ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES
Inter-American Council for Integral Development
(CIDI)
PREPARATORY MEETING FOR THE V MEETING
OF MINISTERS OF EDUCATION
August 27 – 28, 2007
Washington, D.C.
OEA/Ser.K/V
CIDI/RPME/INF. 1/07
22 August 2007
Original: Spanish
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
INTER-AMERICAN SYMPOSIUM
UNDERSTANDING THE STATE OF THE ART IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND
CARE: THE FIRST THREE YEARS OF LIFE
(Part of the Project “Policies and Strategies for a Successful Transition to
Socialization and school”)
17th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20006
Organización de los Estados Americanos
Organização dos Estados Americanos
Organisation des États américains
Organization of American States
EXECUTIVE SECRETARIAT FOR INTEGRAL DEVELOPMENT (SEDI)
DEPARTAMENT OF EDUCATION AND CULTURA (DEC)
INTER-AMERICAN SYMPOSIUM
UNDERSTANDING THE STATE OF THE ART IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
AND CARE: THE FIRST THREE YEARS OF LIFE
Part of the Project “Policies and Strategies for a successful transition to socialization and school”
May 14 – 18, 2007
Organization of American States
1889 F Street NW., Rubén Dario Meeting Room, 8th floor
Washington DC, U.S.A
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Washington DC, May 24, 2007
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We express our acknowledgement and profound gratitude for the contributions and high professional
quality of the team of rapporteurs for the Symposium. Coordinator: Sara Victoria Alvarado (CINDE,
Universidad de Manizales, Colombia), Margarita Gutiérrez Talamás (Prospectiva Educativa,
Mexico); Regina Moromizato (Universidad Católica del Perú); Erika Dunkelberg (World Bank); Rosa
Valera (Instituto Nacional de Educación Inicial, Dominican Republic); Martha Suárez (CINDE,
Colombia); María Victoria Peralta (Instituto Internacional de Educación Infantil, Chile); Jairo
Zuluaga (Universidad Nacional de Colombia); Ana María Stalla (National Inspector for Early
Education, Uruguay); and Sian Williams (UNICEF-Jamaica).
It would not have been possible to accomplish all of the work we did, with the quality with
which it was done, without the decisive support of the chairman and authorities of the Executive
Committee of the CIE; the institutional support of international organizations and institutions such as
the Bernard van Leer Foundation, World Bank, IDB, UNICEF, PAHO, OEI, CARICOM, Convenio
Andrés Bello, AMEI, CINDE, FPG, CIAR, CEECD, IIDI, OMEP, and Teaching Strategies; and the
support of offices of the OAS, including, among others, the Department of Budgetary and Financial
Services, the Department of Human Development, the Office of Conferences and Meetings, and the
Department of Press and Communications.
INDEX
Page
INTRODUCTION
1
Conclusions and Challenges
4
ANNEXES
Agenda
14
List of participants
22
iii
INTRODUCTION
This Report is an account of the symposium “Understanding the State of the Art in Early
Childhood Education and Care,” held May 14 to 18, 2007, at OAS headquarters, in Washington DC,
United States. It is organized into five parts. Part I is the frame of reference. Part II is a description of
the state-of-the-art and trends in policies and programs of attention for children from birth to three in
the Americas. Part III summarizes significant experiences in the Americas. Part IV sets forth
symposium conclusions and challenges from papers and discussions. Part V (Annex) includes an
article by María Victoria Peralta, Ph.D., “In search of a post-modern pedagogy for educational work
in the first three years of life;” an essay by Jairo Zuluaga, Ph.D., “Neuroscience and education”; the
agenda; the list of participants; and an analysis of the results from the evaluation of the symposium.
The symposium included the participation of highly qualified and internationally known
professionals and researchers; directors representing 23 countries, namely Antigua and Barbuda,
Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, the United States, Grenada,
Guyana, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Saint Kitts and Nevis,
Saint Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay; and 15 delegations representing
international agencies and institutions. Symposium: Understanding the State of the Art in Early
Childhood Education and Care: The First Three Years of Life
The symposium was timely and relevant, as scientific, technical, and theoretical studies and
developments from the different disciplines are posing major challenges to educational systems. In
particular, science notes that one must begin from the womb and from a very early age. The
neurosciences are showing us that the quality of the environment, the plasticity of the brain, and the
preponderance of early experiences influence and have decisive effects on the development of the
human being.
The symposium reflected the challenges of the 21st century, which are demanding structural
changes in educational settings. Among them is the need to implement quality comprehensive
programs as a means of social inclusion. The changes, in turn, are inviting governments to take the
lead in designing appropriate policies for early childhood, and to pool efforts to ensure the
implementation of those policies.
Motivated by these developments, the Fourth Meeting of Ministers of Education, held in
Trinidad and Tobago in August 2005, approved the Declaration of Scarborough, in which the
Ministries stated, in part: “We recognize the need to address the structure of education beginning with
early childhood education, given its very positive impact on the quality of education and on the
reduction of inequality.” To implement this mandate, the Department of Education and Culture
(DEC) of the OAS, held two consultations (December 2005 and March 2006) to determine the issues
most relevant to government decision-makers and civil society at this time. Twenty-five responses
were received from the member states, which proposed deepening information and sharing
experiences on two issues: the delivery of comprehensive services for children birth to three years of
age; and transitions.
When the Inter-American Committee on Education (CIE) provided the opportunity to
propose projects to be financed from what is known as the “Education Reserve Subfund” (Res. 831),
the DEC, in consultation with the governments of Venezuela and Barbados prepared a proposal. In
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July 2006, the CIE recommended approval of the regional project “Policies and strategies for a
successful transition of the child to socialization and school.”
The general objective of the project is: “To support member countries in their efforts to
develop, strengthen, and evaluate policies and strategies that contribute to the extension and
improvement of the quality, equity, and coverage of the education and care of children ages 0 to 6
years, to facilitate their successful transition from home to preschool programs and from the
preschool program to basic education.”
The project was designed to identify gains made in the countries and subregions; to train
decision-makers in theory and practice; to evaluate the situation of initial/preschool and basic
education; and to pull together lessons learned and challenges for the design, implementation, and
evaluation of policies in the hemisphere (early childhood education through the first two grades of
basic education). The project has developed a series of activities which, it is hoped, will contribute to
strengthening the institutional capacity of the participating institutions, improve the quality of
services, and expand coverage with equity.
The project includes among its strategies the implementation of two symposia:
“Understanding the State of the Art in Early Childhood Education and Care,” May 14-18, 2007,
Washington, D.C., whose report is presented in this document; and a second symposium to be
scheduled by the government of Chile in 2009 on “Policies and strategies for a successful transition
of the child to socialization and school.”
The symposium’s Technical Committee circulated a questionnaire to the 34 member
countries of the OAS in order to prepare a preliminary assessment to help contextualize the member
states’ policies and programs (topics included: coverage, personnel, policies and legislation,
curriculum, costs, challenges and lessons learned, research projects, and implementation of birth to
three programs. A total of 19 questionnaires were returned and reviewed as a sample of input for
drawing conclusions.
The agenda of the symposium offered participants the opportunity for reflection, research,
and analysis of the scientific, neuroscientific, pedagogical, social, economic, and policy bases of child
development, and the importance of the early years. It was consistent with a comprehensive view of
human development, from a multidisciplinary perspective; from gestation to subsequent development
in school, and throughout one’s lifetime.
When programming the symposium, the intent was to motivate and support the development
of public policies for the birth to three-year age group, to share, among all those in attendance, the
same theoretical/conceptual bases so as to gradually construct – with the contribution of the delegates
– the conclusions and challenges identified of the symposium.
The research and studies presented made significant contributions to the processes of analysis
and reflection among the participants. Special emphasis was placed on the importance of and
rationale for providing quality services and education from the earliest ages; the effects of these
experiences on successful transitions; and their effects on the countries’ human and social capital.
