group Care" was published in January 1999 as part of the World Bank series on Early Child Development. Dr. O'Gara, Dr. Huffman, Diane Lusk, Judy Canahuati, and Gary Yablick authored the report. The paper expands the knowledge base about child care in developing countries by presenting case studies of programs in seven countries which provide group care for young children using very limited resources.  

"Interventions to Improve Intake of Complementary Foods by Infants 6 to 12 Months of Age in Developing Countries: Impact on Growth and on the Prevalence of Malnutrition and Potential Contribution to Child Survival" by Laura E. Caulfield, Sandra Huffman and Ellen Piwoz was published in Food and Nutrition Bulletin, volume 20, number 2, 1999, the United Nations University. This article is the summation of an evaluation of programmatic efforts to improve dietary intake and growth in 6- to 12-month-old infants in developing countries. The conclusions presented in this article are a result of review of 5 efficacy trials and 16 programs conducted in 14 countries.  

"Early Childhood Development as an International Policy Issue" by Cassie Landers was published in Early Childhood Matters, the Bulletin of the Bernard Van Leer Foundation, Number 92, June 1999. This article is the summary of a day-long seminar held by Ready to Learn in Washington, DC in November, 1998. The seminar brought together policy-makers, donors, service providers, multilateral organizations, foundations and non-governmental organizations from both domestic and international contexts to discuss and share perspectives and experience on early childhood development.  

Bangladesh Education Sector Review Dr. O'Gara outlined the early childhood development issues to be included in the Bangladesh Education Sector Review sponsored by the World Bank.  

Review of the Inter-American Development Bank website on early childhood development. Dr. O'Gara and Sophie Mosko reviewed and revised the IADB website on early childhood development for program managers and service providers in the field.  

Ready to Learn Presentation for USAID. Drs. O'Gara and Huffman presented many of the numerous issues faced by young children, their families, and the organizations that work on their behalf. The presentation was requested and given to the divisions of health, population and nutrition, and education and the war victims fund within USAID.