Rationale for Investing in Children 0-3, Particularly the Most Vulnerable

Consequences for Education and Life Outcomes

2

Early Brain Development

There is strong evidence that ECD

interventions that focus on health, nutrition and early stimulation (rather than on health and nutrition alone)

yield the greatest benefits in

terms of children’s health and overall development.

3

cognitive

ability

= quality of the environment and the amount of stimulation and learning opportunities + genetics.

Impact of early environment on child’s socio-economic development and physical capacity.

Time.com

The human brain at birth is in a remarkably unfinished state.

most of the 100 billion neurons are not yet connected in terms of work.

the interacting influences of

genes + experience shape the architecture of the developing brain.

If the connections among the neurons formed as a result of experiences are not used often enough they are eliminated.

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Combined with proper nutrition, stimulation in the formative years of life play a critical role in the process of brain formation and development.

Greater stimulation = stronger brain development

6

As the maturing brain becomes more specialised to assume more complex functions, it becomes less capable of reorganising and adapting to new or unexpected challenges.

It is for this reason that development delays before age 6 are difficult to compensate for later on in life.

Early Brain Development…

ECD - the

foundation of

the future

• A wired circuit stabilizes with age, making it increasingly more difficult to alter over time.

• Changing behaviour or building new skills on a foundation of improperly wired brain circuits requires more work and is more expensive.

8

0 - 3 is the critical “window of opportunity” for cognitive, linguistic, emotional, social and motor skill development.

The REMEDIATION MYTH: Lost Opportunity Catch-up Extra cost

Sams-Vaughn: early exposure to language

and reading capability

10

11

Rationale for Prioritising 0 - 3

The extent to which children learn during

the early years depends on the learning opportunities available to them and the quality of those opportunities.

12

Rationale for Prioritising 0 - 3

13

To reach their full potential children who reach the end of their childhood should be:

Healthy and well

nourished

Securely attached to caregivers and able to interact positively with others

Able to communicate

with peers and teachers

Rationale for Prioritising 0 - 3

14

Effects of Poverty

A 2007 study (Walker, et al) estimated that at

least 200 million children around the

world under the age of 5 will most likely

survive early childhood but will fail to reach their full potential in life because of poor health, under-nutrition, and a lack of stimulation in early childhood.

15

Effects of Poverty…

Targeting the poor and disadvantaged important because they are less likely to enroll in school at the right age.

They are also more likely to attain lower achievement levels or grades for their age and to have poor cognitive ability.

16

• Poor nutrition, poor health, un-stimulating home environments negatively impact children’s development.

• These risk factors tend to be more concentrated among poor households with less educated parents.

Effects of Poverty… “Poverty is a tight spot…”

17

As they grow older, children living in poverty likely to experience poor school performance, high fertility and morbidity rates, which contribute to costly inefficiencies education and health.

Associations between poverty and multiple areas of child development recorded as early as 6 months of age in Egypt, 10 months in India, 12 months in Brazil, and 18 months in Bangladesh.

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Children who grow up poor are more likely to:

• have low productivity and income.

• provide poor care for their own children.

• contribute to intergenerational transmission of poverty.

They are less likely to contribute to the growth of their country’s economy.

Effects of Poverty…

19

Consequences for Education & Life Outcomes

If a child is not motivated and stimulated to learn, the

more likely it is that when a child becomes an adult, it will fail in social and economic and economic life.

Youth who drop out of school early are vulnerable to unemployment, poverty, teen pregnancy, delinquency and crime.

The longer policy makers wait to intervene, the more costly it becomes to remediate.

20

youth crimes cost regional governments between 2.9% and 4% of GDP.

in a context of financial austerity few Govts have dedicated significant resources to the early

childhood sector.

Consequences for Education & Life Outcomes

GDP

21

Roving Caregivers Programme

22

The RCP is an indigenous response to some of the serious gaps and deficiencies in the provision of child care and development services particularly for the most vulnerable.

Early stimulation for the children and parenting education for the parents form the core of the programme.

Rovers work with home communities making regular visits with children in the target group.

23

The programme is grounded in culturally relevant principles of ECD intervention.

Is community based family intervention that brings the service directly into the home.

Roving Caregivers Programme

24

Engages other community and civic organisations in the process.

Roving Caregivers Programme

Has a strong parent education component that zeros in on parent management techniques.

