Step by Step Teams and Country Partners

Step by Step Teams and Country Partners Participate in Study Tour to the UK

November 2007

In response to concerns about the decline in early childhood services in the CEE and CIS region, the Open Society Institute, ISSA, and UNICEF sponsored a study tour to the UK that was facilitated by the Institute of Education of London for representatives from Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Moldova. On 5-8 November 2007, ISSA member NGO Directors Gerda Sula, Radmila Rangelov-Jusovic, and Cornelia Cincilei, and Master Teacher Trainer Marine Mkrtchyan joined their local country UNICEF education officers and representatives from their Ministries of Education and Health and representatives of OSI and ISSA to engage in a four day presentation and working session on current policies, research, and practice in ECE in the UK. The purpose of the study tour was to strengthen country level capacity to advocate for, plan, and implement quality programmes for young children – especially the most disadvantaged. Through exposure to the UK experience of developing policies for ECE based on research, the participants were able to see alternative ways in which ECE links research, practice, and policy into a comprehensive approach.

During the trip, participants had the opportunity to:

use the Institute of Education’s library,
listen to presentations by:

Kathy Sylva (Professor of Educational Psychology at Oxford University) and Iram Siraj-Blatchford (Professor of Early Childhood Education at the Institute of Education) on the results of the EPPE and REPEY Studies;
Adam Micklethwaite (Department for Children, Schools, and Families) on the UK’s Early Years Foundation Stage key policies and approaches;
Helen Moylett (Senior Director for Early Years Foundation Stage, Primary National Strategy, Department for Children, Schools, and Families) on the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework and supporting materials.

Listen to presentations by teams from Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Moldova on current ECE issues and challenges in those countries.
Visit 2 of 3 Early Years Foundation Stage integrated programs: the Thomas Coram Centre for Children and Families, the Tachbrook Nursery School, and the Constam Children’s Centre.
Develop plans for developing the next steps in promoting ECE in the countries including pilot projects, data collection, advocacy work, etc.

Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina were selected by a Committee that consisted of members from the UNICEF Regional Office, ISSA and OSF London to attend the first study tour based on criteria that included having low preschool coverage and quality in the country; having a stable national political climate and a government that is open to implementing ECCE reforms; and strong pre-existing cooperation between the local ISSA NGO, UNICEF, and the national government with potential for even greater collaboration. Another tour is being scheduled in Spring 2008 for Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan.

Significant issues and ideas that the participants took from the experience include:

how research data supports the implementation of ECE programs;
different delivery methods for ECE including licensing of childcare workers, centres integrated with other social services, and ½-day programs;
the need for the development and distribution of parent education materials;
the significance of professional development in the field; and
how to create a comprehensive system that works to support quality in all kinds of ECE settings.

Participants will be reporting back to ISSA, OSI, and UNICEF on the results of their planned actions and sharing their experiences with other ISSA NGOs during the next 9 months.

For more information, please contact Aija Tuna at atuna@issa.hu.