National Conference – Early Learning: Status & Way Forward

1. National Conference – Early Learning: Status & Way Forward Quality in ECCE: Taking Implementation to Scale Pia Rebello Britto New Delhi, 27 September 2013

2. Overview Part 1 Quality

3. Overview Part 1 Quality National ECCE Policy

4. Overview Part 1 Quality Part 2 Plan of Action National ECCE Policy

5. Overview Part 1 Quality Part 3 Governance Part 2 Plan of Action National ECCE Policy

6. Part 1: Urgency of quality

7. Urgency of Quality “Learning Crises”: • Access • Education for All, Goal 1, UNESCO

8. Urgency of Quality

9. Urgency of Quality: An Issue of Equity

10. Urgency of Quality • Quality is the critical ingredient linked with early childhood outcomes • Programs of sufficient quality have the potential to increase cognitive and socio-emotional skills in the long term • Without a commitment to quality – program, setting and system characteristics associated with effectiveness and greater gains in child health, learning and behavior -- intended gains for children’s prospects as future citizens may be lost

11. Conceptualizing Quality ECD Britto, Yoshikawa, Boller (2011)

12. Principles of the Framework • Is a dynamic, flexible and adaptable construct that contours itself across cultures, settings, time, and types of intervention • Is multi-dimensional and requires articulation beyond interactional (responsiveness and reciprocity) aspects to include accountability, ownership, alignment with program goals and management of systems

13. 1. Alignment with Community & Societal Values • Establishing the meaning and understanding of quality is linked with values (Dahlberg, Moss & Pence, 2007). • Misalignment – values of global ECD may clash with local values and result in misguided implementations of ECD programs - E.g., language of instruction • Early Learning and Development Standards (Britto & Kagan, 2010) • Individual country domains through content validation with communities • Intrinsic versus instrumental value of ECD • CRC; Economic investment; Life Cycle Approach

14. 2. Interactions & Communication • Adult to Child • Responsiveness, scaffolding, cooperation, supportive and stimulating • Learning and teaching interactions • Service providers should have knowledge of the community in which they work • Adult to Adult • Supportive, Reciprocal and encourage participation (Myers, 2010; Paulsell, et al., 2010) • Abide by professional code of conduct and ethics (e.g., Respect for families) • Agencies • Collaboration across sectors – purpose, content & frequency (Stansbery, 2010) • Network characteristics as density, multiplicity of modes of communication or resources offered, and contact across isolated networks (Burt, 2001)

15. 3. Leadership & Management • Prioritization of resources for ECD, responsiveness to recipients issues • E.g., children with disabilities • Quality of leadership – Global Guidelines on Quality (ACEI, 2006) • Responsiveness to local staffing issues & communities • Recruiting appropriate service staff for marginalized, vulnerable and excluded groups • Capacity to grow and scale up programs and professional development • Monitor local delivery channels

16. 4. Physical & Spatial Characteristics • Conducive for learning • Individual space for belongings, indoor and outdoor equipment, washable and easy to clean • Safe and sustainable environments • Protected from risks from ecological degradation, toxic substances, roads, non-smoking • Use of natural resources (Iltus & Hard, 1995) • Disaster preparedness • Biophilic Features • Bringing nature into the learning environment (Kellert, 2012; Cerezo, Britto, Reyes & Zonderman, forthcoming) • System level: where the training of the service providers occurs; distance between training centers and services

17. 5. Resource & Distribution • Structural Resources • Staff to child ratio • Human Capital Resources • Capacity in practice: skills, ability, knowledge (Hommel, 2013) • Capacity in knowledge – policy planning, training, monitoring, measurement & evaluation (Hommel, 2013) • Experience & educational qualifications • Content Resources • Curriculum & Materials • Culturally responsive; flexible • Holistic approach • Growth, health, development, nutrition, disease management & control

18. Why is quality the last piece? • Conceptualizations of quality in more country and cultural contexts need to be clarified and defined • The single term “quality” may suggest a uniform, measurable standard where none exists (Dahlberg, et. al., 2007). • Quality is often seen as a luxury given its perceived cost • Lack of measurement and assessment tools • few resources, and limited capacity to conduct program evaluation and measure program quality (Myers, 2006) • Limited capacity to support quality improvements (Pence, 2008)

19. Whose Definition of Quality? • Quality can be understood and expressed in a variety of ways (Frameworks Institute, 2007) • Multiple sources of funding for ECD services which influence the concept of quality • Donor-driver focus on quality it could child outcomes only • Theme-based funding – which is sectoral primarily and less intersectoral or holistic

20. Developing a Quality Framework • Conceptual Framework • Defining quality using a participatory approach • Implementation Framework • Services & Systems to which it will be applied • Measurement Framework • Uses for results

21. Conceptual Framework • Begin the process with a dialogue on values and principles to define quality • Include a wide range of perspectives • E.g., family, program developer, service provider, trainer, and broader private or public auspice • Consider acceptable language • E.g., “effectiveness factors,” which are more specific and link program characteristics explicitly to improved child outcomes (National Forum on Early Childhood Programs and Evaluation, 2007). • Dimensions of quality that are important for the context, service and systems • Approach: prevention, intervention, curative?