25

The RCP is not a substitute for full-time, good quality day care services but it can be a vital mechanism for bringing services to social sectors who have not enjoyed these rights.

The programme has already demonstrated ways in which related services can be incorporated into the provision of child support this maximising services or facilities already existing.

Roving Caregivers Programme

26

Impact Study Findings on RCP

A greater practical awareness of the value of good parenting practices.

The model triggers significant changes in parenting practices, behaviour and parental social cognitions.

dominicacentral.com

27

Impact Study Findings on RCP

Positive effects on the cognitive development of children between 6 and 18 months old.

Far more stimulating interaction with RCP families.

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Cost Effective Alternative

The extent to which RCP is able to share overhead and fixed costs with other ECD projects results in reduction in costs.

Several cursory analyses have suggested that the RCP is more cost effective than traditional forms of child care provision.

Recent cost benefit analysis conducted concluded RCP is substantially cheaper than alternative intervention.

29

Leveling the playing field to allow greater opportunities for those most at risk requires society to provide a wider range of resources to children as rights of citizenship rather than allowing them to be luxuries for those families and communities with sufficient purchasing power.

THE UPSTREAM EFFECT…

20%

95%

0-3 yrs

3-5 yrs

primary

85% secondary

ECD

We are building on sand… AND THE SINKHOLES ARE APPEARING

“Got to build our love on One Foundation..” Bob Marley

CXC interventions

* Figures approximation for illustrative conceptualization

Escalating levels of crime

and violence in Caribbean

Society in past decade

Snapshots: The statistics that tell us what we cannot ignore

• Youth crime and violence in St. Lucia generates more than US$3 million in lost benefits to society and US$7.7 million in lost benefits to private individuals annually.

crime decrease

tourism $ increase JA

tourism $ increase BAH

1% decrease in youth crime

4% increase in

tourism receipts JA

2.3% increase in

tourism receipts Bahamas

Approximately 1,000 children in our society

has a parent at the Facility

Recidivism rate = 64%

85% of the inmate population is between 16 to

45 yrs

There are ten (10) sets of family siblings

BORDELAIS PRISON (ST. LUCIA) 2008

Rising inequity and

increased

marginalization

nmanifested in rising

poverty

Education in crisis:

learning

imperative superceded

by the social deficit

Gangs in schools all over the Caribbean:

– well organized, related to international gangs: Crips, Bloods, Black Mobs, OutLawz, 313 Harlem Empire, MS 13, Jamaican Posse Modus Operandi: • Membership initiation involves some extreme

act of random violence by supplicant – kill someone at random or kill rival gang member (jail time is social capital and bragging rights)

• Initiation involves “beat-in” for males and “sex-in” for females

• Some gangs practice voodoo, demon possession

Snapshots: The statistics that tell us what we cannot ignore

• Youth under 30 make up two thirds of population of the Caribbean

• 1 in 10 school going adolescents have been sexually abused

• Youth unemployment is specially elevated in the Caribbean

• 1/5 of students carried a gun to school; 1/5 been in fight using weapons

• 40% of CARICOM students reported feelings of rage

“school attendance and connectedness are the single most important

protective factors identified in reducing risky behaviors. Among youth who feel connected to school, ..the probability of sexual activity falls by 30% for boys and 60% for girls, of engaging in violent activity by 60% for boys and 55% for girls, and of drug use by 50% for boys and 30% for girls”

Social Architecture of Protection

Schools: Connectedness to schools is highly protective against all risky behaviors, including using drugs and alcohol and engaging in violent or sexual activity. For example, among school-going adolescents, the probability of sexual behavior falls by 30 percentage points for boys and 60 percentage points for girls if they are connected to schools. Conversely, the school system can have devastating effects on those youth with low academic achievement by not granting them a place in school and, as a corollary, making them feel socially excluded and “worthless.”

World Bank 2003

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A seamless, globally competitive education (eco)system...

ECD SOUND EARLY CHILDHOOD FOUNDATION

ASSESSMENT

Ages & Stages Assessment

CPEA

School readiness Checklist

CCSLC

CSEC

Multiple Literacies

Language Mathematics Thinking

Technology & Media Scientific Civic

Aesthetic Personal

4 REASONS

Issues and concerns

Poor performance

Parental participation

One shot examination

Restricted curriculum

47

Assessment

49

Assessment for learning

Assessment of learning

Assessment as learning

• Data source is internal

• Data collected over time

• Data used to enhance learning

• Data source is external

• Data collected one time

• Data used to measure learning

• Data source is pupil generated

• Data is analyzed by pupils

• Testing as learning

CP

EA S

TRU

CTU

RE

PROJECTS 45

PRACTICE CAN-DO SKILLS

15

SELF-ASSESSMENT 15

TEACHER PREPARED PRACTICE TESTS

English - 25 Maths - 25

General Paper (incl.

