GLOBAL MASTERS
TRAINING: ECD Response
to Emergency
Meeting Notes
UNICEF New York
August 2-5, 2011
Contents
Introduction…..………………………………………………………………………………………….3
Objectives, Expected Outcomes, Overview & Scope of Training…………………4
Day 1………………………………………………………………………………………………………….5-12
Opening Remarks, Dr. Geeta Rao Gupta, Deputy Executive Director, UNICEF
Session I. Setting the Context – ECD in Emergencies
 Childfund International, Working Group Task Team
 Inter-Agency Network on Education in Emergencies (INEE)
 Healing and Education Through the Arts - HEART Programme, Save the Children
Session II. Learnings from the Field, WCARO
 UNICEF Nigeria
 UNICEF Gambia
 UNICEF CAR
Session III. Designing ECD Interventions
 HATIS/EMOPS
 ECD & Nutrition
Day 2……………………………………………………………………………………………………….13-16
Facilitation Sessions
 The Importance of Play
 ECD Kit
 Making Toys for Young Children
 Creating Stories and Making Books
General Comments – Consideration for the Field
General Comments/Observations from Practice Sessions
Comments on the Facilitator’s Guide
Children with Disabilities in Emergencies
Day 3………………………………………………………………………………………………………17-21
Facilitation Sessions
 Setting up a Stimulating Environment
 Needs Assessment and Programme Design: Implementing the ECD Kit
 Developing ECD in Emergencies Monitoring & Evaluation Integrated Framework
 Assessment of ECD Kit and Children’s Progress
General Comments/Observations from Practice Sessions
Supplies & Operations
Day 4 – Concluding Thoughts…………………………………………………………………22-24
Questions
Comments
Suggestions
Annex
List of Participants
List of Presentations & Presenters
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TOR
Introduction
In emergencies, young children experience strong emotional reactions; they’re less
able to face uncertainty and adversity and have fewer internal coping resources
than adults. It is crucial to establish a safe environment where young children can
interact with others and caregivers, feel secure, play and have access to early
learning and psychosocial development activities.
In recent years, UNICEF ECD Unit has been actively involved in these efforts, paying
particular attention to the youngest children and advocating for effective
mainstreaming of ECD into programming and policy activities. It has developed
tools including an ECD Kit which was piloted in seven countries (Chad, Liberia,
Congo Brazzaville, Jamaica, Guyana, Maldives, and Iraq). Formally launched in 2009,
the ECD Kit is a box containing play materials for early-learning and psychosocial
developmental needs of children from birth to age six. It aims to provide a range of
activities to encourage the development and social interaction of children (playing,
drawing, story-telling, numeracy, etc.). One key recommendation from the pilot
experiences – further confirmed at the Global Consultation on Early Childhood
Development held in New York on 28 August – 1 September 2006 and through
continuous feedback from ECD and emergency experts – is that training and
guidelines are essential for effective and safe implementation of the ECD Kit.
As a result, an ECD Training Package was suggested for immediate implementation.
This package aims to guide ECD field practitioners on how to implement
appropriate responses in order to meet the holistic needs and diverse rights of
young children in emergency and transition settings, In addition , the training
included basic information on early child development as well as strategies for using
the ECD Kit with groups of young children from birth to age six. Also included in the
package are suggestions for setting up an appropriate environment for organizing
children in groups and practical information on how to order, store and refill the
ECD Kit, as well as ideas on how to procure the ECD Kit locally using low-cost
resources.
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Objectives and Expected Outcomes of the Workshop
Participants will:
 Understand the importance of responding to ECD in emergencies
 Increase the knowledge and skills of identified coordinators and facilitators
to implement strategies of ECD interventions including the ECD Kit for
Emergencies
 Understand the coordination and management roles including M&E
 Develop effective training skills needed to build capacity of caregivers at
country level
Overview and Scope of Training
The training presents an opportunity to exchange ideas, lessons learned and
understand what are the challenges and lessons coming from the field to enable
participants better respond to children in crisis.
