Summary - Consultative Group on Early Childhood Care and ...
Summary - Consultative Group on Early Childhood Care and ...
Summary - Consultative Group on Early Childhood Care and ...
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The Use <strong>and</strong> Impact of ECD Kits<br />
Post-Earthquake Haiti 2010<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>Summary</str<strong>on</strong>g> Document<br />
© UNICEF/J. Paris 2011<br />
© UNICEF/NYHQ2010-0167/Noorani<br />
© UNICEF/HTIA2011-00361/Dormino
© UNICEF/HTIA2011-00383/Marco Dormino<br />
Children play with <strong>Early</strong><br />
<strong>Childhood</strong> Development (ECD)<br />
kits inside a UNICEF tent at St<br />
Benedict school, within an IDP<br />
camp located in a former golf<br />
course.<br />
INTRODUCTION<br />
The UNICEF <strong>Early</strong> <strong>Childhood</strong> Development Kit (ECD Kit) was developed to focus attenti<strong>on</strong> to the needs of young<br />
children in humanitarian <strong>and</strong> c<strong>on</strong>flict-related emergencies, <strong>and</strong> to support the development of play <strong>and</strong> learning<br />
envir<strong>on</strong>ments under extreme c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>s (UNICEF, 2011). Each kit c<strong>on</strong>tains play materials <strong>and</strong> goods for up to 50<br />
children ages 0-6 years. The c<strong>on</strong>tents are housed in a heavy metal suitcase which will not be easily destroyed under<br />
treacherous c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>s. The kits c<strong>on</strong>tain dominoes, colouring pencils, blocks, h<strong>and</strong> puppets, memory games, <strong>and</strong> similar<br />
equipment designed to encourage social interacti<strong>on</strong>s <strong>and</strong> cognitive stimulati<strong>on</strong>. A <strong>Care</strong>giver’s Guide with activities is<br />
also included. The kit was piloted under emergency <strong>and</strong> fragile c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>s in Chad, Liberia, the Republic of C<strong>on</strong>go,<br />
Jamaica, Guyana, Maldives, <strong>and</strong> Iraq <strong>and</strong> was officially launched in Geneva in July 2009.<br />
When Haiti was hit with a devastating earthquake in 2010, ECD kits became a vital commodity during the relief<br />
<strong>and</strong> recovery stages. Over 1,540 ECD kits were distributed within the first two m<strong>on</strong>ths following the disaster <strong>and</strong> an<br />
additi<strong>on</strong>al 4,485 kits were distributed between June 2010 <strong>and</strong> December 2011.<br />
This unprecedented <strong>and</strong> extensive distributi<strong>on</strong> provided an opportunity to assess the processes <strong>and</strong> impact of ECD kits<br />
in emergency <strong>and</strong> disaster situati<strong>on</strong>s, <strong>and</strong> to formulate recommendati<strong>on</strong>s for future use <strong>and</strong> disseminati<strong>on</strong> of kits.<br />
Assessment of ECD Kits<br />
A study to assess the use <strong>and</strong> benefits of ECD kits in Haiti was commissi<strong>on</strong>ed by UNICEF <strong>and</strong> the <str<strong>on</strong>g>C<strong>on</strong>sultative</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Group</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
<strong>on</strong> <strong>Early</strong> <strong>Childhood</strong> <strong>Care</strong> <strong>and</strong> Development in late 2010. Informati<strong>on</strong> was gathered from key stakeholders, practiti<strong>on</strong>ers,<br />
<strong>and</strong> kit users through surveys, interviews, <strong>and</strong> focus group discussi<strong>on</strong>s (n=223 resp<strong>on</strong>dents). Findings from the study<br />
address the processes <strong>and</strong> impact of distributing UNICEF ECD kits in the early phases of the post-emergency situati<strong>on</strong><br />
in Haiti. Processes includes informati<strong>on</strong> about logistics <strong>and</strong> use of the kit. Impact addresses intended <strong>and</strong> unintended<br />
outcomes of the kit at the micro (child-focused) level <strong>and</strong> the broader community <strong>and</strong> policy levels.<br />
The Use <strong>and</strong> Impact of ECD Kits Post-Earthquake Haiti 2010 <str<strong>on</strong>g>Summary</str<strong>on</strong>g> Document | 1
FINDINGS<br />
ECD kits are used for myriad purposes in diverse settings.<br />
The main finding from this study was that ECD kits can serve a myriad of purposes. Because schooling was a priority in the<br />