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The panels on experiences, organized by subregion, contributed numerous innovative ideas
for implementing policies. The important experiences carried out nationally or as pilot projects –
Chile, Jamaica, Peru, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Reggio Emilia, Abecedarian, CENDI
(Mexico), and Early Head Start, among others – and the observation visits on Wednesday, together
with the theoretical and conceptual foundations, presented on Monday, provided a common frame of
reference for the group work. That work was carried out on Thursday, in groups organized by sub
regions.
Throughout the symposium an effort was made to follow intentionally selected set of issues
that challenge the entire region: policies, programs, research, training, evaluation, monitoring,
coordination, financing, and transition.
As part of the symposium, the overall design for project evaluation and monitoring was
prepared, and an instrument was applied to measure the attainment of the objectives set for the event.
(See Annex 5, Analysis of the responses.) Looking to the future, other instruments will be prepared to
evaluate the objectives of the overall project and the gains achieved by member states. The indicators
and instruments prepared after the symposium will be forwarded for consultation to all those in
attendance, and to government and civil society institutions in the countries, before they are
implemented.
The result of the group work made it possible to identify current trends, and to construct
conclusions regarding the state-of-the-art and current challenges, in a collective and participatory
manner. These conclusions are presented in the fourth part of this report.
Lenore Yaffee Garcia
Director
Department of Education and Culture
Organization of American States
Gaby Fujimoto
Senior Specialist, Education
Department of Education and Culture
Organization of American States
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CONCLUSIONS AND CHALLENGES
Initial Considerations:
Pursuant to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by most of the countries
represented in this Symposium, in the context of Education for All and based on the project “Policies
and Strategies for Young Children’s Successful Transition to Socialization and School,” special
attention was given to the gains in the policies and normative frameworks with respect to early
childhood care, which for the purposes of this symposium begins in gestation and continues through 3
years.
In recent years, research on child development has emphasized the importance of
comprehensive attention, beginning at gestation, in which the social, historical, and cultural context is
a decisive factor for the life of the individual. Accordingly, it is not sufficient to approach the child
from a solely neurological perspective or an exclusively educational perspective, rather a broader
vision that integrates other disciplines, which view the child from a complex cultural, historical,
environmental, and social context (ecology of childhood).
Given that this stage of a child’s growth, development, and learning is critical, as expressed
by the 34 countries of the Americas, it is imperative to review, deepen, and construct the criteria and
orientations that make it possible to find the most efficient and relevant mechanisms for putting such
policies in place, in which the conditions to benefit those characteristics and potentials of children are
clearly established. In this regard, children are seen as individuals with rights, full-fledged citizens,
curious, happy, loved and capable of loving, creative, free and autonomous, capable of establishing
relationships of otherness with others who are different and in an attitude respectful of their
surroundings. These qualities will enable children to begin to act as responsible and critical citizens
who contribute to the social setting in which they grow up.
This vision requires that one have integrated social policies in which children are treated not
just as “educable” subjects, but as competent individuals from a rights-based approach, whose rights
reflect quality and equity in terms of life cycle, gender, culture, and geographic context, this approach
acknowledges the integration of the systems for information and evaluation, and research and
knowledge, with the shaping of human talent that sees to the care and education of children.
Subsequently, these strategies need to be integrated with the policy-makers and decision-makers,
ensuring stable financial resources to sustain and develop these policies.
These propositions were supported by the various international agencies that participated in
the symposium, who have also envisioned the need for inter-agency and inter-institutional
collaboration to attain better results.
In this context, the main thoughts that derive from the work done during the symposium are
grouped in the following categories, setting forth the main trends encountered and the challenges they
pose to the Hemisphere.
-5-
Policies:
State of the Art:
1.
All the countries of the region have moved towards designing policies, laws, and regulations, or
strategies for early childhood, some with more participatory approaches in which, in addition to
the government, there has been involvement of civil society, NGOs, multilateral agencies, and
others.
2.
In most countries of the region, early childhood policies are more focused on the 4 to 6 years
age group; the specific normative frameworks for the under 3 years age group, where they
exist, are very limited.
3.
All the countries accord priority to expanding early childhood coverage, focusing attention and
resources on children over 3 years, from a perspective of equity and social inclusion, serving
populations that are more marginal and excluded socially, economically, and culturally. The
development of formal and non-formal programs for children under 3 has shown slow growth,
despite the results of research demonstrating how crucial this stage of life is.
4.
All the countries note as one of their priorities improving the quality of health care, child care,
education, and other services directed to children ages birth to three or early childhood.
Nonetheless, the resources, orientations, and criteria are focused mostly on children over 3
years, and the personal, socioeconomic, ethnic, and cultural particularities of the families and
children are not considered.
5.
Most of the countries still preserve a sectored approach to policies for early childhood, without
considering the child as an integral being. The result is fragmentation in the agreements and
regulatory frameworks for early childhood policy.
6.
There is still a tendency for each successive administration to design and implement policies,
rather than having policies of state for early childhood, which translates into discontinuity,
fragmentation, and the lack of sustainability of the programs through which those policies are
put into practice.
7.
Although all the countries have normative frameworks that stem from early childhood policy,
the processes of implementation are negatively impacted by budgetary limitations, the failure to
accord priority to this age group in the political agenda, and fragmentation in the decisionmaking processes in the state.
8.
There is a gap between research on early childhood, especially for the stage of life from birth to
three years, and policy making for this sector of the population in most of the countries. Policy
making is not necessarily grounded in accumulated knowledge nor does it use evaluation and
monitoring to help systematize policy.
9.
Serious weaknesses are observed in the information systems and in the statistics they generate,
which are only overall figures, not disaggregated ones, often constructed merely as
approximations, which makes decision-making and monitoring of policy difficult. Qualitative
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information is almost non-existent, making it difficult to learn about the processes, specificities,
and diversities one finds in the different population groups.
10.
In the policies and normative frameworks for services to children under 3 there is greater
emphasis on aspects related to early childhood care, without clear considerations of the
educational aspects unique to this stage of development.
11.
In most countries of the region, there is an absence of policies and normative frameworks
geared to early childhood that address the special educational needs, gender, and indigenous,
rural, Afrodescendant, and border populations.
12.
There is little policy-making in the area of communication to raise citizen awareness of early
childhood in general, and in particular awareness of the importance of comprehensive attention
and quality care for children under 3.
Challenges:
1.
Making progress in constructing normative frameworks that ensure comprehensive attention
from gestation to 3 years, moving from the sectoral approach to a population approach, with a
rights-based perspective and greater citizen participation.
2.
Proposing the population approach not only for this stage of life, but also considering the
particularities that stem from the cultural, social, and geographic diversity of children, as well
as the diversity of physical and mental conditions, and of the situations of vulnerability of the
families and their children, which contributes to specific interventions.
3.
Moving, in the region, from policies of particular administrations to state policies, so as to
ensure the continuity, articulation, and sustainability of the programs that stem from such
policies.
4.
Designing policies, criteria, and normative frameworks that address the particularities of the
stage of life from gestation to 3 years through different alternatives, both formal and nonformal, depending of the needs of children and their families.
5.
Putting in place processes of articulation that overcome the gap between research and policymaking. Drawing on the knowledge constructed from different plural paradigms, from a
quantitative and qualitative perspective, as a starting point and reference point for monitoring,
evaluation, and implementation of policies.
6.
Putting in place policies for equity and social inclusion that consider the particularities of
children and their families in relation to their special educational needs, gender, ethnicity, and
geographic location.
7.
Putting in place communication policies and strategies that raise the awareness of the entire
society to the importance of birth to three and the role that should be played by the different
actors and institutions to guarantee and implement actions for the well-rounded development of
children under 3 years.
-7-
Macro-level Curricula and Programs:
State of the Art:
1.
Most of the countries of the Hemisphere have made progress in terms of moving towards
macro-level curricula that give direction to pedagogical work with children under 3 years. In
some cases the foundations of these curricula are the traditional ones, and in others they have
broadened out so as to incorporate the contributions of the neurosciences, cultural and
anthropological considerations, and historical/situational analysis. In the pedagogical
orientation of these curricula, two tendencies can be observed, one more holistic and
constructive, and the other more concrete, yet at the same time with greater degrees of
flexibility when it comes to adapting to the particular characteristics of each child and his or her
family.
