EFA Goal 1: Early childhood care and education; Asia ... - Unicef

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Background on early
childhood care and education
Goal 1: Expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care
and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged
children
2.1 Definitions of early childhood care and
education
Early childhood refers to the period between birth and 8 years of life. The widely used term ‘early
childhood care and education’ (ECCE) refers to a range of processes and mechanisms that sustain
and support development during the early years of life: it encompasses education, physical, social
and emotional care, intellectual stimulation, health care and nutrition. It also includes the support a
family and community need to promote children’s healthy development.
Asia-Pacific End of Decade Notes on Education for All
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ECCE at the close of the 2000–2010 decade remains as complex a concept as it seemed at the
beginning. The following describes the situation at this point and thus the rationale for the direction
the Goal 1 EDN has taken:
Diversity of terminology. Several terms and definitions are used across the Asia-Pacific region
to refer to education and care for children younger than 8 years – along with the term ‘ECCE’
that this note uses, these include early childhood care and development (ECCD), early childhood
development (ECD), early childhood education (ECE), early childhood education, care and
development (ECECD) and early childhood education and development (ECED). Clearly, some
consensus on the scope and the holistic nature of ECCE is needed.
The lack of holistic, integrated services that address all aspects of development during early
childhood remains a problem. Sector-based compartmentalization of different aspects of
children’s services is limiting and can lead to fragmented or inconsistent delivery. This EDN gives
examples of good practice of integrated approaches used in the region.
There is a need for a ‘one-stop’ platform in which decision-makers can look for evidence of regional,
national and subnational trends to help them better target their policies. This EDN includes a
synthesis of such trends and themes.
The absence of a quantitative end target makes monitoring the progress towards this goal difficult
(UNESCO, 2007a). Mechanisms are required to address and analyse qualitative targets (such as
provisions for inclusion, components that include training for holistic interventions, in-depth
analyses of skills for caregiving that go beyond training and qualifications). The MDA process
also highlighted similar issues, including the need to clarify what the terms ‘comprehensive’,
‘expanding’ and ‘disadvantaged’ mean and how to define parameters and measurable indicators
for each.
Specific gaps and equity issues need to be systematically documented to ensure that the
appropriate interventions improve policy-making, implementation and monitoring.
This status update is not just a ‘stocktaking tool’ but a means to look ahead to 2015 and determine
as succinctly as possible what could be done differently. Not all the recommendations may be valid