Haitian c<strong>on</strong>text, the ECD kits were valued for their perceived role in promoting school readiness for children whose preschools<br />
had been destroyed <strong>and</strong> for those who had not had previous access to early childhood programs. Meanwhile, alternate sectors<br />
applied for kits <strong>and</strong> used them in diverse ways. Bey<strong>on</strong>d providing opportunities for play, interacti<strong>on</strong>, <strong>and</strong> stimulati<strong>on</strong> of the<br />
young children, the kits served as entry points for facilitating access to child protecti<strong>on</strong>, health, nutriti<strong>on</strong>, <strong>and</strong> sanitati<strong>on</strong> services.<br />
Kits were fundamental in developing safe spaces for provisi<strong>on</strong> of psychosocial support to young children <strong>and</strong> caregivers. Graph 1<br />
shows psychosocial outcomes of the kits for children, as reported by resp<strong>on</strong>dents.<br />
Graph 1: Reported psychosocial outcomes related to kit use.<br />
No. of Resp<strong>on</strong>dents<br />
160<br />
140<br />
120<br />
100<br />
80<br />
60<br />
40<br />
20<br />
0<br />
Happiness Security Positive Attitude Self Esteem Well-being Social Interacti<strong>on</strong> Other<br />
Reported positive outcomes<br />
Bey<strong>on</strong>d psychosocial outcomes, resp<strong>on</strong>dents also reported that kits were associated with support for all developmental domains<br />
in young children.<br />
Graph 2 shows the extent to which resp<strong>on</strong>dents identified kit usage with outcomes in five developmental domains: mental,<br />
intellectual, creative, physical, <strong>and</strong> social.<br />
Graph 2: Reported associati<strong>on</strong> of kit usage with developmental outcomes in young children.<br />
No. of Resp<strong>on</strong>dents<br />
30<br />
25<br />
20<br />
15<br />
10<br />
5<br />
0<br />
Mental Intellectural Creative Physical Social<br />
Developmental domins<br />
The Use <strong>and</strong> Impact of ECD Kits Post-Earthquake Haiti 2010 <str<strong>on</strong>g>Summary</str<strong>on</strong>g> Document | 2
Meanwhile, the use of kits was not limited to educati<strong>on</strong>al settings.<br />
Graph 3 shows the distributi<strong>on</strong> of resp<strong>on</strong>dents from the study, reflecting the diverse settings in which kits were used.<br />
Graph 3: Distributi<strong>on</strong> of resp<strong>on</strong>dents.<br />
% of resp<strong>on</strong>dents representing envir<strong>on</strong>ments using kits<br />
Orphanage<br />
Baby space/nutriti<strong>on</strong> tent<br />
Child friendly space<br />
Pediatric/Baby clinic<br />
Formal preschool<br />
Informal preschool<br />
No answer<br />
The use of kits in a range of settings meant that nutriti<strong>on</strong>, health, child protecti<strong>on</strong>, educati<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> water <strong>and</strong> sanitati<strong>on</strong> sectors<br />
came to offer <strong>and</strong> promote ECD activities, facilitating an integrated resp<strong>on</strong>se to the needs of young children <strong>and</strong> caregivers.<br />
Other outcomes included facilitating attenti<strong>on</strong> to the needs of children <strong>and</strong> supporting other program outcomes by providing<br />
visible resources to attract participants. As a result, users sought ideas <strong>and</strong> supports bey<strong>on</strong>d those offered in the accompanying<br />
<strong>Care</strong>giver’s Guide.<br />
Outcome depends <strong>on</strong> pre-emergency c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>s.<br />
A significant finding was that outcomes associated with kit use are highly dependent up<strong>on</strong> the ECD envir<strong>on</strong>ment or c<strong>on</strong>text<br />
which existed prior to the emergency. Thus broad generalisati<strong>on</strong>s about impact <strong>and</strong> effectiveness of ECD kits need to take<br />
into account the prevailing ECD envir<strong>on</strong>ment <strong>and</strong> related policy, infrastructure, <strong>and</strong> attitudinal c<strong>on</strong>text. For this reas<strong>on</strong>, the<br />
recommendati<strong>on</strong>s from the Haitian study may need to be tempered for situati<strong>on</strong>s with differing attitudes <strong>and</strong> approaches to<br />
ECD in the pre-emergency state.<br />
A number of factors c<strong>on</strong>tribute to successful outcomes of ECD kits.<br />
While generalisati<strong>on</strong>s bey<strong>on</strong>d the study parameters are cauti<strong>on</strong>ed, some implicati<strong>on</strong>s for resp<strong>on</strong>ding to early childhood<br />