Expectations
 Development of a Global Roster of Trainers
 Rolling out the ECD Training Package in Selected Countries
2 Groups in Attendance
 UNICEF Country Office Staff
 Global Master Trainers
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Opening Remarks – Dr. Geeta Rao Gupta, Deputy Executive Director
Deputy Executive Director, Dr. Geeta Rao Gupta, graciously welcomed the 26
participants of the first ever Masters Training for Early Childhood Development
(ECD) Response to Emergency. Dr. Gupta hailed the training as not only critical to
child survival and development in emergency situations, but also as an historical
precedent to create a cadre of qualified professionals capable of responding to the
holistic needs of young children who have suffered the ravages of natural disaster,
conflict, extreme poverty, pandemic diseases and other destabilizing and traumatic
experiences.
Dr. Gupta launched the ECD Advocacy Package: Thriving through Crisis by Playing
and Learning, which strives to give voice to children, caregivers and UNICEF field
staff living and working in emergencies as well as explaining the importance of play
and learning during crisis situations. She also expressed her support and gratitude
to the participants, praising their commitment and contributions to the
development and education of the often overlooked victims of conflict and natural
disaster – young children.
Key Messages to the Participants
1) Children have the right to survival and development. There is a legal
framework that governs work in emergency settings and mandates the
survival and development of children in crisis. It is our responsibility to
ensure that we uphold this right.
2) ECD is a cross-cutting issue. ECD interventions should be integrated into
health, nutrition, education, child protection and other relevant sectors for
optimal impact on the psychosocial health of children during emergency
situations. Early childhood is a phase in life when rapid brain development
occurs. Therefore, it is critical to provide emotional, cognitive, social and
mental inputs for young children. Crisis situations exacerbate the need for
these inputs as caregivers who are experiencing their own trauma, are often
unable to provide their young children with the care and nurturing they
need. During emergencies, it is our responsibility to intervene to ensure that
children receive the stimulation and early learning opportunities they need
and that their psychosocial needs are addressed and met.
3) ECD is a powerful equalizer. ECD will now play an even more critical role
given Executive Director, Anthony Lake’s renewed focus on equity. Inequities
are often exacerbated during emergencies and it is during times of crisis
especially, when ECD interventions can act as a powerful equalizer, a tool to
level the playing field and a way to bring about equity by rectifying
disadvantage during the early stages of life.
Dr. Gupta concluded by giving special thanks to ChildFund International, InterAgency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE), Maguire University and Save
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the Children for their contribution, dedication and helping to make the training
possible.
Day 1
Session I. Setting the Context – ECD in Emergencies- Mary Moran
In the past, young children were often neglected during emergencies and it was
assumed that they youngest children would be taken care of by their parents.
However, it became obvious that young children were not being cared for because
their caregivers were also experiencing trauma. There were also no ECD experts in
the field to respond to children in crisis. The Early Childhood Development in
Emergencies Working Group (EEWG) was convened in 2008 in Budapest to address
these critical issues.
Justifications and Goals of the Working Group
 1st Goal - Knowledge and Awareness Generation
 Collaboration – Need for Diverse Group of Specialists on Education, Health,
Child Protection, etc
 Tool Development – how to sensitize people to the needs of young children in
emergencies
Major Accomplishments
Integrating ECD into major tools used in the field i.e., INEE Minimum Standards,
Sphere Handbook, Child Friendly Spaces Draft Principles, ECD in Emergencies
Research Review.
Current Activities and Future Plans
 Joint Advocacy with Major Stakeholders
 Continued Knowledge Generation and Dissemination
 Greater Coordination with all Clusters to Infuse Issues of Young Children in
the Work of All Sectors
Questions
1) What have been the greatest challenges for integration?
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FINDING A CHAMPION –– While this is difficult, it has been an extremely
successful approach and method - finding someone who believes in and
supports ECD; it is important to figure out who may have an interest in ECD
in the national framework including relevant Ministries or other clusters
Attempt to integrate practices into tangible tools
Need for more video and live documentation for more lively and impactful
messaging
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2) How has ECD been able to attract funding during emergencies?
 CAPS (Consolidated Appeals Process) – UN orgs and NGOs apply for funding
using this mechanism where donors make decisions on funding – requests
must be a part of CAPS for major donor consideration
 ECD requests are generally included as a part of the Education Cluster
 Much of the funding in the field is coming from INGOs
3) How Can Coordination Among Clusters be Improved?
