Though the importance of early childhood education has been clearly documented, preschool services in Turkey do not reach the majority of children - especially those children who come from socio-economically disadvantaged conditions and are already at high risk developmentally. Due to this context, since its foundation in 1993, AÇEV has centered its work around two main areas of expertise: early childhood and adult education. Guided by the principle of equal education opportunities for all, AÇEV aims to provide a “fair start” for all children and to improve the quality of life of families and individuals through education and awareness-raising. In order to achieve these goals AÇEV:

• develops and implements intervention/education programs which empower the family
• implements early childhood education, parenting and literacy/women’s support programs using a variety of models and mediums ranging from face-to-face training modules to distance education via TV and web-based sources (all programs are provided free of charge to under-resourced families who do not have access to other services)
• delivers high quality trainer training and provides effective and systematic in-the-field support & supervision to trainers in order to maintain quality and consistency while scaling-up its programs
• trains and utilizes thousands of volunteers to expand its women’s empowerment programs
• supports scientific research on early childhood education
• partners with governmental agencies, local and international NGO’s and organizations, universities and private businesses, including most extensively with the Ministry of Education in order to expand its preschool and parenting programs
• works to support existing center-based early childhood education models through programs and campaigns which aim to promote access, family involvement and quality
• works to increase societal awareness about the importance of early education and family literacy and lobbies to change educational policies.