development needs have been noted. The study revealed that ECD interventi<strong>on</strong> in a post-emergency situati<strong>on</strong> are most likely to<br />
be effective when ECD resp<strong>on</strong>ses are (1) integrated <strong>and</strong> use multisectoral approaches; (2) have been sancti<strong>on</strong>ed <strong>and</strong> approved by<br />
the community; <strong>and</strong> (3) are associated with investment in human resources. Bey<strong>on</strong>d this, the following critical issues were noted:<br />
distributi<strong>on</strong> of kits needs a coordinating body or process with governmental ownership; training is critical for kit effectiveness;<br />
<strong>and</strong>, when ECD initiatives incorporate local ownership, they can facilitate l<strong>on</strong>g-term plans for enhancing ECD in the affected<br />
regi<strong>on</strong>.<br />
The Use <strong>and</strong> Impact of ECD Kits Post-Earthquake Haiti 2010 <str<strong>on</strong>g>Summary</str<strong>on</strong>g> Document | 3
RECOMMENDATIONS<br />
The full report lists 22 recommendati<strong>on</strong>s under headings of process recommendati<strong>on</strong>s, impact recommendati<strong>on</strong>s, <strong>and</strong><br />
recommendati<strong>on</strong>s related to bottlenecks (or c<strong>on</strong>straints which affect kit effectiveness). Here we summarise the major<br />
recommendati<strong>on</strong>s.<br />
Process recommendati<strong>on</strong>s (n=9)<br />
These refer to the need for coordinati<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> record keeping in terms of kit distributi<strong>on</strong>, especially when multiple kits are distributed<br />
to partners <strong>and</strong> organisati<strong>on</strong>s. In cases where kits are scarce, distributi<strong>on</strong> to disadvantaged NGOs <strong>and</strong> local organisati<strong>on</strong>s should<br />
have priority above distributi<strong>on</strong> to internati<strong>on</strong>al NGOs who have greater access to resources <strong>and</strong> experience. The involvement of<br />
educati<strong>on</strong> ministries in kit distributi<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> usage was seen to be an important factor for sustained ECD.<br />
Informati<strong>on</strong> that accompanies the kits should emphasise the benefits of c<strong>on</strong>sulting with local practiti<strong>on</strong>ers <strong>and</strong> community<br />
leaders to ensure that key cultural factors are incorporated within the delivery <strong>and</strong> design processes. Recommendati<strong>on</strong>s for<br />
informati<strong>on</strong> to accompany the kit include ideas for securing local materials to enhance <strong>and</strong> exp<strong>and</strong> the kits’ c<strong>on</strong>tents <strong>and</strong> goals,<br />
<strong>and</strong> suggesti<strong>on</strong>s for parental involvement <strong>and</strong> potential transfer of resp<strong>on</strong>sibility for ECD programming to parent groups.<br />
Some recommendati<strong>on</strong>s address the kits’ c<strong>on</strong>tents. Users would appreciate more toys <strong>and</strong> ideas for stimulating activities for<br />
children aged 0-3 years. Resp<strong>on</strong>dents suggested that informati<strong>on</strong> about making musical toys <strong>and</strong> developing ‘books’ that reflect<br />
children’s immediate envir<strong>on</strong>ment would be useful additi<strong>on</strong>s to the kit.<br />
Impact recommendati<strong>on</strong>s (n=10)<br />
Kits not <strong>on</strong>ly address immediate needs of children but can have l<strong>on</strong>g term sustained effects <strong>on</strong> a populati<strong>on</strong>. However two<br />
qualificati<strong>on</strong>s were given: training was seen as a critical need to ensure appropriate use of kits <strong>and</strong> to facilitate extended usage as<br />
entry points for a number of services; <strong>and</strong> adaptati<strong>on</strong> of the kit to the current culture, setting, type <strong>and</strong> other c<strong>on</strong>textual issues<br />
was seen as vital in order to ensure relevance <strong>and</strong> sustainability. Training <strong>and</strong> documentati<strong>on</strong> associated with kits could address<br />
how the kit can be used in diverse ways. For example, kits can be used:<br />
√√<br />
√√<br />
√√<br />
√√<br />
√√<br />
√√<br />
√√<br />
to promote school readiness <strong>and</strong>/or as a substitute for formal schooling when n<strong>on</strong>e is available.<br />
