Civic Participation
in Education
Advocacy
As independent NGOs, Step by
Step Programs use their reputation and wide public
support to advocate nationally and internationally
for early
childhood development programs, parent involvement
in schools, equal access to high-quality education
for all children, curriculum reform, and support for
the
professional needs of educators.
Sustainability
In
order to make the Step by Step programs sustainable,
ISSA provides training on NGO financial and management
practices, as well as on board governance and development,
thereby insuring that
they become well-managed, sustainable NGOs which are
dependable partners for international organizations.
These independent Step by Step NGOs manage and implement
grants from other organizations, as well as their own
initiatives and income
generating activities.
Systemic Education Reform
Each
country adapts the Step by Step program to address
national educational standards and local culture,
as well as economic, political and social issues. The
program works in partnership with communities, publicly
funded kindergartens, primary schools, retraining
institutes, pedagogic institutes, universities, and
local and national governments to create long lasting
change and systemic reform. Partnerships and linkages
with community organizations are also established in
an effort to reach as many
children and families as possible. ISSA makes long-term
commitments to the countries in which it works in order
to achieve systemic impact by offering technical assistance
to build the program, on-going professional development
in order to maintain
high quality, and the necessary tools for the program’s
long-term sustainability within the country.
Changing
Policy: Collaboration with Ministries
Step
by Step works in collaboration with the Ministry
of Education and other relevant public
bureaus and seeks accreditation and financing for
specific training courses, in order to facilitate
the widest
access to the program. SbS
invites the participation
of local and national policy makers in all aspects
of program implementation. Step by Step teams provide
their ministries with technical expertise
on national early childhood policy development
and are often partners on projects supported
by international organizations. In many countries,
the principles of Step by Step have been accepted
as the national standard for early
childhood education. |
