International Conference Highlights The Positive Results From Improving The Lives of Children

I attended the 10th Annual Conference of the International Step by Step Association “Seeds of Change: Effective Investments in Early Childhood for Enduring Social Progress” in Bucharest, Romania last week. The conference was co-hosted by the Center for Education and Professional Development in Romania with support from the Open Society Institute, UNICEF, the Consultative Group, and many other international agencies that work in support of children and families. Knowledge Universe was not only proud to be a sponsor of this important conference but my colleague, Jeremy Williams and I were both privileged to present papers, too.

Many readers in the United States may not be familiar with ISSA but it is a truly impressive organization doing groundbreaking work in support of children around the world, particularly in Central Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Its goals are to promote inclusive, quality care and education experiences for all children from birth through age 10 to become active members of a democratic knowledge society. ISSA’s core members are non-governmental organizations (NGOs) located in Central Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Immediately preceding the conference, I also attended the Policy Roundtable on Early Childhood Development (Roundtable), organized and sponsored by the Romanian Ministry of Education and ISSA. The Roundtable included Ministers and key policy makers from 14 nations in this region, including countries such as Poland, Azerbaijan, Romania, Montenegro, Bosnia Herzegovina, Romania, Lithuania and the Czech Republic.

The Roundtable consisted of presentations from each of the participating countries on the state of early childhood and their national priorities for investment in children. Experts such as Professor James J. Heckman (Nobel prize winning economist), Professor Nathan Fox (renowned development psychologist), Dr. John Bennett (an expert in the economics of early childhood policy) and Professor Stuart Shanker (who spoke on the neuroscience of child development) also spoke from their respective disciplines about the critical imperative to support high quality early childhood programs and experiences for children.

The highlight of the Roundtable was the development of a series of recommendations as a call to arms in support of the children and families of the countries in this region.

The Roundtable and conference highlighted the seemingly overwhelming challenges children face growing up in a world filled with deprivation, disease, violence and economic hardship. Yet we’ve learned that by providing a nurturing, responsive and supportive environment we can promote children’s healthy development and, ultimately, their ability to participate and contribute as productive citizens of the world.

The incredible courage, passion, and commitment to improving the lives of children - from a preschool teacher in Romania to the Ministers of Education to luminaries in economics, neuropsychology, and child development to educators from more than 50 nations - gives hope and inspiration that we can make the world a better place for children if we dedicate ourselves to making that dream a reality and if we have the political and social will to do so.

There is no one solution to these issues, but if each of us participates in the process in our own way, in our local communities or on the world stage, with our own children or in support of children around the world, we will all benefit from the economic and social returns of investing in our children.