2.
Although most of the programs conceive of children as individuals with rights, this conception
doesn’t always translate into specific actions. Some experiences still view the child as
vulnerable, requiring protection and care, which can lead to welfare-oriented approaches.
3.
One finds a diversity of expressions, interventions in the field of education and care of children
under 3 years (formal and non-formal), with a wide variety of quality of services. In addition,
these experiences are highly fragmented in relation to one another, and one observes little effort
to integrate services. If integrated, it might make be possible to determine their potential
contributions, so as to disseminate them, and help identify trends and construct relevant models.
4.
There are initiatives aimed at further specifying the components and characteristics of a
proposal for quality services for children under 3 years: equipment, teacher-training, materials,
integration of education and care. Nonetheless, they fail to take into account the contexts,
realities, and characteristics of children at this stage of life.
5.
Components such as democracy and construction of citizenship are being incorporated in early
childhood programs in general, but for children under 3, there is a limited conception of them
as individuals with rights, resulting in a lack of guidelines and criteria for applying those
components.
6.
There is a tendency to replicate programs drawn up in other contexts, applying them in different
situations without evaluating their relevance, and also limiting the participation and creation of
the different actors who participate in providing care to children under 3 years.
7.
One observes a greater effort to ensure family-program coordination, yet there is little clarity in
terms of the meaning and forms of families’ participation in their children’s education,
considering, in addition, their particular ethnic, labor, and geographic conditions.
8.
There is a major trend in the governments to work together with civil society to expand and
implement programs for early childhood. Nonetheless, it is important to mention that in a large
percentage of the experiences, the participation of civil society lacks state support.
9.
In a large number of the programs, one observes difficulties in implementation due to the lack
of human, technical, and financial resources for the comprehensive implementation of the
programs, putting at risk the basic quality of the services.
-8-
10.
Existing monitoring systems have a tendency to accord greater importance to indicators having
to do with completion of activities (workshops, productions, etc.) as opposed to qualitative
indicators that make it possible to assess the development of processes and the achievement of
results relevant to this age group (under 3 years).
11.
Some programs are beginning to consider attention for children from the prenatal stage,
although the health-sector approach prevails.
12.
Few programs in the region make explicit the inclusion of children with special needs, and few
are based on studies of child-rearing practices in the different communities of the Hemisphere.
13.
There is scant research with a view to constructing pedagogy for children under 3 years,
confusing it with experimental situations for measuring child development.
Challenges:
1.
All the countries should have curricular programs and pedagogic orientations at the macro level
for the birth to three age group, with a holistic, comprehensive, and multidisciplinary outlook in
terms of their foundation, and should consider children as full citizens, with rights, as their
central focus, in both the conception and implementation of their programs.
2.
Redirecting child care programs for children under 3, bringing them closer to operationalization
of the comprehensive attention approach, which includes, in addition to protection, health, and
nutrition components, education with an up-to-date approach relevant to the age group.
3.
Along with developing the curricular design at the macro level, there should be planning of its
implementation with strategies and resources relevant to the characteristics that these
instruments seek to support, such that the adults who are going to carry them out also develop a
participatory, reflective, and constructive approach to the processes of curricular development,
ensuring their adequate implementation.
4.
Creating the conditions for quality participation of families, care-givers, and the community in
general, in the design, implementation, and evaluation of the programs of comprehensive
attention for children under 3 years.
5.
Contextualizing every program to the sociocultural realities and encouraging their appropriation
by the actors in keeping with their collective projects and the assessment of each community,
and particularly the children.
6.
Grounding every program on a set of rationales that confer a multidisciplinary perspective on
curricular design and implementation at the macro level.
7.
Using the knowledge produced by the programs developed through their various channels –
research, monitoring, evaluation, and systematization – to ensure their optimal implementation
and to achieve greater relevance.
-9-
Evaluation and monitoring;
State of the Art:
1.
Most of the countries do not have clear systems for monitoring and evaluation of the
implementation of policies and their statistical information systems are not very reliable,
especially for the groups most excluded, due to their special educational needs, ethnicity,
gender, and geographic location.
2.
In most of the countries of the Hemisphere, monitoring and evaluation of programs are
deficient, especially in the qualitative aspects that address the development and learning of
children under 3 years. They are not linked to an information system; therefore they do not
influence the direction of the programs or their decision-making process.
3.
Indicators of supply and demand, coverage, and access are used, yet there are still no indicators
of quality or result expected of the programs for providing comprehensive attention to children
under 3.
4.
Although in some countries the issue of design and implementation of instruments for
monitoring and evaluation has been addressed, there is no system, but rather fragmented
information that does not account for implementation of the programs or their results.
5.
There is scant participation from civil society in oversight/social audit actions to keep tabs on
the policies and effective provision of services geared to children under 3.
Challenges:
1.
Generating systems for monitoring and evaluation of the policies and programs for
comprehensive care for children under 3 years that yield information useful for seeing the
impacts of policy, improving the quality of programs, following up on the transition processes,
and making quality, timely, and relevant decisions.
2.
Generating quantitative and qualitative systems of indicators that make possible effective
monitoring and evaluation by those who design policy and administer programs, and by the
very social actors involved in such programs.
3.
Strengthening the participation of civil society in oversight/social audit actions in coordination
with the ombudspersons’ offices that see to the quality of comprehensive care services for
children under 3 years.
4.
There is a need for a more contextualized and participatory approach based on the actors’
meaning that makes it possible to take into consideration their points of view regarding the
validity of programs for their children under 3 years.
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Research:
State of the Art:
1.
In most of the countries research is not used as a basis for design or as a point of reference for
the monitoring and evaluation of policies and programs geared to children under 3 years.
2.
There is limited research on processes of socialization, outlooks, and cultural points of
reference for children under 3 years and their families, which limits the development programs
that address the needs and particularities of children in different contexts.
3.
Knowledge about children generated in academic scenarios is scarcely considered in the design
and implementation of the programs, thus it is not expressed in the actors’ social practices, and
at the same time the actors’ practices are not considered in the region’s accumulated
knowledge.
4.
Priority has been accorded to quantitative research which provides valuable yet partial
statistical information on the development of children under 3 years of age, and on the
programs and their impacts, with important shortcomings in terms of approaches that account
for qualitative processes related to learning, practices, and the scenarios in which they take
place.
Challenges:
1.
Closing the gap between research and social practices in the processes of providing
comprehensive attention to children under 3 years, so as to use the knowledge for improving
the quality of the programs, making them more relevant, and being able to assess their impact
on the development of the child and on constructing quality of life for themselves and their
agents of socialization.
2.
It is necessary to begin to work with data disaggregated by population, gender, and age, among
other considerations, to clarify the main lines of attention. In addition, there is a need for
indicators and qualitative data on children’s learning processes, their processes of socialization
and acculturation that make it possible to characterize their outlooks and conditions of reality to
ensure the programs are more relevant.
3.
Making progress in longitudinal studies and information systems tied in to national surveys
such that they contribute an ongoing flow of information to evaluate the quality of child
attention and its effects on the development of children under 3years, their families, and their
community contexts.
4.
Promoting the use of qualitative methodologies that make it possible to characterize the
development of children under 3 years, the practices, and the scenario in which they are carried
out.
5.
Fostering evaluation/research on the impact of programs for the birth to three age group. Very
few have been rigorously studied, thus there is little information to distinguish which types of
programs in the region for birth to three years are effective.
- 11 -
Training:
State of the Art:
1.
Some countries have systematic and quality processes for training educators at the professional
level for the under 3 age group. In most, teacher training continues to be focused on preschool
care for children 4 to 6 years, with no specific pedagogic specialization for children under 3
years. It is important to note that in some countries, especially in the Andean subregion,
programs for children under 3 years are not attended by teachers but by care-giver mothers or
educational promoters; apparently there is no system for their education and training, properly
speaking. Another aspect to consider is the scant training for health personnel who provide care
to children ages 0 to 3 in relation to skills for offering orientations to parents on issues of
integral development of their children.
