Establishing Professional Contacts and Expanding Resources

January 11, 2014

Part 1:

HEADQUARTERS

Abbie Raikes
Section for Basic Education
UNESCO Headquarters
ha.raikes(at)unesco.org

In 1945, UNESCO was created in order to respond to the firm belief of nations, forged by two world wars in less than a generation  that political and economic agreements are not enough to build a lasting peace. Peace must be established on the basis of humanity’s moral and intellectual solidarity.

UNESCO strives to build networks among nations that enable this kind of solidarity, by:

·         Mobilizing for education: so that every child, boy or girl, has access to quality education as a fundamental human right and as a prerequisite for human development.

·         Building intercultural understanding: through protection of heritage and support for cultural diversity. UNESCO created the idea of World Heritage to protect sites of outstanding universal value.

·         Pursuing scientific cooperation: such as early warning systems for tsunamis or trans-boundary water management agreements, to strengthen ties between nations and societies.

·         Protecting freedom of expression: an essential condition for democracy, development and human dignity.

Part 1:

The first initiative step I took was to browse through the list of contacts you had provided for us to choose from than I found the one that interest me the most. Therefore once I selected this country I found it to be interesting and educational. 

Mission

©UNESCO/Katy Anis

The foundations of human development are laid during the child's early years and thus early childhood requires an integrated approach to the child's care, development and learning.

Early childhood care and education (ECCE) is more than a preparatory stage assisting the child’s transition to formal schooling. Today, early childhood policies are placed within a broader context of social development, gender equity and poverty reduction.

UNESCO leads the international policy drive for an integrated early childhood care and education system that encompasses both the well-being and holistic development of the child. Our mission is to support early childhood policy development with the aim to build a solid foundation for a child’s lifelong learning.

UNESCO actively works with Member States in their efforts to develop and strengthen their national capacity to meet the first goal of the 2000 Dakar Framework for Action, which aims to expand and improve comprehensive early childhood care and education for all.

Part II:

I selected ZERO TO THREE because as a preschool teacher and desire to teach early childhood education as higher learning instructor I wanted to know how a child develops from the early years of life. Furthermore I find these years as foundation years whereas children can soak up all the knowledge parents and educators can provide or feed them. During this age children love the surroundings and use their five senses especially their hands and mouths. Therefore as teachers we have to be ready to allow them discover their own world by using their imaginations.

We welcome you to ZERO TO THREE’s website. ZERO TO THREE is a national nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals and policymakers the knowledge and the know-how to nurture early development.

Neuroscientists have documented that our earliest days, weeks and months of life are a period of unparalleled growth when trillions of brain cell connections are made. Research and clinical experience also demonstrate that health and development are directly influenced by the quality of care and experiences a child has with his parents and other adults.

That is why at ZERO TO THREE our mission is to promote the health and development of infants and toddlers.

We know that as babies, the way we are held, talked to and cared for teaches us about who we are and how we are valued. This profoundly shapes who we will become.

Early experiences set a course for a lifelong process of discovery about ourselves and the world around us. Simply put, early experiences matter. We encourage you to learn more about very young children, early development and the work of ZERO TO THREE by exploring our site.

I contact each association with great interest and truly want to develop a strong commitment to education and by using their resources will enable me to have a better understanding in other countries and a professional educator.