 There needs to be a common understanding of how partners can move the
ECD agenda forward in emergency situations
 It will be critical to come to a common understanding among all relevant
clusters during crisis situations to meet the needs of children
 It will be necessary to agree on a common agenda and develop common skills
to meet the needs of children in emergencies
Session II: Inter-Agency Network of Education in Emergencies (INEE)
Lori Hartinger
What is INEE?
INEE is a global network of members, working together within a humanitarian and
development framework to ensure all people the right to safety. For INEE,
relationships and partnerships are critical and INEE relies on ECD experts to bring
their tools and expertise to the table to create key documents and guides.
The ECD task team is one of the most effective and helped to put ECD on the map.
ECD was missing from the original handbook but consultations were held around
the world and it was then added to the updated handbook attempting to capture the
sentiment that ECD should not be an afterthought in emergencies. After continued
debate on ECD guidance, it was decided that ECD guidelines within the handbook
should include play, non-structured activities, and guidance on how to ensure that
the teacher and learning were appropriate to the targeted age group.
Minimum Standards
 Developed in 2004 as a way to pull together knowledge and best practices –
all tools that provide guidance in the continuum of preparedness and risk
reduction
 Consultations were held all over the world to get global perspectives and it
was created by practitioners in an attempt to mainstream education in
emergencies into the humanitarian response
 The INEE Toolkit is very complimentary to the training package and
materials
 Contextualized and applied in different countries; takes into account many
different contexts but the goal is to drill these contexts down even further so
that the needs of children in emergency situations can be met in different
situations and contexts
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Available in 14 languages
INPUT & FEEDBACK from the FIELD and PRACTITIONERS IS CRITICAL!
ECD practitioners must communicate with INEE about what they have learned
through the minimum standards – members create it, use it and provide feedback
on what works and what does not – and the cycle of revision starts over again.
Please contact Lori Hartinger at lori@ineesite.org or Laub Tzvetomira at
tzvetomira@unicef.org with any questions, comments and/or feedback.
Session III. Healing and Education Through the Arts – HEART Programme
Sarah Hummel – Save the Children
Purpose: Uses the arts to promote and improve psycho-social wellbeing and
improved educational outcomes for young children
 Emergency response – conflict, floods, post-conflict, refugee return, drought,
extreme poverty, etc – it is important to think about disasters in a broader
context – they can be health-related, disease-related, include starvation, HIV,
etc. and they can happen for a brief time or be cyclical
 Sustainable Development – post-emergency – what next and for how long? –
assumes that there is a strong government structure and policies in place
 There is less of a safety net for children in general and emergencies must be
looked at in a broader sense for sustainable development to create an
opportunity to transfer tools from emergency to post-emergency
Impact Areas on Children & How to Use the Arts to Help
 Micro-Effects – fear, aggression, effects on the level of play and world view
 Developmental and psychosocial needs often take a backseat to nutrition and
health interventions during emergencies
 The arts, including: painting, drawing, drama, music, poetry, writing and
storytelling, can be used to target all impact areas – i.e., health, cognitive
learning, nutrition and psychosocial
 Utilizing arts programming depends on the resources that are available and
the country context
 Programming can take place in any structured area/space where children
are gathered for educational purposes
 Arts programming can address emotional needs, language ability, math skills,
fine/gross motor skills and also integrate lessons about health, nutrition and
other broader context areas
Sustainability
 There is not one specific framework – programmes should be adapted to
individual programmes or country setting
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Programming should be culturally relevant
Money is not the key to integrating arts into programming that is already in
place! Developing arts programming using local materials and materials
founds is nature, etc, is a key factor for the sustainability of these programs.
Questions
1) Using art can be very sensitive for the children because often times, it is
a way of expressing trauma and a very sensitive subject may come out
in their art such as the loss of a parent or witnessing something
traumatic. Are caregivers equipped to deal with a situation like this?
a. Caregivers/teachers are taught how to respond but sometimes the
issue goes beyond their training. In cases like this, they are instructed
to refer the child to a professional who can deal with this.
2) Is this program implemented for children under 3 years of age?
a. No. It is only being implemented in pre-primary schools where there
is already infrastructure to absorb the programs such as safe spaces,
child-friendly spaces, etc.
3) Is pair work used with the children?
a. Yes. Sometimes children are invited to talk to other children, to work
in pairs and at other times, there is individual work.