2.
There is a strong discipline-based and sectoral tendency in the proposals for training agents
involved in designing and implementing of programs geared to children under 3 years, limiting
the integrated approach needed for there to be quality care in this stage of life.
3.
There is a marked trend in the development of programs geared to children under 3 years to put
in place training geared to families, care-givers, and community actors, yet most are
discontinuous, instrumental, and with methodologies that are hardly apt for adult education.
4.
Most of the countries do not have a system for professional development in which home-based
care-givers and other volunteers (known by different names in different countries, including
cuidadoras de hogares, madres comunitarias, and animadoras) can enhance their knowledge
and skills, obtain equivalencies to complete primary or secondary school, if needed, and gain
access to the formal teacher-training system.
5.
There is a deficit of graduate-level training programs (diplomado, master’s, doctorate)
specialized in early childhood that might make it possible to train researchers and “trainers’
trainers” to address the fundamental problems entailed in providing services to children under
3.
6.
In many countries one notes that educators, during their workday, have little if any time for
study and reflection of their own teaching practices. In addition, the level of pay for early
childhood educators is very low and does not allow for access to professional and advanced
training, which is not promoted by the state either.
Challenges:
1.
Putting in place systematic and quality processes for training educators at the undergraduate
level on specialized issues related to children under 3 that give special attention to the
pedagogic particularities of this sector of the population.
2.
Fostering graduate-level programs (diplomado, master’s, doctorate) specialized in early
childhood for training researchers and “trainers’ trainers” to address the fundamental problems
encountered in providing services to children under 3.
- 12 -
3.
Developing permanent training programs based on a methodology relevant for adults to give
orientation to care-givers, family, and community actors for quality participation in programs
providing services to children under 3.
Financing:
State of the art:
1.
The financing of early childhood programs for children under 3 years in the Hemisphere is very
mixed. In some countries the state covers a large part of the costs of early childhood services,
generally focused on health services. In most of the countries early childhood care is based on
the effort of the communities themselves or the contributions from NGOs and the international
cooperation agencies.
2.
There is little information about the total national budget allocated to early childhood in all
sectors and at all levels of government.
3.
In the education sector, most of the countries do not have information on the cost-per-child of
early childhood programs.
4.
In general, education costs for the under-3 age group are not considered as an investment but as
non-priority expenditures; the rate of return of such spending in terms of human capital
development and the development of the countries is not known.
5.
Efforts to obtain resources from cooperation agencies earmarked for this group are still very
limited and there is little coordination with existing public policies.
Challenges:
1.
Investing in comprehensive early childhood development, in the context of a clear policy for
overcoming poverty and attaining greater equity in our hemisphere.
2.
Considering and increasing financing of comprehensive attention for children under 3 years of
age as a priority investment for the countries, in terms of human capital development and rate
of return on the investment.
3.
Improving the coordination of international cooperation resources and the administration of
such resources to attain greater efficiency in their use.
Coordination:
State of the Art:
1.
There are very few positive experiences of coordination among sectors for early childhood
services, giving rise to fragmented practices that contribute little to the comprehensive
development of children under 3 years, or to the quality of the services.
- 13 -
2.
Some experiences of coordination between civil society organizations and the state are
beginning to emerge in some countries, which, however, are not yet expressed in integrated
practices relevant to children under 3.
3.
Some countries have adopted participatory mechanisms for designing policies that bring
together the different public and private sectors: education councils, roundtables for
coordination, inter-institutional networks, and national or municipal plans for childhood.
Challenges:
1.
Fostering inter-sectoral coordination that overcomes the fragmentation of social practices of
education and care for children under 3 years, so as to guarantee comprehensive attention and
optimal use of resources.
2.
Developing coordination among academics, policy-makers, and program administrators, so as
to close the gap between knowledge and social practice in care for children under 3 years.
3.
Fostering coordination between the state and civil society to attain more relevant attention for
children under 3 years, in which a clear distinction is drawn between the responsibilities and
roles of the state and civil society.
4.
Continuing to make progress in the dialogue between the countries and the cooperation
agencies, emphasizing shared responsibility and the need to contextualize experiences so they
respond to the needs of the countries and the professional development of specialists in the
various areas of comprehensive attention.
Transition:
State of the Art:
1.
There are isolated and disjointed efforts for the transition from the home to services for children
under 3 years, with few studies and little monitoring of these processes.
Challenges:
1.
Systematizing experiences so as to draw lessons from them that would make it possible to
design successful transitions.
2.
Promoting research projects and creating information systems that help create a conceptual
reference on the transition, and more clearly identify the issues and contribute background so as
to impact policies and quality programs for children under 3 years.
- 14 -
ANNEX 1
INTER-AMERICAN SYMPOSIUM
UNDERSTANDING THE STATE OF THE ART IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
AND CARE: THE FIRST THREE YEARS OF LIFE
Part of the Project “Policies and Strategies for a successful transition to socialization and school”
May 14 – 18, 2007
Organization of American States
1889 F Street NW., Rubén Dario Meeting Room, 8th floor
Washington DC, U.S.A
AGENDA
Monday May 14, 2007
8:00 - 9:00
Registration, delivery of informative documents
9:00 - 9:30
Welcoming remarks:


Ambassador Alfonso Quiñonez, Executive Secretary, Executive
Secretariat for Integral Development (SEDI/OAS).
Ms. Victorina Espinola de Ruiz Diaz, Minister of the National
Secretariat for Children and Adolescents, Paraguay
9:30 – 10:00

Orientation session: Mrs. Lenore Yaffee Garcia, Director, Department of
Education and Culture, and Mrs. Gaby Fujimoto, Senior Specialist in Education,
OAS, Project Coordinators.
10:00 – 10:15
BREAK
- 15 -
10:15 --12:30
Panel: Development of Integrated Policies for Children during the First
Three Years of Life
International experts, including high-level representatives of governments in the
region, will examine the state of the art in policy development and
implementation from multiple perspectives:





Social Development and Education, Ms. María Estela Ortiz, Executive
Vice-president, Junta Nacional de Jardines Infantiles (JUNJI) Chile.
Women, Family and Infancy: Ms. Wynne Young, Deputy Minister,
Saskatchewan, Canada.
Intersectoral Collaboration: Good Start, Grow Smart, Mrs. Norma
Sánchez Garza, Senior Advisor in Early Childhood Education, U.S.
Department of Education, USA.
Public Policies:
Mrs. Nurper Ulkuer, Senior Advisor, ECD
Unit/PDDO, UNICEF.
Dialogue
Moderator: Ms. Lenore Yaffee Garcia, Director, Department of Education and
Culture, OAS
12:30 -- 14:00
LUNCH
14:00 - 16:30
Panel: Theoretical Framework - arguments, conditions, and foundations
for the care and education of children from birth to age three:




New developments in the neurosciences and successful early
interventions in the first three years of life. Mr. Stuart G. Shanker, the
Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIAR). Canada.
Multidisciplinary foundations for a pertinent and relevant education
during the first three years of life – contributions from regional
curricula, Ms. Maria Victoria Peralta, Director International Institute of
Early Education, Chile.
Application of new findings in the neurosciences to early education, Mr.
Jairo Zuluaga, Researcher, National University of Colombia.
Human capital formation to strengthen economic growth. Ms. Emiliana
Vegas, Senior Economics Specialist, World Bank.
Dialogue
- 16 -
Moderator: Ms. Sofialeticia Morales, Senior Adviser Millennium Development
Goals and Education and Health Team Leader, Pan-American Health
Organization.(PAHO)
16:30 – 16:45
BREAK
16:45 – 17:30
Children at Risk: The Situation, Ms. Mary E. Young, Lead Early Child
Development Specialist in the Human Development Network. World Bank
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Theme: Regional Experiences in developing policies that support integrated services, through country
presentations.
