Monitoring CRC-GC7: Rights in Early Childhood

1. Monitoring CRC-GC7: Rights in Early Childhood Clyde Hertzman Human Early Learning Partnership on behalf of the GC7 Monitoring Group

2. Why monitor CRC GC: 7 in Canada?

3. Sensitive Periods in Early Brain Development Pre-school years School years High Numbers Peer social skills Language Symbol Sensitivity Habitual ways of responding Emotional control Vision Hearing Low 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 Years Graph developed by Council for Early Child Development (ref: Nash, 1997; Early Years Study, 1999; Shonkoff, 2000.)

4. Life Course Problems Related to Early Life Experiences 2nd Decade 3rd/4th Decade 5th/6th Decade Old Age • School Failure • Teen Pregnancy • Criminality • Obesity • Elevated Blood • Pressure • Depression • Coronary Heart Disease • Diabetes • Premature Aging • Memory Loss

5. What influences early child development? The experiences children have in the environments where they grow up, live and learn.

6. The Early Development Instrument

7. What Does the EDI Measure?

12. What the maps reveal… Large local area differences in the proportion of developmentally vulnerable children

13. What the maps reveal… The high proportion of avoidable vulnerability

14. Commission’s recommendation ‘equity from the start’

15. Rationale for linking ECD to Rights Build upon the monitoring capacity of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child to orchestrate a global conversation on supporting child development ‘from the start’.

16. 2005: indicators group forms; approaches CRC Monitoring Committee; argues that GC:7 is impractical/underused and there is a need for user-friendly and useful GC:7 indicators • 2006: CRC Monitoring Committee invites group to develop indicators that would assist States’ reporting and promote CRC GC:7 realization UN-CRC GC:7 Indicators

17. Who is involved in CRC GC: 7 Indicators group?

18. BvL

19. Why a General Comment on Rights in Early Childhood?

20. Why indicators? Why monitoring? Procedural rights vs Substantive rights

21. Why indicators? Why monitoring? Procedural rights = immediate realization Substantive rights = ‘progressive realization’

22. Why indicators? Why monitoring? CRC:GC7 is mostly about substantive rights You can only tell if there is ‘progressive realization’ by monitoring over time. Monitoring can create a bridge between population health and human rights.

23. 2005: indicators group forms; approaches CRC Monitoring Committee; argues that GC:7 is impractical/underused and there is a need for user-friendly and useful GC:7 indicators • 2006: CRC Monitoring Committee invites group to develop indicators that would assist States’ reporting and promote CRC GC:7 realization 2006-2008: indicators of GC:7 are developed, merging population health and rights cultures UN-CRC GC:7 Indicators

24. CRC GC: 7 Indicators were meant to: • Assist States Parties with preparation of their report to the Monitoring Committee • Monitor the progressive realization of rights in early childhood

25. We created15 Indicator Clusters matching CRC reporting guidelines • General Measures of Implementation (4) • Dissemination of GC7 • Constructing and implementing the positive agenda • Human Rights training • Data collection system • Civil rights and freedoms (1) Birth registration • Family environment and alternative care (2) • Participation in household decision making • Violence against young children • Basic health and welfare (3) • Basic material needs • Child survival and health • Age-appropriate health education • Education, leisure and cultural activities (4) • Early education service provision • Educational service provision for vulnerable • Knowledge of right and capacity to support it • Play, leisure and rest opportunitites • Special protection measures (1) Inclusive policy and provisions for vulnerable groups

26. GC7 PARA/ REPORTING GUIDELINE Structural Components of Indicators DUTY BEARERS SOURCES OF INFO OUTCOME PROCESS STRUCTURE

27. No Steps to have such policies in place Steps to have such policies in place Are there improving trends in children’s development measured by cognitive, physical health, and socio-emotional outcomes? Are there processes to evaluate and improve human resources as far as the early education system is concerned? Are there policies in place to ensure that both primary and pre-school provisions are suitably child-centered, child-friendly, rights based, and aligned with the GC7 principles and the aims of education? Suggestions Suggestions No Develop policies for Provision of appropriate early childhood education Steps to investigate lack of response No mobility, training, and recruitment. • Develop policies • to promote equal access (for boys and girls) • to these services financial or non-financial compensations collect population level baseline data on ECD Suggestions If data exist, investigate potential causes for this lack response by data disaggregation

28. Are there improving trends in children’s development measured by cognitive, physical health, and socio-emotional outcomes (DHS, MICS, EDI, etc.)? Are there improving trends in children’s development measured by cognitive, physical health, and socio-emotional outcomes (DHS, MICS, EDI, etc.)? Are there improving trends in children’s development measured by cognitive, physical health, and socio-emotional outcomes? ON EDI data collection around the world www.offordcentre.com Steps to investigate lack of response BC annual EDI data http://www.earlylearning.ubc.ca/EDI/maps_bc.html collect population level baseline data on ECD Suggestions If data exist, investigate potential causes for this lack response by data disaggregation

29. What the manual provides Indicators unpacked Structural indicators Process indicators Outcome indicators Relevant CRC articles Introduction measurable changes in the "rights environments" or in ECD measures Key question Excerpts from concluding observations Commitments made Actions taken Flowchart and suggestions Where to look for data Duty bearers Words of caution Indicator table Country example

30. CRC GC-7 Indicators • May 2008: GC:7 indicators were presented to the monitoring committee

32. Piloting Strategy Low income: Tanzania Middle income: Chile High income: Canada (?)

35. Objectives of the pilot • To test the relevance and feasibility of each indicator • To further refine the indicators and the flow charts • To understand whether or not the process serves as a means of national, institutional self-study

36. Potential benefits for pilot country Awareness raising How many “No”s, how many “Yes”s in the system? How to turn “No’s to “Yes”s? Capacity building Better reporting system How to use “Yes”s and “No”s to describe the status of child rights in the country and communicate it to UN-CRC?

38. Capacities recorded for main clusters of CRC during TZ-Pilot

39. Achievements • A combined human and technical process Technical aspect -- a thorough inventory check of the existing capacities around CRC in 3 months! Human aspect -- strengthening and enhancing the quality of the inter-ministerial relationships • Engaging traditionally under-represented key CR players • Positive impact on ongoing CR projects

40. Challenges • GC:7 an unknown document • Existing data is archived in an unknown place • In the absence of outcome data the quantified information may oversimplify the country’s situation • Computerization would increase efficiency

42. For the Chile pilot Development of an electronic version of the manual to: reduce labor-intensiveness reduce reliance on external technical support provide a template that compiles the evidence for CRC reporting

43. For the Chile pilot Take the pilot right through the inter-sectoral appraisal of information and report writing. To be completed by Sept-Oct of 2011, in time for revisions.

44. The sequence of events of pilots • Feasibility assessment • Creating an MOU • Recruiting the Task Force (TF); creating advisory/management structure • Training the TF • Data collection – 3-4 months time window • Midterm evaluation • Data review • Wrap up meeting & Summary

45. What has been required of a TF member? • Attending 3 meetings with the entire pilot team; training, midterm, wrap up meeting. • Attending approx. 6 meetings with the team; 2 meeting per month during the 3 months of data collection period. • Time commitment of about 5 hours a week for working on the indicators and compiling data.

46. The Forward Plan • Revise in light of Chile experience • Pilot in an upper income country…Canada???? • • Final indicators and implementation manual to CRC Monitoring Committee • Have indicators promulgated for use in all 193 signatory countries • • Use our template for the balance of the Convention and General Comments

47. For further info:visit the Global Knowledge Hub for ECD at :http://www.earlylearning.ubc.ca/or contact --ziba.vaghri@ubc.ca