to support parent educati<strong>on</strong>.<br />
to support fathers in post-emergency c<strong>on</strong>texts.<br />
to enhance disaster risk reducti<strong>on</strong> strategies (development of an additi<strong>on</strong>al activity book that focuses <strong>on</strong> DRR <strong>and</strong> young<br />
children was recommended).<br />
to facilitate l<strong>on</strong>g-term care-giving habits, such as early stimulati<strong>on</strong>.<br />
to support the viability of local, community-based programs as sustained ECD service providers.<br />
to facilitate coordinati<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> networking am<strong>on</strong>g related sectors <strong>and</strong> advocate for government involvement to meet l<strong>on</strong>gterm<br />
ECD goals.<br />
Further research was also called for to identify effective training practices <strong>and</strong> to document successful adaptati<strong>on</strong>s of the kit <strong>and</strong><br />
how these impact l<strong>on</strong>g-term ECD sector development in diverse c<strong>on</strong>texts.<br />
The Use <strong>and</strong> Impact of ECD Kits Post-Earthquake Haiti 2010 <str<strong>on</strong>g>Summary</str<strong>on</strong>g> Document | 4
© UNICEF/HTIA2011-00375/Dormino<br />
Bey<strong>on</strong>d providing opportunities<br />
for play, interacti<strong>on</strong>, <strong>and</strong><br />
stimulati<strong>on</strong> of young children,<br />
the kits serve as entry points<br />
for facilitating access to child<br />
protecti<strong>on</strong>, health, nutriti<strong>on</strong>, <strong>and</strong><br />
sanitati<strong>on</strong> services.<br />
CONCLUSION<br />
ECD kits have been shown to have great potential in emergency situati<strong>on</strong>s to foster the values of infant stimulati<strong>on</strong>, to<br />
raise awareness about the needs of children in all developmental domains, <strong>and</strong> to encourage play <strong>and</strong> learning within<br />
families, structured ECD envir<strong>on</strong>ments <strong>and</strong> communities.<br />
Major benefits can be garnered when training is c<strong>on</strong>sistent am<strong>on</strong>g all stakeholders at all levels <strong>and</strong> in all spheres (i.e.,<br />
caregiver, family, community). Benefits <strong>and</strong> usage are also associated with opportunities to adapt kit materials to<br />
reflect local ways of working with children. C<strong>on</strong>sulting with local practiti<strong>on</strong>ers <strong>and</strong> community leaders to ensure that<br />
key cultural factors are incorporated into ECD programs is highly recommended. The study indicated that, without<br />
training or capacity building, <strong>and</strong> without adaptati<strong>on</strong>s to reflect local c<strong>on</strong>cerns <strong>and</strong> issues, ECD programs are not<br />
likely to be sustainable bey<strong>on</strong>d the life of the kits.<br />
The Use <strong>and</strong> Impact of ECD Kits Post-Earthquake Haiti 2010 <str<strong>on</strong>g>Summary</str<strong>on</strong>g> Document | 5
© UNICEF/HTIA2011-00389/Dormino<br />
Children play with <strong>Early</strong> <strong>Childhood</strong> Development (ECD) kits at Paradis des Petits school in Gressier, a small city in<br />
a rural areas south Port au Prince.<br />
This report is based <strong>on</strong> a research project developed <strong>and</strong> designed under the auspice of Macquarie University, Australia <strong>and</strong> the <str<strong>on</strong>g>C<strong>on</strong>sultative</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>Group</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong> <strong>Early</strong> <strong>Childhood</strong> <strong>Care</strong><br />
<strong>and</strong> Development including the ECCD in Emergencies Working <str<strong>on</strong>g>Group</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>and</strong> sub group <strong>on</strong> research, with the assistance of the UNICEF Haiti country office <strong>and</strong> UNICEF<br />
New York. Financial support was provided by the UBS Optimus Foundati<strong>on</strong>.<br />
Jacqueline Hayden, Lisa Deters, Kathy Colog<strong>on</strong>, <strong>and</strong> Emma Pears<strong>on</strong> from Macquarie University are the chief investigators. Lisa Deters was resp<strong>on</strong>sible for data collecti<strong>on</strong> in<br />
Haiti, with logistical support from UNICEF NY <strong>and</strong> Haiti County Office.<br />
The report was authored by Jacqueline Hayden <strong>and</strong> Lisa Deters.