9:00 - 10:30
First Sub-regional Panel Presentation: Andean Countries: Intersectoral
policies, financing of integrated services, services for rural, indigenous
populations, incentives to expand coverage:
 Experiences of collaboration between the public and private sectors
“Colombia por la primera infancia” (Colombia for early childhood).
Ms. Juana Inés Díaz Tafur, Vice Minister of Preschool, Basic and
Secondary Education, Ministry of Education. Colombia.
 Public Policies that support programs for Mothers and Young Children,
community participation and intersectoral collaboration, Peru. Ms.
Carmen Vasquez de Velazco, ECD Nacional Director. Wawa Wasi
Experience, Ms. Amparo Muguruza, Nacional Director, Wawa Wasi.
Perú.
Dialogue
Moderador: Mr. Francisco Huerta Montalvo, Executive Secretary, Convenio
Andres Bello (CAB). Colombia.
10:30 – 10:45
BREAK
10:45 – 12:30
Second Sub-regional Panel Presentation: Central America and Dominican
Republic: Attention to diversity through integrated and multisectoral programs:



Policies on Professional Development: Programs for indigenous, rural
areas. Ms. Ana Isabel Cerdas, ECD National Director, Ministry of
Education. Costa Rica.
Take my Hand, experience with parents, Reina Gladis Menjivar,
Coordinator for El Salvador, Organization of Ibero-American States.
Competitive Grants for the Development of Educational Innovations,
Guadalupe Valdez, State Secretary of Education, Dominican Republic.
Dialogue
- 17 -
Moderator: Mr. Francisco Quiazua, Early Childhood Development Network
Coordinador, Canada.
12:30 - 14:00
LUNCH
14:00 - 15:30
Third Sub-regional Panel: Caribbean countries: Professional development
and policy coordination:
 Progress on governance and financing for intersectoral coordination,
government and private sector coordination. Ms. Maureen SammsVaughan, Chairman, Commission on Early Childhood Development,
Jamaica
 ECD Experiences in Barbados. Mrs. Catherine Blackman, Ministry of
Education. Barbados.
 The ECD Educational Policies. Zita Wrigth, ECCE Specialist, Ministry
of Education, Health and Social Development, Trinidad and Tobago.
Dialogue
Moderador: Ms. Aimee Verdisco, Specialist in Education, Department of
Sustainable Development, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
15:30 – 15:45
BREAK
15:45 – 17:15
Fourth Sub-regional Panel: Merco Sur: Implementation of Early Childhood
policies; mass media programs; non formal programs.
 Implementation of ECD National Policies. Ms. Stella Lagos Oliveira,
Ministry of Education, Brazil.
 Experiences and results of dissemination and communication
programs/campaigns. Curriculum Design 0-3 years old. Ms. Pilar
Petingi, responsible for Early Childhood Development, Ministry of
Education, Uruguay.
 Results of Action with Children from Zero to Three. Ms. Victorina
Espinola de Ruiz Diaz, Minister of the National Secretariat for
Children and Adolescents, Paraguay
 Experiences in Formal and Non formal Attention to Children Ages Zero
to Three, Ms. Loreto Amunátegui, INTEGRA, Chile.
Dialogue
Moderator: Ms. Reina Gladys Menjívar, Coordinator for El Salvador,
Organization of Ibero-American States.(OEI)
17:15 -- 17:45
Presentation of the 2007 Education for All Global Monitoring Report: Strong
Foundations, Mr. Ivan Castro, Regional Education Officer UNESCO,
OREALC, Santiago, Chile
- 18 -
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Theme: Site Visits and Presentations on promising services and programs.
9:00 - 12:30
Site visits, programs for zero to three years. Each participant will complete an
observation form to contribute to a subsequent consolidated report, including
observations on the visits.
12:30 – 1:30
LUNCH
13:30 - 14:00
Site Visits Debriefing
14:00 – 15:30
Presentation of promising local, regional and national programs, including those
of private and civil society institutions:
 Disenfranchised children, multicultural education, Dean Cristol, The
Ohio State University, Lima, Ohio USA.
 The Reggio Emilia Approach for Children birth to Three, Rebecca
Kantor-Martin and Michele Sanderson, The Ohio State University,
Columbus, Ohio,
 Educating the Child’s Character and Values: the foremost aim for Early
Childhood Education. Ms. Elvira Sanchez., AMEI, Madrid, Spain.
Dialogue
Moderator: Erika Dunkelberg, Children Youth Unit, Human Development
Network, World Bank.
15:30 – 15:45
BREAK
15:45 – 17:45
Presentation of promising local, regional and national programs, including those
of private and civil society institutions (continued…):
 A View of the Children of the Peruvian Amazon, Mrs. Regina
Moromizato, Catholic University of Peru
 Pre-natal Program, CENDI, Mrs. Alba Anaya Rodriguez, Academic
Director CENDIs, Monterrey, Mexico.
 The Creative Curriculum System: A Proven Approach to Comprehensive
Early Childhood Education. Ms. Jessica Malkin and Vilma Williams,
Teaching Strategies, Washington, DC. USA.
 The Abecedarian Project: Implications for Programs in the First Three
Years of Life, Joseph Sparling, FPG Child Development Institute,
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (USA).
Dialogue
Moderator: Gaby Fujimoto, Senior Education Specialist, Department of
Education and Culture, Organization of American States (OAS).
- 19 -
Thursday May 17, 2007
Theme: Regional Experiences in developing policies that support integrated services, through country
presentations.
9:00 – 10:30
Fifth Subregional Panel: North America: Large-Scale and National
programs.
 National “Early Head Start” Program – coordination between
government and private sector, financing of services for children birth
to three. Mr. Frank Fuentes, Jr., Deputy Director, Administration for
Children and Families, Office of Head Start, Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS), USA.

 The Encyclopedia of Early Childhood Development and the Electronic
Bulletin, Mr. Francisco Quiazua, Centre of Excellence for Early
Childhood Development (CEECD), Montreal, Canada.
Dialogue
Moderator: Mrs. Sian Williams, UNICEF Official, Jamaica
10:30 - 10:45
BREAK
10:45 - 11:45
Proposal for the evaluation design of the OAS project “Policies and Strategies
for a successful transition to school and socialization”. Theoretical framework,
recommendations for further work at the country level. Prioritization of actions,
selection of areas, indicators and instruments to measure the actions proposed in
the work groups.
Ms. Ofelia Reveco, Director of Research from the International Institute of
Early Education. Chile
Dialogue
Moderator: Mr. Juan Sanchez Muliterno, AMEI
11:45 – 17:00
Work groups by sub-regions: Andean, Merco Sur, Central America, North
America, and Caribbean. Each group will select a rapporteur
Coordination: Ms. Margarita Gutierrez Talamas, Prospectiva Educativa,
México.
Work Group Moderators: Ms. Erika Dunkelberg, World Bank; Ms. Sara
Victoria Alvarado, Colombia; Ana María Stalla, Uruguay; Ms. Rosa Valera,
Dominican Republic; Regina Moromizato, Perú, Ms. Sian Williams, UNICEF
Jamaica
- 20 -
Friday, May 18, 2007
Theme: Dialogue based on results of work groups with participation from the delegates of government
and civil society. The rapporteurs will present their conclusions and propose future actions within the
framework of the OAS “Policies and Strategies” project, directed at meeting national and international
(EFA, MDG) goals. Presentations will be organized by sub-regions. Representatives from the
international and non governmental organizations will respond to the working group proposals and
respond on how they could facilitate the process. Conclusions from the Symposium. Future actions
supported by the project. Project evaluation.
9:00 - 10:30
Panel: Caribbean and North America: Results of Work Group
Discussions. Representatives from the international organizations and non
governmental organizations will comment and respond to the working group
proposals as presented by the rapporteurs and how they could facilitate future
actions at the country or regional levels.
 OEA, Lenore Yaffee García
 UNICEF, Lola Ramocan, Jamaica
 CAB, Francisco Huerta Montalvo
 Banco Mundial, Erika Dunkelberg
 BID, Juan Carlos Navarro
 AMEI, Juan Sánchez Muliterno
 OMEP1, Selma Simonstein
 OPS, Sofialeticia Morales
 OEI, Reina Gladis Menjívar
Moderator: Mrs. Maria Victoria Peralta, IIEI, Chile.