Session II. Learnings from the Field, WCARO
WCARO Region
 The availability of data is critically important, especially in conflict-related
analyses
 Indicators should be developed for use in rapid assessment during
emergencies and should be regularly updated
 Majority of ECD specialists in WCARO are in the education sector – there is
only one in nutrition in Niger
 There is a need to develop more parenting programmes – there are currently
no functioning parenting programmes in the region – country governments
need support in scaling up parenting programmes in emergency affected
countries
o Nutrition & HIV/AIDS interventions can be used as an important link
to reach the most vulnerable parents during
 There is a need to integrate ECD into social policy in the region – capacity
should be strengthened in CO management to better integrate ECD into
national planning and organizational planning
o CFS and immunization campaigns in conflicted-affected areas can
provide an opportunity for ECD interventions
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Pertinent Challenges/Issues Facing Country Offices in the WCARO Region –
Nigeria, CAR, The Gambia
Nigeria
 No government buy-in – the government must be in the driver seat
 Parents would rather keep children with them in the camps than allow them
go to the ECD safe spaces – should involve parents more in children’s ECD
activities – scaling-up parenting programmes, etc
 Few caregivers have been trained – low capacity to deliver ECD interventions
 Weak coordination between government agencies
 Currently 18 states are using the emergency plan
 GoN funded the development of an EPR plan in 8 states
CAR
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Great value and protection is placed on children and parents are reluctant to
let them go to the ECD intervention spaces
Weak coordination among Ministries even during non-emergency situations
Lack of structure to successfully plan, implement and monitor ECD
interventions
The Gambia
 Rationale behind the strategy on school readiness was to address the issue of
equity
 There is a significant disparity in terms of access to ECD between rural and
urban areas
 The Ministry of Education is trying to address the gap but has not officially
taken up parenting programmes
 At the national level, there is a multi-sectoral working group to develop
parenting programmes
Session III. Designing ECD Interventions – UNICEF Policy on Emergencies
HATIS/EMOPS
Nutrition
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It is critical to be prepared BEFORE the emergency strikes
Planning across UNICEF now has to include the possibility of emergencies
It is crucial to work with governments and develop a plan of how to put
policies in place in the case of an emergency
What do We Do Before an Emergency?
 Is there any data on children in the early years in the country?
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o Situation Analysis (Sitan) should provide this information
Verify that capacity does exist to meet the minimum standing level of
readiness
Confirm that collaborative agreements have been established with partners,
governments, clusters/sectors - ECD will have to be built into this before the
emergency
Rapid Assessments - pre-preparedness plan – ECD data should be known
beforehand
Key Lessons
 Be Prepared!
 Know who will be responsible for implementing which activities in an
emergency
 Identify if there are contingency stocks or LTAs for Kits
 Be Strategic
 Ensure that basic key data is collected – the data you need to know to make
important decisions
 Integrate ECD activities into broader programmes from the onset
 Ensure coordination between all sectors working on ECD
 ECD programming serves many purposes – ways of integrating, holistic
approaches
 ECD Kits are a part of UNICEF’s larger response strategy – warehouses
should be stocked and suppliers identified prior to emergencies
Nutrition in Emergencies – How it Can Link to Emergencies
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Baby Tent Project
o In Haiti, it was found that infant feeding practices were poor prior to
the earthquake
o Baby tents were set up to improve and educate mothers on feeding
practices and used as a referral center
o This also provided an opportunity for ECD interventions as other
children were coming with the parents to the centers
Questions
1) In areas that are very poor, Kit acquisition is difficult…what should be
used?
 There is no mandatory push for the ECD kits – it would be good to have them
but there is no requirement
 ECD Kit is a kickstart – a good way to start the process but everyone is
encouraged to create their own locally made materials for training and play
 ECD Kit can also be used as an emotional push for the children but the next
step if the Kit is not available is to utilize local materials
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Locally sourced materials have an advantage because the children may be
more comfortable with what they know and are familiar with and using local
materials/suppliers can help to support the local economy
2) Child Friendly Spaces – there is sometimes confusion over how they should
be used and for whom. What are some suggestions on how to use them for
multiple purposes?
 Must consider long-term child care and longer-term goals of interventions
post-emergency
 CFS could become places of integrative service centers that could encompass
adolescents, life skills trainings, etc
 Ex: in the tsunami, centers that were set up for children morphed into
community centers
 Community consultations can be held to decide how to best use them
3) How much should countries invest in emergency planning and
preparedness when there is very low occurrence or threat for conflict or
disaster?
