AVD 42 Early Childhood Education and Care in Africa

It Takes a Village to Raise a Child: Creating Belonging, Building Resilience and Fostering Leadership through Early Childhood Education and Care Throughout human history, what and who people become has always been nested within the community. Parents have never been the only caretakers, caregivers, and educators of their children - older siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors and the broader community have all played a role in how children experience the world and learn. Across African cultures, the awareness of the role of community in caring for its youngest members is high, even as the formalization of learning environments becomes increasingly (though unevenly) prevalent in the ‘age of knowledge’, and as our virtual culture grows. In this dialogue, our goal is to explore and learn about how African approaches towards Early Childhood Learning and Development, formal and informal education structures, and community cultures influence growth and development in young children. We explored the role these play in building children’s resilience, igniting and strengthening their sense of belonging, encouraging them to become strong and self-confident, and inspiring their later development as young leaders in their communities. As you watch this recording, we ask you to engage with the key enquiries of the dialogue, and consider how these are experienced in your own context and community. We would love to hear your feedback - please post this in the comments! 1. In your context and community, what early childhood development and learning policies, curricula, and educator training that are present? Do these provide a strong enough basis for building curiosity, enhancing the capacity to learn, and fostering resilience for young children? 2. To what extent do Early Childhood Education and Care policy makers and institutions take children’s needs as well as existing community approaches (or absence thereof) for building learning environments and fostering resilience into account? 3. What role do parents, relatives, siblings and the broader community play in building resilient children and supporting their development as young leaders? 4. To what extent does collaboration and partnership between caregivers at home and kindergartens / early childhood learning centres exist, to allow shared responsibiity for rearing and educating young children? 5. What inspiring ECEC experiences and powerful models for enhancing and restoring belonging are you aware of in your own context? 6. How do members of your own community participate in raising a resilient child and inspiring leaders? If you would like to learn more about Africa Voices Dialogue, please visit our website at www.africavoicesdialogue.africa. To join our community, and receive notifications for upcoming events, click: https://www.africavoicesdialogue.afri...