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Early childhood care and education in emergencies: thematic report

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Abstract

Young children growing up in emergency and crisis contexts are exposed to compounding risks that threaten their development and well-being in the long-term. During the earliest years, severe and prolonged adversity can have lasting impacts on brain architecture and affect physical and psychosocial health throughout life. Equitable quality Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programmes not only offer protection and essential psychosocial support to mitigate the harmful impacts of crisis but can contribute to the development of more peaceful, harmonious societies. Yet access to quality ECCE is limited during crises, with less than a third of pre-primary aged children in crisis-affected countries enrolled. This report considers key challenges in the areas of equitable access, quality, caregiver and community engagement, data and evidence, governance, policy and coordination, and financing for ECCE in emergencies. While some promising initiatives exist to address these challenges, work remains to be done in designing and implementing a systems approach to ensure equitable access to quality ECCE for young children impacted by crisis. It is hoped that this report will serve as a reference on current challenges and opportunities to deliver on Sustainable Development Goal 4.2 education commitments and expand access to ECCE during emergencies.

Author
Calaycay, Lily
Corporate Author
UNESCO
Year of publication
2022
Imprint
, 2022, p.40)
Level of education
Source database
curatED
Language