22. Implementation Framework • Map the services and systems to which the framework will be applied • What are the ECD services • Which sector and stakeholders are implementing programs • Do current quality constructs exist • E.g., standards, curriculum, implementation regulations • Develop a plan for ease of implementation • The framework should match the ability to implement it – human capacity, resources, training systems • Private, public, community • Implementable and sustainable through the country • Dialogue with implementer to promote ownership of the framework for the specific services and systems

23. Measurement & Evaluation Framework • What aspects of quality will be measured and using what instruments • Adaptions for widely used international tools (e.g., ECERS) • Locally developed instruments • Monitoring • Index and indicators • Integrated continuum of services (Biersteker & Kvalsvig, 2007) • Evaluation • Process and outcomes • Uses • Improve program • Inform professional development and training

24. Part 2: From Aspiration to Action - Policy to Plan of Action

25. What is a Plan of Action? • The road map to achieve the policy vision • The plan of action consists of the details to accompany the ECD policy • The policy is an overarching statement • It typically does not include the detailed articulation of targets, indicators or particulars of program design etc. • The PoA is developed AFTER THE POLICY in order to spell out the details of how the goals and objectives of the policy will be achieved • A feasibility study is important in designing an implementable PoA

26. ECD Plan of Action Framework Britto, P.R., & van Ravens, J. (2008)

27. CHARACTERISTICS OF ECD PLAN OF ACTION SUSTAINABLE • Sociallysustainable • Owned and easily implementable by parents, communities, and civil society. • Politicallysustainable • Low risk that the provision is jeopardized once a new coalition takes power • Financially sustainable • Funding is secured, even if it has to rely changes in funding sources over time or during unforeseen situations • Capacity sustainability • Technical capacity in the country to implement the policy

28. Component1: Vision & Goals Goals are aligned with the objectives of the policy can be stated at different levels: One criteria of success of ECD policies isalignment with other national goals. (e.g.: aligning ECD goals with national Education goals, or national MDG targets)

29. Component 2: Strategies & Activities How will the goals & objectives be achieved? Through Strategies & Activities The actions of the plan A major challenge: to address diverse needs and requirements of different types of population, while ensuring equality and equity.

30. Considerations: Goals & Strategies Alignment between Policy Vision and PoAgoals and objects

31. Britto, P. R., Yoshikawa, H., & Boller, K. (2011). Quality of early childhood development programs in global contexts: Rationale for investment, conceptual framework and implications for equity. Social Policy Report. Vol. 25, No. 2.

32. Part 3: Governance

33. What is Governance? • Process of allocating responsibility for ECD services within and across levels of government and between public and private sectors (Britto, et al., 2013) • Horizontal – across sectors at the same level (Homsi & Hussein, 2013) • Vertical --Decentralization across levels (UNDP, 2010) • Public and private partnerships across sectors (Woodhead et. al., 2008) • Functions, include: design and development, implementation, monitoring and inspection, supervision, and coordination (Kaufmann, Kraay & Mastruzzi, 2004; UNESCO, 2012) • Situated within larger political, public policy, cultural and economic contexts (Yoshikawa & Currie, in press) • Environmental conditions – distribution of political power, prevailing market structures, cultural and community norms, etc. (Bermanm et al., 2011) • Capabilities: Capacity of knowledge; Capacity of practice (Hommel, 2013) • System = Supply side + Demand side (World Bank, 2004)

34. Results from a Global Study of ECD Governance

35. Illustrative Example of Result: Peru

36. Local Level Governance Achieving Quality Capacity of Practice Capacity of Knowledge

37. Take Aways….. • QUALITY for scaled up programmes, has to be considered not only at the setting level, but also at the system level • The process from policy to PLAN OF ACTION is best routed through a feasibility study • GOVERNANCE: Evidence-based strategies are necessary but insufficient conditions for scaling up because services are strengthened by strengthening systems • Additional food for thought: governance of finance consists of: costing; resource allocation; & distribution. The optimum formula should contextually determined

38. Acknowledgements Collaborators: Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Kimberly Boller, Liliana A. Ponguta, Maria Reyes, Ana Maria Nieto, Jan van Ravens, Richard Seder, Roland Dimaya, Soojin Oh, Adrian Cerezo, N. Shemrah Fallon, Michael McCarthy, Country Partners: UNICEF (e.g., Cambodia – Natalia Mufel); NGOs (e.g., Uganda – Ruth Musoke, Private Sector Foundation); Local universities (e.g., Peru - Ruth Cespedes, Univerisdad Antonio Ruiz de Montoya); and Individual Consultants (e.g., Kenya – Oscar Kedenge) International scholars and practitioners who participated and contributed papers to the New York University Abu Dhabi Institute’s conference “Beyond Child Indicators: A Framework to Assess and Evaluate the Quality of Early Childhood Services and Programs in Global Contexts” (April 2010) Funder: Bernard van Leer Foundation, Netherlands; New York University Research Partner: Innocenti Research Center, Italy