10:30 – 10:45
BREAK
10:45 – 12:30
Panel: Central America, Andean Countries and Merco Sur: Results of
Work Group Discussions (continued…)
 OEA, Gaby Fujimoto
 UNICEF, Lola Ramocan, Jamaica
 CAB, Francisco Huerta Montalvo
 Banco Mundial,
 BID, Aimee Verdisco
 AMEI, Juan Sánchez Muliterno
 OMEP2, Selma Simonstein
 PAHO, Sofialeticia Morales
 OEI, Reina Gladis Menjívar
Moderator: Ms. Sara Victoria Alvarado, CINDE, Colombia.
12:30 - 14:00
1.
2
.
Presentation of the Second Symposium on Transition and Monitoring and
Evaluation of Early Childhood Policies. Mrs. Gaby Fujimoto, OAS
Organización Mundial de Educación Preescolar
Organización Mundial de Educación Preescolar
- 21 -
Conclusion of the Symposium and plans for the future
Lenore Yaffee García, DEC/OEA
Gaby Fujimoto, DEC/OEA
Sara Victoria Alvarado, Colombia
Margarita Gutiérrez Talamás, Prospectiva Educativa, México
Erika Dunkelberg, Banco Mundial
Rosa Valera, Dominican Republic
Regina Moromizato, Perú
Sian Williams, UNICEF, Jamaica
Ana María Stalla, Uruguay
The Symposium "Understanding the state of the art in early childhood education and care: the first
three years of life" will be transmitted live through our website.
http://www.oas.org/OASpage/Live/OASlive_spa.asp
http://www.oas.org/OASpage/Live
- 22 -
ANNEX 2
INTER-AMERICAN SYMPOSIUM UNDERSTANDING THE STATE OF THE ART IN
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND CARE:
THE FIRST THREE YEARS OF LIFE
May 14-18, 2007
LIST OF PARTICIPANTS
TEXTUAL
ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA
D. Earla Musgrave-Esdaille
Education Officer
Early Childhood Education
Cleo Hampson
Public Health Nurse
Ministry of Health
Catherine Blackman
Education Officer
Early Childhood Education
Margaret R. Williams
Early Childhood Education Coordinator
Anita Zetina
Chief Executive Officer
Ministry of Human Development
Belle Vue State, P.O Box 2731
St. John’s, Antigua
barney@candw.ag Tel: (268) 463 4769 (home)
(268) 462 4959/ 462 4569
New Winthorpes Village
St. John’s, Antigua
Hampson_ccm@hotmail.com
BARBADOS
cvdownrich@hotmail.com
cblackman@mes.gov.bb
98 Heywoods Park, St Peters, Barbados, WI
Fax: (246) 436-2411
BELIZE
5541 Leslie Street
Belize City, Belize
margembz@yahoo.com
Tel: (501) 223 1184
Faber’s Road Extensión
Belize City, Belize
anitazetina@hotmail.com
Tel: (501) 822 2246
Fax: (501) 822 3175
BRASIL
Stela Maris Lagos Oliveira
Cordinadora General de Educación Infantil
Ministério de Educação e do Desporto
Brasilia, Brasil
StelaOliveira@mec.gov.br
Fax (55-61) 410-9233
Fax: (501) 223 1778
- 23 -
Wynne Young
Deputy Minister
Department of Learning
Saskatchewan, Canadá
Patricia Hauck
Manager, Alberta Children and Youth
Initiatives
Alberta Education
CANADA
2220 College Avenue
Regina, SK, S4P, 4V9, Canada
wyoung@sasked.gov.sk.ca
Tel. 306 787 2471 Fax 306 787 1300
44 Capital Boulevard, 10044-108 Street.
Edmonton, AB, T5J 5E6, Canada Fax 780 644
2284
Pat.Hauck@gov.ab.ca Tel. 780 644 2285
COLOMBIA
Juana Inés Díaz Tafur
Viceministro de Educación Preescolar,
Básica y Media, Ministerio de Educación
Nacional
Jairo Zuluaga
Consultor
Universidad Nacional de Colombia
judiaz@mineducacion.gov.co
Tel: 2222-800 ext 2002 y 3830714
Diagonal 38, # 39-14, Bogotá, Colombia
Carlos del Castillo
Gerente, Proyecto Primera Infancia
Ministerio de Educación Nacional
Diagonal 38, # 39-14
Bogotá, Colombia
ccastillo@mineducacion.gov.co
Tel: (57-1) 221-2880 ó 2222831 ext 2102
Fax: (57-1) 315-6710
Martha Suárez Jiménez
Consultora, CINDE
Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Niñez y
Junevntud Alianza
Cra. 17A # 4-56, La Francia
Manizales, Colombia
biodiversa@yahoo.com
marthasu99@hotmail.com
Tel: (57-6) 889-3161
Rocío Gómez
Asesora de Primera Infancia
Dirección General del
Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar
(ICBF)
Av. Cra. 68 # 64C-75
Bogotá, Colombia
alba.velasquez@icbf.gov.co
1192 -1193
Bogotá, Colombia
Zuluaga_jairo@hotmail.com
Tel: 571 316 5466; Cel: 57 316 269-5105
Fax: 571 316 5308 / 571 316 5000 Extensiones
15148 o 15125
Tel: 437 7630 Ext.
COSTA RICA
Ana Isabel Cerdas González
Directora Nacional de Educación Preescolar
Ministerio de Educación
San José, Costa Rica
San José, Costa Rica
anaicego@hotmail.com
acerdas@mep.go.cr Tel. (506) 221 2802
Fax ( 506) 221 4152 Ext. 249
- 24 -
Maria Estela Ortiz
Vicepresidenta Ejecutiva
Junta Nacional de Jardines Infantiles (JUNJI)
Santiago, Chile
CHILE
Marchand Pereira 726
Providencia. Santiago, Chile
http://www.junji.cl eortiz@junji.cl
Loreto Amunátegui Barros
Directora Ejecutiva de INTEGRA
Fundación Educacional para el Desarrollo
Integral del Menor. Santiago, Chile
Presidencia de la República, Alonso Ovalle 1180,
lamunategui@integra.cl
Tel: 707 5202
Fax: 707 5210
Grimaldina Epi Araya Rojas
Especialista de JUNJI, Santiago, Chile
Alameda # 5307
Santiago, Chile, http://www.junji.cl
garaya@junji.cl Tel: (56-2) 654 -5005
Anatonia Cepeda Antoine
Especialista de JUNJI, Santiago, Chile
Diego Rojas # 753
acepeda@junji.cl
Tel: (56-2) 654-5005
Natalia Angélica Duarte Araya
Especialista de JUNJI, Santiago, Chile
Guillermo Blest-Gana # 1903
nduarte@junji.cl Tel: (56-2) 654-5005
Belia Jazmín Toro Campos
Especialista de JUNJI, Santiago, Chile
Los Tulipanes # 2158
btoro@junji.cl Tel: (56-2) 555-3346
ECUADOR
Martha Rivadeneira Naranjo
Directora de Educación Inicial
Ministerio de Educación
Quito, Ecuador
Av. Republica E7-143 y Diego de Almagro Edif.
Presidente – 7mo. Piso
Quito, Ecuador ; dneinicial@ecutel.net
Telefax: (593-2) 223 0821 ó 222 3207
Patricia Ashton
Directora de Cooperación Nacional e
Internacional
Ministerio de Educación
Quito, Ecuador
Buenos Aires 136 y 10 de Agosto, Edif. Merino
BHU, 5to. Piso, Quito
Tel: (593-2) 223 5225 / 255 1146
Fax (593-2) 250 3537 sucashton@hotmail.com
ESTADOS UNIDOS
Frank Fuentes Jr.