 There should be an assessment of how likely emergency is
 All programs should be looking at the general response at the very minimum
 You may have low level threats but you never know what will happen in
neighboring countries – they may not be your people but they may one day
be your problem - so always be prepared
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Day 2
Facilitation Sessions
 The Importance of Play
 ECD Kit: A Treasure Box of Activities
 Making Toys for Young Children
 Creating Stories and Making Books
Session: The importance of Play
o Play promotes development, learning and future success
o Play activities can be created from local resources
o Interaction with adults is an important part of play
o Play can help to heal children who have experienced trauma – children are
able to deal with complex psychological difficulties through play
o Play can help children to integrate the experience of pain, fear and loss
o Play spans various developmental domains
o Language and literacy
o Social and emotional development
o Physical health and motor development
o Logic and reasoning
o Approaches toward learning
Session: Overview of ECD Kit
 Confidence must be given to the caregivers to use the Kits – important to use
the available space and give direction step by step
 In some cases caregivers don’t know how to use the Kit – as trainers, they
should familiarize themselves with it in order to utilize it to the fullest extent
possible
 Caregivers should make sure that kids know how to use the toys in a peaceful
and constructive way
o Be mindful that some children who have experienced trauma may be
exhibiting aggressions – i.e., some toys (wooden blocks, etc) can be
dangerous if thrown
 Not all centers will have a Kit, but if there is one available, the caregiver
should be encouraged to use it because it would be difficult for the kids to see
it and not be able to use it
 Children are always learning – dependency on Kit materials should be less
and less and more emphasis placed on making learning materials locally
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Questions
1) Question of equity – We should reflect on why some children will get Kits and
other will be left to use waste or local materials to play with:
 The real question is whether or not the child was given the opportunity and
space to play. It is not so much about whether they have manufactured toys
or homemade ones – it is about whether or not they use the toys as a tool for
learning and development….{Example was used – two participants – one
grew up playing with barbies and manufactured toys and the other used
nature and the fact that they were both in the same place doing the same job,
points to the fact that their development was not affected by whether or not
they had homemade or manufactured toys - it only mattered that they were
able to play.
 Homemade toys can make the children feel more comfortable because they
are familiar with the materials
Session: Making Toys for Young Children
o Children do not need a lot of purchased toys to develop critical cognitive and
motor skills
o If and where it is not possible to make toys, other objects can also serve as
play materials such as sand plastic bottle, cardboard boxes, other waste and
natural materials
o Parents can be very engaged in making toys with the kids which could also be
beneficial to their own mental health which can in turn improve their child’s
mental health
o Making toys from local materials will also be critically important to the
sustainability of these kits because manufactured toys will inevitably wear
out and not always be readily replaceable
Session: Creating Stories & Making Books
o Stories can promote development through imagination, information
acquisition, learning and fun
o Stories can also help in the healing process for children who have
experienced traumatic situations
o Stories reinforce visual learning skills needed for children as they prepare for
school
o Through stories children are able to solve problems, ask questions and share
ideas
General Comments on Facilitation – Considerations for the Field (Tami
Farber)
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Building on Knowledge - It is critically important to remember that as
trainers, you will build on what caregivers already know – they will bring a
lot to the table
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Ensure that Everyone Understands - Silence could indicate a lack of
understanding among participants so make sure that you take the time to ask
if everyone understands
Involve a diverse group from your audience – call on 3 – 4 different
people for each question (where time allows) to ensure that everyone is
given the chance to participate
Be Prepared - It will be important to be prepared for a subversive audience
or difficult participants in various contexts and settings
Flexibility in Time management – Timing is important but the sessions
should be planned to be flexible to prepare for large groups or other
unexpected changes to the training. Things do not always go as planned so be
ready to adjust!