Science, Social Studies/Civics) - 25

ENGLISH 100 90?

SCIENCES 100 90?

MATHEMATICS 100 90?

INTERNAL EXTERNAL

Teacher + pupils Teacher groups CXC

180 270

60% 40%

CP

EA IN

TER

NA

L -

SCH

OO

L Teacher Leadership

+

Pupil Leadership

Weighting Teachers of Schools

(2 or more)

Projects, Reading and Designing are the features

of this activity emphasizing Home involvement,

Parent involvement and Teacher involvement

1. Science Project

How things grow

How things work

Different uses of things

Making things

2. Community Services

3. Book Reports (2)

One presented orally in class

One presented using text, graphics, art forms

4. Designing, constructing, engineering

Making working models

Making cards (greeting, thank you card …)

45

marks

Construction of practice tests by groups of teachers under the guidance of CXC trained leader. Tests for use in schools can be accessed by teachers and used by their pupils. Administer tests to pupils of school. Scored by teachers of schools. Test papers returned to pupils and parents

English (25 Items)

Mathematics (25 Items)

Science (25 Items)

75 75

CP

EA IN

TER

NA

L -

SCH

OO

L Teacher Leadership

+

Pupil Leadership

Weighting Teachers of Schools

(2 or more)

Practice ‘Can-do’ skills in:

English (5 tests) (5th used summatively)

Mathematics (4 tests) (4th used summatively)

Science (3 tests) (3rd used summatively)

Civics/Social Studies practical assignments

These tests are administered formatively, feedback

is provided individually (clarity, avoid delay,

reinforcement, explicitness).

(3 x 5)

15 marks

Engages in self-assessment in 3 tests

(English, Mathematics, Science)

Constructed by groups of pupils in a class

Worked by pupils individually and independently.

TOTAL 75 75

75 75

12 ADVANTAGES

1. A shared vision among pupils, teachers and parents of WHY assess, WHAT to assess and HOW to assess

2. Making assessment process in each school participatory, dynamic and flexible

3. 2 sides to assessment: (formative) assessment for learning and (summative) assessment of learning

12 ADVANTAGES

4. Use of assessment results with well defined feedback process to ensure that pupils have opportunity to achieve their full potential

5. Aligning assessment with curriculum and instruction

6. Giving pupils multiple opportunities to demonstrate their competencies

12 ADVANTAGES

7. Basing inferences on multiple sources of evidence

8. Holistic assessment of pupil’s competencies in language arts, mathematics and science

9. Giving credence and recognition to teacher’s informed judgement about pupil’s performance

12 ADVANTAGES

10.Viewing pupils as active participants in the assessment process

11.Inferences from test scores to include at least 3 domains: curricula domain, meta-cognitive domain and real world domain

12.Viewing teachers as critical leaders of the assessment process

Caribbean Certificate of Secondary Level Competence - CCSLC

57

• Mid secondary level program that provides a foundation for improved performance at CSEC

• A secondary level Diploma for ALL students

• Certifies that key competencies for secondary education have been achieved

• Not focused on academics alone but attitudes and skills

• Ideal for re-engaging out-of-school persons with recognized certification in second chance environment

• Flexible and responsive to national agenda within a regional framework

CCSLC STRUCTURE: A Strong Foundation

Other CCSLC Subjects

CSEC TVET – Bus. Studies G I-G IV

CSEC Creative Arts G I-G IV

TVET from other Boards

CVQ Level 1

Locally certified enrichment

3 OPTIONS FROM ANY GROUP: 2 COMPULSORY

SUBJECTS:

CCSLC English

CCSLC Maths

Integrated Science French or Spanish Social Studies

Recognized boards Heart/NTA Royal College of Music

Citizenship Education Community Service Ministry programs

CCSLC offers an inclusive framework to embrace a holistic cluster of knowledge, skills and competencies

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Presented by Didacus Jules With the assistance of Horis Lynch

© FDCC June 2011