Deputy Director; Office of Head Start
US Department of Health and Human
Services
Norma Garza
Senior Advisor for Early
Education
US Department of Education
8205 Hedge Apple Way
Gaithersburg, MD, 20879;
Frank.fuentes@acf.hhs.gov
Tel: (202)205 8347
400 Maryland Ave, SW
Childhood Washington DC 20202, norma.garza@ed.gov
Tel: 202-205-1656, Fax: 202-205-0303
- 25 -
David Silverman
Foreign Affairs Officer
U.S. Department of State
Washington, D.C.
SilvermanDA@state.gov
Melissa Kopolow
Alternate Representative
U.S. Permanent Mission to the OAS, U.S.
Department of State
Washington, D.C.
KopolowMJ@state.gov
202-647-9915
Rebecca Kantor
Director of the School of Teaching and
Learning
The Ohio State University at Lima
333 Arps Hall, 1945 N. High Street
Columbus, OH, 43210
Kantor-martin.1@osu.edu
Tel: (614) 292
1257
Fax: (614) 292 7695
Barbara Seidl
Associate Professor
The Ohio State University
333 Arps Hall, 1945 N. High Street
Columbus, OH, 43210
Seidl.5@osu.edu; Tel: ( 614) 397 7703
Dean Cristol
Academic Coordinator of Educational
Programs
The Ohio State University at Lima
4240 Campus drive
Lima Ohio, 45804, Cristol.2@osu.edu
Tel: (419) 995 8274,
Fax: (419) 995 8094
Jessica Malkin
Government & International Program
Coordinator
Teaching Strategies
Washington, D.C.
5151 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Suite 300,
Washington DC, 20016
jessicam@teachingstrategies.com
Tel (202)362 7543 Fax (202) 364 7273
Vilma M. Williams
Director of Training Services
Council for Professional Recognition
Teaching Strategies
vilmaw@cdacouncil.org
Tel. (202) 265 9090
Joseph Sparling, PhD
FRG Child Development Institute
University of North Carolina
Abecedarian Project Developer
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
sparling@unc.edu
(919) 929-1017
Adrian Cerezo
Interno, Yale University ; UNICEF
Adrian.cerezo@yale.edu
Jean Simpson
Head Start Bureau, Education Program
Specialist & OMEP Regional representative
Jean.simpson@acf.hhs.gov
- 26 -
Ruth Uhlmann
Early Childhood Specialist
3902 Jocelyn St. NW
Washington, DC 20015
Ruhlmann90@verizon.net Tel: (202) 363 3177
Helen Jeannie Hetzler
GTA. Ohio State University
158 Ramceyer Hall
Columbus, OH 43216,
hetzler.5@osu.edu
Pilar Fort
Zero to Three
2000 M Street, NW suite 200
Washington, DC 20036;
pfort@zerotothree.org
Rafael Nevarez
US Department of Education
Tel: (202) 205 0704
Rafael.nevarez@ed.gov
Ivy Harris
Early Childhood Education Supervisor
Ministry of Education
GRENADA
St. George’s, Grenada, WI
ivybh@hotmail.com
Tel: (473) 440 2737 ext. 7200
Tel: (473) 440 4468
JAMAICA
Maureen Samms-Vaughan
Chairman, Early Childhood Commission
Shops 45-46 Kingston Mall 8-10 Ocean
Boulevard, Kingston, Jamaica, WI
msamms@cwjamaica.com Tel: (876) 922 92967 or 948 9405 Fax: (976) 922 9295
MÉXICO
Margarita L. Gutiérrez Talamás
Directora General de l a Sociedad para el
Desarrollo Educativo: Prospectiva
P.O. Box 33 Sucursal E
Saltillo, Coahuila
CP 25250, México
margaritagutierreztalamas@hotmail.com
prospectivamx@hotmail.com
Telefax: [52] (844 416 8070
Fax: (52 55) 5521 5732
Alba Anaya
Centros de Desarrollo Infantil Tierra y
Libertad
Rubén Jaramillo y Ave. San Martín
Colonia Tierra y Libertad
Monterrey, Nuevo León, México. DF
cendidg@prodigy.org
Telefax: (52 81) 83 73 10 23
Bernardo Aguilar
Director de Calidad, Centros de Desarrollo
Infantil Tierra y Libertad
Monterrey, México
Rubén Jaramillo y Ave. San Martín
Colonia Tierra y Libertad
Monterrey, Nuevo León, México
Bernard99@email.com
cendidg@hotmail.com
- 27 -
Tel: (52 8) 373 0602
Fax: (52 8) 373 1023
NICARAGUA
María Dolores Estrada
Save the Children
Managua, Nicaragua
maria.estrada@savechildrennoruega.org.ni
PARAGUAY
Victorina Espínola de Ruíz Díaz
Ministra Secretaria Ejecutiva
Secretaría Nacional de la Niñez y la
Adolescencia, Asunción, Paraguay
Brasil Nº 3369 – Asunción
victorinasnna@yahoo.com
Graciela Rojas
Directora, Dirección de Educación Inicial
Dirección General de Educación Inicial y
Escolar Básica
Ministerio de Educación y Cultura
Asunción, Paraguay
Humaitá 357 entre Chile y Alberdi 1er. Piso
Asunción, Paraguay
vicedu@mec.gov.py
PERU
Amparo Muguruza
Directora Ejecutiva
Programa Nacional Wawa Wasi
Ministerio de la Mujer y Desarrollo Social
Av. San Martín 685
Pueblo Libre
Lima, Perú
amuguruza@wawawasi.mimdes.gob.pe
Tel: 462 3599
Fax: 261 2400 Anexo 230
REPÚBLICA DOMINICANA
Carmen Sánchez
Directora General de Educación Inicial
Secretaría de Estado de Educación
Santo Domingo, República Dominicana
Calle Peña Batle
Sector Villa Juana
Santo Domingo, República Dominicana
csanchezramos@verizon.net.do
cel. 1-809-350-6966
Guadalupe Valdez San Pedro
Coordinadora Fondos Concursables para el
Desarrollo de Innovaciones Educativas
Secretaría de Estado de Educación
Santo Domingo, República Dominicana
Máximo Gómez No. 19, esquina Bolívar
Santo Domingo
fondosconcursablessee@gmail.com
guvaldez@see.gov.do
Tel: (809)682 7113
- 28 -
Clara Baez
Coordinadora del Proyecto de educación
Inicial OCI
Secretaría de Estado de Educación
Santo Domingo, República Dominicana
Máximo Gómez No. 2, esquina Bolívar
Santo Domingo
clarablp@yahhoo.com
Rosa Ariza Valera
Directora General
Instituto Nacional de Educación Inicial
Manzana F No. 18-B Residencial el Cachón
Km, Ocho y medio, carretera Mella
rosaarisadevalera@yahoo.com
rosa_valera_ariza@hotmail.com
Tel: 483 0215, 483 1068
Fax: 483 1068
SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS
Warner-Otto Rosalind
Resource Teacher
Early Childhood Unit
Ministry of Education
Lower Bourkes Project
roseather@hotmail.com
Tel: (869) 465-2369 / 465 3931
Cel: (869) 663 1859
TRINIDAD Y TOBAGO
Zita Wright
ECCE Specialist
Ministry of Education
zitawright@walla.com
ecce@tstt.net.tt
Marilyn Procope-Beckles
Project Manager
School Health Programme
Ministry of Health
marybec@myself.com
Shareeda Narsiah
Ag. Senior Planning Officer
Ministry of Social Development
69 Independence Square
Port of Spain
narsiahs@msd.gov.tt
Tel: (868) 625 9227
Fax: (868) 627 9879
URUGUAY
Pilar Petingi
Encargada del área de Primera Infancia
Dirección de Educación
Ministerio de Educación y Cultura
Luis A. de Herrera # 2868
Montevideo, Uruguay
ppetingi@gmail.com
petingi@mec.gub.uy
Tel: (598-2) 917 0748
Telefax: (598-2) 915 6004
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Ana María Stalla
Inspectora de Educación Inicial
Consejo Nacional de Administración de la
Educación
Alberto Zum # 1608
Montevideo, Uruguay
ana_stalla@hotmail.com
Tel: (598-2) 619-8118
- 30 -
ORGANISMOS E INSTITUCIONES INTERNACIONALES
BANCO MUNDIAL
Mary Eming Young
Children Youth Unit
Human Development Network
1776 G Street, NW
Washington DC, 20433, USA
Myoung3@worldbank.org
Erika Dunkelberg
edunkelberg@worldbank.org
Consultant, Children Youth Unit, Human Tel: (202) 473 6733
Development Network 1776 G Street, NW, Fax: (202) 522- 7112
Washington DC, 20433, USA
Emiliana Vegas
Senior Education Economist
Latin America and the Caribbean Region
Human Development Department
The World Bank
1818 H Street, NW, MSN 17-700
Washington DC, 20433, USA
evegas@worldbank.org
Tel. (202) 458 9836
Fax (202) 522 0050
BERNARD VAN LEER FOUNDATION
Luiz Bazilio
Consultor CECIP
Centro de Creación de Imagen Popular
Río de Janeiro, Brasil
Largo de Sao Francisco de Paula
34/4to. Andar 20051-070
Río de Janeiro.