General Comments/Observations on Practice Facilitation Sessions
 Creating Partnerships - Very important to creating a partnership between
co-facilitators – this is evident to the audience
 Checking-In - Make sure you are checking in with your co-facilitator during
group activities to make sure lesson is on track or if there is something that
needs to be addressed
 Keeping Audience Engaged - Hands on participatory learning can be far
more effective – keep the sessions lively and interactive
 Communication - It is important to pay attention to the language (i.e.,
terminology, phrasing) you are using to make sure that a clear message is
being conveyed
 Time Management – time is a consideration but should not be a hindrance
to delivery – you cannot always determine how big the group will be
beforehand and therefore, must be prepared to adjust, trim or add
 Take the Time to Answer Questions - Even when time is running short,
make sure time is taken to answer critical questions among participants –
even if this means coming back to them later in the day – write questions
down you don’t have time to answer
Comments on the Facilitator’s Guide
 The facilitator and coordinators guide are both a starting point – but it will
take about a year to see how things are progressing in the field to develop a
finalized draft
 Feedback will be collected on the guides as they are utilized in the field and
then the process of revising will happen over the next year
 Request – anything that comes to mind initially about the guide should be
sent within two weeks after the meeting report is sent out
 Everyone must be responsible for contributing and giving their own ideas in
order to improve responses
 Everyone should join the INEE working group
 There should be a platform or blog created so continued sharing can happen
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Children with Disabilities – Amy Farkas
 Caregivers must be conscious about engaging children with disabilities
 Accommodating children with disabilities is about changing the rules,
equipment and space
 Planning for training sessions should always include considerations and
prior thought and planning to how you would include/engage individuals
with disabilities
 UNICEF is strongly committed to enhancing, improving and intensifying its
work on the rights of children with disabilities in line with the CRC and
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)
 CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE INCLUDED IN ALL
PROGRAMMES -INCLUDING IN HUMANITARIAN SITUATIONS
 The early years lay the foundation for human development for every child
and provide an important window of opportunity for full implementation of
child’s rights (CRC GC7, SG’s report and the Resolution on ECD)
 Quality ECD encourages values that support inclusion for children with
disabilities
 It is important to address perceptions in society, parents and from the
children themselves regarding their potential
 Role modeling and peer to peer mentoring are important means to develop
individual and community acceptance and cohesion
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Day 3
Facilitation Sessions
 Setting up a Stimulating Environment
 Needs Assessment & Programme Design: Implementing the ECD Kit
 Assessment of ECD Kit and Children’s Progress
Session: Setting Up a Stimulating Environment
 It is very important to create a safe and clean environment for young
children and to design appropriate and effective programming
 Caregivers must have clear goals to set up environments that support
children’s development by offering opportunities to interact with other
children, caregivers and materials and to move about freely in a safe and
supportive manners
 It is always important to come with well thought out activity plans
remembering that while children need structured routines, it is also very
important to allow for flexibility
 Ensure that all activities are inclusive and that they promote and encourage
sensory, speech, socialization and large and fine motor skills
Session: Needs Assessment & Programme Design - Implementing the ECD Kit
 Situation Analysis (Sitan)– it is very important to understand the data within
the country where you will be working and the reasons behind this data
 How do you get information? Is there a system of referral in place? How do
you know how many children there re under 8 years of age?
 Often times rapid assessments are done very quickly and it is not possible to
ask more specific questions but this data can and should be used as a very
good starting point
 Be aware and look out that information presented from the rapid assessment
is not so different from the data presented in a stable situation in the country
 Within 2-3 weeks, each sector has a chance to do an assessment – at that
point, more information can be found
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There is no independent rapid assessment system for ECD because there is a
sector system – it will be very important to coordinate and talk with relative
sectors to get the correct information
It is very important that after figures/data has been attained, that trainers
understand the customary care practices and find out if there are any ECD
practices in place
ECD programme success is dependent on caregiver involvement for
sustainability
Often times programmes are planned but it is not known who exactly will
implement them- - it is critical to know who are the main ECD partners and if
they are engaged in ECD activities that are locally based
Local suppliers must be identified prior to the emergency – local materials
are easy to replace and monitor and it helps the local economy
ECD should be integrated into other sectors – nutrition, protection, education
It is the responsibility of the master trainer to understand the coordinators
job. For master trainers – when working with UNICEF field staff - they will
most likely be more knowledgeable – therefore it will be important to build
on what they know but also bring your own knowledge and capacity as a
trainer and practitioner in order to successfully work together and create
constructive dialogue and action surrounding rolling out the ECD Kit and
setting up effective environments for interventions and learning
Questions/Comments/Recommendations
 Plans should be integrated and in sync – don’t reinvent the wheel - It is
critical to see what levels already exist at the country level
 ECD focal points can be in different sectors – often times the focal points may
be the coordinators
 In order to be more effective at the country level, be prepared to work within
the framework that has been developed in the field and to add knowledge
and experience where it is helpful without trying to impose separate
standards. Be prepared to match the planning already in place and to
integrate into existing tools.
