How Policy Affects Early Childhood Care and Development.

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Because the policy arose from a National Seminar on Early Childhood Development (1993), it represents a process of thinking about young children and their needs, carried out collectively by diverse stakeholders in ECCD. As the Ghana government works to adapt its education and social strategies to this new perspective, it will be supported by the stakeholders who helped bring this focus on children forward. What does the Ghanaian experience have to do with you? It is an example of the way in which non-governmental organizations, government and donors can come together to create policies and programmes to support young children and their families. In this edition of the Coordinators' Notebook we will explore what policy is and how we, the early childhood community, can influence the development of policy that supports young children and their families. Many of us engaged in planning and creating programmes for young children see policy as a distant, abstract process, carried out by suited politicians sitting behind paper-laden desks. We view policymakers as inaccessible as they make decisions about our fate, dictating national priorities and how the national budget is to be allocated. We are aware of policy only when we find ourselves supported or limited by it, but most of us do not see ourselves as active participants in the creation of policy. In reality, however, we are all affected by policy, or its lack, on a regular basis. If we are going to make a real difference in the lives of young children and their families then we must focus our efforts on creating policies that will allow needed resources to be shifted to structures and programmes which can provide that support. It is perhaps useful to step back and consider all the levels on which we deal with policy. We begin by defining it more clearly. According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, (1969), policy is "any plan or course of action adopted by a government, political party, business organization or the like, designed to influence and determine decisions, actions and other matters". The definition also describes policy as "a course of action, guiding principle or procedure considered to be expedient, prudent or advantageous". When we see policy as a course of action designed to influence decisions and actions, it becomes a less abstract proposition. At a national level policy represents a distillation of a philosophy about the role of government in the lives of those being governed. It positions the government in terms of what it will and will not support. Policy guides how monies are allocated and the processes that will be put into place to disburse the monies. There is increasing interest within governments in creating national policies that guide and validate the provision of a broad range of early childhood care and development and family support activities. To do that effectively, governments need information from the field of early childhood development on what kinds of policies can be developed to most effectively support young children and families. Many within the early childhood community fear that the energy it would take to get involved in the political process of creating policy would be a drain on already limited resources. Yet, for the long-term it is important to focus our attention on policy. If we are not involved in the policy process, others will be. We have a responsibility to bring our knowledge, skills, and experience to the creation and implementation of policies that support young children and their families. The 2
early childhood community needs a better understanding of the relationship of policies to planning and programmes, the types of mechanisms that can be put into place to effectively serve as policy, and how to go about creating an effective policy if that is deemed desirable. Within this issue of the CN the question being explored is, How can we influence the development of policy that supports young children and their families? To try to answer that question we will present a series of three articles. The first offers a brief discussion of what policy is and is not. It outlines the kinds of information that policymakers need in order to make informed policies regarding young children and describes a process that can be undertaken to generate that information and get it into the hands of policymakers. This is illustrated by case studies from Malaysia and South Africa. The second article is a brief discussion of the relationship between research and policy, and the third article looks at a specific instance in which the combination of a strong programme and longitudinal research have led to the creation of a national policy. Policy—What It is and is Not Policy frames the course of action taken by governments in relation to the people. This happens at several levels. At the most general level is the style of government in place—democratic, capitalist, socialist, etc. At this level there are broad policies that frame how the government operates, the judicial and legal systems and the type of economy that is in place. Within that broad framework is social policy which addresses the role of the government vis-a-vis families and society as a whole. What does the government see as its responsibility in relation to families and the care and development of children? Within the general social policies are sectoral policies that determine the services to be provided by the sector. For example, there are education policies that specify when the government becomes responsible for the education of children, whether or not attendance at schools is mandatory, and if so, for how long. Within the sectoral policies are policies that address implementation. These policies are much more specific and define who has responsibility for what. If there is to be intersectoral collaboration it specifies how that should happen. Implementation policies clarify the role of central government in relation to local units, and they define standards and procedures. The levels are interlinked. In order to have a comprehensive understanding of policies within a given country it is important to assess the policies at all levels. As part of an article on the relationship between policies and programmes in India, Mina Swaminathan (1993) presented an analysis of 135 countries. She ranked them on the continuum from developing to developed countries, and also ranked them according to where they fit along a continuum ranging from market economy to socialism. Third, she rated them from best to worst in terms of their maternity support laws and policies. Not surprisingly the Scandinavian countries (developed countries with a socialist philosophy) had the most comprehensive set of laws and policies in support of women and families, and the most generous provision by the government. Also, not surprisingly, the United States (developed country with a strong market economy philosophy) was ranked the worst in terms of its policies and laws in support of women and families, and had the least government provision. In general, whether they were developing 3
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Page 9 and 10: What is the Process for Changing Po
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Page 41 and 42: Kagitcibasi, C. 1983. "Early Childh
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Some Questions for Readers to Ask W
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Childwatch International P.O. Box 1
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