bazilio@uninet.com.br
(5521) 2509 3812 y 8124 3219
Regina Moromizato
Docente Investigadora
y Coordinadora de Programa de Niños de la
Amazonía
Universidad Católica
Avenida Universitaria 1801
San Miguel, Lima, Perú.
rmorom@pucp.edu.pe
Rosa Mendoza
Escuela para el Desarrollo
Lima, Perú
Miguel Soto Valle 247
Magdalena, Lima, Perú
ruth@escuela.org.pe
Tel: 2645836-2644858
UNICEF
Nurper Ulkuer, Ph.D
Senior Advisor
ECD Unit/PDDO
UNICEF New York
UNICEF House
3 UN Plaza, Room 1088.
New York, NY, 10017
nulkuer@unicef.org
Tel: (212) 303 7955
Fax: (212) 824 6470
- 31 -
Claudine Hammen de Eersteling
Project Officer of Health and Nutrition
UNICEF Suriname
Heerenstraat 17
Paramaribo, Suriname
cphammen@yahoo.com
chammen@unicef.org
Tel: 597-425-148
Fax: 597-424-488
Sian Williams
Early Childhood Specialist
UNICEF
8th Floor Pan Caribbean Building
60 KNutsford Boulevard
Kingston 5, Jamaica
sgwilliams@unicef.org
Tel:+1(876)926-7584
Fax: +1(876) 929-8084
Judith Alpuche
Early Childhood Development and Education
Officer
UNICEF
5 Lily St.
Belmopan, Belize
jalpuche@unicef.org
Tel: (501) 223 3609
Fax: (501) 223 3891
Lola Ramocan
Early CHildhood Development Officer
UNICEF
Jamaica
lramocan@unicef.org
60 Knustford Boulevard, 8th Floor,
Kingston 5, Jamaica
Telephone: 926-7584
BANCO INTERAMERICANO DE DESARROLLO (BID)
Juan Carlos Navarro
Jefe de Educación
Departamento de Desarrollo Sostenible
Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo
1300 New York Ave., NW
Washington DC 20577, USA
juancn@iadb.org
Aimee Verdisco
Especialista en Educación
Departamento de Desarrollo Sostenible
Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo
1300 New York Ave., NW
Washington DC 20577, USA
aimeev@iadb.org
Tel: (202) 623 1752
UNESCO
Iván Castro
Oficial UNESCO/OREALC
Santiago, Chile
rblanco@unesco.cl
Fax: 56 2 655 1046
- 32 -
ORGANIZACION DE ESTADOS IBEROAMERICANOS (OEI)
Reina Gladis Menjívar
Coordinadora de El Salvador
Organización de Estados Iberoamericanos para
la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura (OEI)
San Salvador, El Salvador
reinagladis@oei.org.sv
CONVENIO ANDRES BELLO (CAB)
Francisco Huerta Montalvo
Secretario Ejecutivo
Convenio Andrés Bello (CAB)
cmescobar@cab.int.co
fhuerta@cab.int.co
Ave 13 No. 85-60
Bogotá, COlombia
Claudia Escobar (contacto) Bogotá Colombia
Tel: (57 1) 530 1638
Fax: (571) 610 0139
Olga Turbay
Asesora
Convenio Andrés Bello (CAB)
Bogotá, Colombia
Bogotá Colombia
Olturbay@cab.int.co
Tel: (571) 644 9292 ext 187
Cel: 313 348 3042
CENTRO DE INVESTIGACIÓN Y DESARROLLO (CINDE)
Sara Victoria Alvarado
Directora del Doctorado de Manizales
CINDE
Carrera 23C No. 64-23, Manizales, Colombia
doctoradocinde@um.umanizales.edu.co
ospialva@epm.net.co
Telefax: (57 6)885 9589 ó 881 2527
FPG CHILD DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE
Joseph Sparling
The Abecedarian Project
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
sparling@unc.edu
Tel: (919) 929 1017
ASOCIACION MUNDIAL DE EDUCADORES INFANTILES (AMEI)
Juan Sánchez Muliterno
Averroes, 3 Madrid
Presidente
jsm@waece.org
Asociación Mundial de Educadores Infantiles Tel: (34 91) 501 8754
AMEI
Fax: (34 91) 501 8756
Elvira Sánchez Igual
Directora de Comunicaciones
AMEI
Averíes, 3-28007 Madrid
comunicacion@waece.org
Tel: (34-91) 501-8754
- 33 -
CANADIAN INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED RESEARCH (CIAR)
Stuart Shanker
President
Council for Early Child Development
Toronto, Canada
401 Richmond St. West, Suite 277
Toronto, ON, M5V3A8
sshanker@councilecd.ca
sshanker@founders.net
Tel: (416) 894-1332
Fax: (416) 593 9093 / 971-6169
CENTER OF EXCELENCE FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT (CEECD)
Francisco Quiazúa
3050, boul. Edouard Montpetit B-203, Montreal,
Coordinador
Québec, H3C 3J7
Centro de Excelencia para el Desarrollo de la Francisco.quiazua@umontreal.ca
Primera Infancia
Tel: (514) 343 6111 Poste 2504
Montréal, Québec
Fax: (514) 343 6962
INSTITUTO INTERNACIONAL DE EDUCACION INFANTIL (IIDEI)
María Victoria Peralta
Directora del Instituto Internacional de
Educación Infantil
Universidad Central de Chile
Santa Isabel 1278
oficina 403 Parque Almagro
Santiago
mvperaltac@ucentral.cl
iidei@ucentral.cl
(IIDEI) Ucentral
Tel: (562) 582 67 29 – 38
Fax: (56 2) 582 6734
Ofelia Reveco
Consultora
Coordinadora de Investigaciones del Instituto
Internacional de Educación Infantil
Universidad Central de Chile
Santa Isabel 1278 Parque Almagro
Santiago, Chile
orevecov@ucentral.cl ofeliareveco@hotmail.com
Tel: (56 2) 582 67 28 – 38
Fax: )56 2) 582 6734
OMEP
Selma Simonstein
Presidenta Mundial OMEP. Universidad
Central de Chile
Santa Isabel 1278 Parque Almagro, Santiago, Chile
ssimonstein@ucentral.cl
Tel: (56 2) 582 6732
Fax: (56 2) 582 6734
Wilhelmina Burress
Specialist
OMEP
P.O. Box 1696
Bowie, MD 20717
Wdb11@juno.com
Tel: (301) 249 6461
- 34 -
CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY (CARICOM) SECRETARIAT
Patricia A. McPherson
Senior Project Officer – Education
CARICOM Secretariat
Turkeyen, Georgetown
Guyana
pmcpherson@caricom.org
Tel: (592) 222-0001 ext 2702
ORGANIZACIÓN PANAMERICANA DE LA SALUD (OPS)
Sofíaleticia Morales
CIDI01925E03
525, 23rd Street, N.W.
Washington, DC
Tel: (202) 974 3106
moraless@paho.org