 It is often difficult to convince other sectors to integrate ECD service – there
is no one guideline about who is responsible for what
 When a training is done in country, it will be a cascade system
o It will be very important to work with the supervisors because they
are the ones who will be training, monitoring and evaluating the
caregivers when you are gone
o The supervisors must have the capacity to build the capacity of the
caregivers and to change the phases
 A plan is critical but as an expert you should be able to:
o plan the phases
o Decide what the caregiver should do with children when there is an
emergency
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Are there ECD focal points in all UNICEF offices?
o Yes but they are also at the regional level
o There are many factors which affect this – if someone believes in it – a
champion - they will be very involved
o Chief of sections should be involved and should be integrated at the
Ministry Level
Session: Assessment of ECD Kit & Children’s Progress
 Assessment is important because it tracks and measure children’s physical
development, socialization skills, emotional well-being and cognitive
development as they participate in activities
 Assessment provides accountability for caregiver effectiveness as they
implement activities from the Kit and activity guides – to help caregivers
assess whether or not their goals have been met and also monitors a child’s
individual progress
 Informs what changes may need to be made to programming
 Children can be assessed differently in two age group sets: 0-3, 3-6
o 0-3
 particular areas of focus should be on motor activity, oral
language and communication, activities chosen, attention span
and willingness to try new tasks, explore and discover
o 3-6
 particular areas of focus should be on organization of play, how
play is initiated, physical abilities, social skills, evidence of
creativity and imagination and use of language
Session: Developing ECD in Emergencies: Monitoring & Evaluation Integrated
Framework
 Levels 1-4
1) Level 1 - Equity-Focused Situation Analysis
a. promotes national ownership
b. uses existing data and research on children and women
c. maps partners and their activities
d. identifies patterns of inequity; bottlenecks and barriers; causes of
disparity and exclusion and high impact - evidence-based strategic
responses to these cause
2) Level 2 - Monitoring UNICEF Programme Input - tracks the utilization of
inputs in support of activities that are addressing the causes of
bottlenecks and barriers faced by disadvantaged children including input
for service delivery, capacity development and leveraging/advocacy
actions
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3) Level 3 - Assessments of bottlenecks identified – helps to determine how
mobilization and utilization of inputs are working together to alleviate
bottlenecks that disadvantaged children face
4) Level 4 - Impact Assessment - conduct stand-alone Multiple Indicator
Cluster Surveys (MICS) or similar, comparable across countries – findings
will guide programmatic adjustments & management decisions
Questions
- Is it possible to bridge the ideal framework (long term) with what is
actually going on in the field and if so, how? In some cases, field offices
are building their own M&E framework so how do we fit into the
existing framework?
o There is currently an internal exercise going on within UNICEF to
strengthen and sync monitoring and evaluation tools – several
partners have been mobilized to attempt to create indicators which
has often presented a challenge for ECD.
o For emergency situations, it will be even more challenging but the key
is to strengthen evaluation systems and to decide and agree upon the
key indicators and to ensure that when HQ staff work with field staff,
that the systems are complimentary
What is the relevant information we will need to know for an
emergency?
Supplies & Operation
 It is very important to coordinate with different sectors
 Monitoring is so important because items often get lost – there should be a
system to keep track of certain supplies that are easily renewable
 Replenishment vs. Sustainability – replenishment is possible – money from the
donors, emergencies happen and kits can be replenished
 Sustainability is completely different – it stems from how we begin our
response and the need to be thinking beyond the current intervention and
how it can and will be carried over and transitioned into a normal
intervention
 It is critically important to consider how to go from emergency response to
regular programming – it is a cyclical process
 the Kit is NOT sustainable, it is a tool – consider it from a program process –
there should be a longer-term plan in place
 It is often difficult to convince other sectors to integrate ECD service – there
is no one guideline about who is responsible for what
 When a training is done in country, it will be a cascade system
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o It will be very important to work with the supervisors because they
are the ones who will be training, monitoring and evaluating the
caregivers when you are gone
o The supervisors must have the capacity to build the capacity of the
caregivers and to change the phases
A plan is critical but as an expert you should be able to:
o plan the phases
o Decide what the caregiver should do with children when there is an
emergency
General Comments/Observations on Practice Facilitation Sessions
 It is very important to lay out the plan as to what each facilitator is doing – a
strong and sound division of labor can help participants feel more at ease
 Space is not always a reality – be ready to adjust
 Take note of positioning – no backs to participants
 If we are committed to gender equity – it is critical that we are mindful of
self-reflective practice and the way dynamics between facilitators affect the
audience
o Our societies make us very biased about gender, ethnicity and race –
when we are co-facilitating we must be 100% aware of our own sense
of identity and how it is going to impact the audience
o Be careful in creating certain power structures and dynamics that
could be construed as negative, chauvenist, racist, etc
 Sessions will be adapted and modified according to the context
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Day 4 – Concluding Thoughts
Questions
 What is the vision in HQ?
 We need suggestions from trainees after they implement the ECD Kit on: Do
these types of materials (ECD kit) even work? Does it need to be modified,
and adapted?
 What needs to happen to let country officers know that these master trainers
exist?
 What might be potential challenges or barriers when working in an
emergency context if there are not a lot of ECD materials or people trained?
 To what extent can the packaged be used for the preparedness plan?
 Where do we get the funds for the training to happen at the right moment
before the emergency occurs in each country?
 Setting up a system for understanding and highlighting referrals (reaction
and response in emergencies) (Marina). This will help children in the
community to get the help and response they need. Do we have this kind of
infrastructure? How to identify those children that need support and what
kind of support to give?
Comments
 Revision of the Facilitator and Coordinator’s Guides will not be done before a
year or year and a half in order to gauge what is going on in the field and how
the guides can be more useful.
 Need to plan with governments on how to roll out the ECD Kits.
 In WCARO, ECD Kits exits, but caregivers do not know how to use them.
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Master trainers will be in the system as part of the global roster and names
will be put in HR (human resources).
Some places have silent emergencies (poverty, catastrophe) and this ECD Kit
is important and can be used even if there are not emergencies.
INEE minimal standards are including ECD in emergencies.
Moving forward, INEE wants to include on their website more horizontal
communication and want to make that link. INEE wants to build knowledge
base through a community in practice.
Minimal standards share case studies while using the minimal standards.
HQ will continue to advocate for ECD to make sure it is integrated into all
units and sections of child development.
Suggestions
 For the role out have strategies, something systematic.
 Suggestion to use a project sheet in each country (i.e. education and
nutrition).
 Develop a sample reference for master trainers of what all the others trainers
have done in past emergencies.
 Have a second reference of ECD in other programs (i.e. ECD Kit trainer plus
adviser).
 Special needs kits. Kits to train caregivers. More provisions. Policy
guidelines and possibilities.
 Add parental training cues.
 Let governments have the guides translated in their native language and see
how they can use these guide for prevention.
 It will be helpful to develop a potential sample agenda (2 or 4 days) to serve
as potential or supplemental ideas during emergencies.
 When training caregivers, training should be at least 5 days. Training
depends on the people. With local available people you might need a longer
time to get them understand the whole concept, so training can be extended
depending on the needs of the trainees.
 Use the resources of your home countries to build capacities that already
exist. For example, ECD focal point (nutrition). Sit with focal points and
advocate for ECD. You need to work with the relevant clusters.
 In emergency response you can have a cluster, include ECD component in the
preparedness.
 Develop a website to communicate with each other.
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Share how we can make this document strong in emergency perspective.
Promote this method/ECD kit to other organizations because it is an effective
model.
Information in the field will be important for others who can use it for
advocacy around funding and more support in ECD in emergencies.
Monitoring and evaluation is an important component and it should be a
starting point not at the end.
We need more state of the art research on impact of ECD in emergencies.
ECD HQ will continue to improve the training process.
ECD and young children with disabilities must be added. Children with
special needs are a missing component. Every session in the facilitators
guide needs a small entry on tips for children with disabilities and tips for
caregivers of children with disabilities.
Gender was not spoken about much. We need ECD interventions to promote
equal attention rather than differentiate between genders. We need input
recommendations and suggestions on how we can make the training
materials more gender based and more gender sensitive.
We will work more with tips for psychosocial support and ECD.
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