Competences & Standards

This date of these webinars has passed. Please find the recordings below.

This webinar provides a platform for discussing the identity of the early childhood workforce and how this impacts on early childhood policies and practices and the recognition of the early childhood profession.

• How can public policy reflect the science and common understanding of early childhood development needs across the diverse sectors working with young children and their families?
• Is there a role for shared fundamental standards and training to promote coherence in the delivery of early childhood services?
• How can pre-service and in-service training help bridge the gap created by a diverse but often fragmented ECD workforce?
• What links can be established across different sectors to foster a cohesive approach to working with young children and their families?
• Is the workplace environment supportive of different types of ECD workers?
• How can public policy be more supportive in strengthening the identity of the ECD workforce and build upon the richness of its diversity?

The event brings together key actors from across the world who are working in the field of early childhood development (ECD), with a focus on the ECD workforce.

Meet the Panelists for July 12th :

Moderator:

• Anaïs Loizillon, independent consultant specializing in global education policy [Bio]

Speaker:

• Dr. Mihaela Ionescu, Program Director ISSA- International Step by Step Association [Bio]
• Lynette Okengo, Executive Director of the African Early Childhood Network [Bio]
• Lydia Foong, Head of the Faculty of Education, SEGi University, Malaysia  [Bio]
• Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Courtney Sale Ross Professor of Globalization and Education at New York University (NYU) Steinhardt, University Professor and Co-Director of the Global TIES for Children center [Bio]
• Professor Dr Mogana Dhamotharan, Professor of Education, SEGi University, Kota Damansara, Malaysia [Bio]

Meet the Panelists for July 13th :

Moderator:

• Anaïs Loizillon, independent consultant specializing in global education policy [Bio]

Speaker:

• Kimberly Josephson, Program Associate at Results for Development Institute (R4D) [Bio]
• Sian Williams, independent consultant in policy and programming for children in Jamaica and across Caribbean Community countries [Bio]
• Dr. Eunice Lumsden, Head of Early Years at The University of Northampton [Bio]
• Antonio Rizzoli Córdoba MD, PhD, Founder and Head of the Neurodevelopmental Research Unit at the Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez (HIMFG) [Bio]

This date of this webinar has passed. Please find the recording below.

ISSA and R4D, in partnership with ICDI, are glad to announce a new webinar series in the framework of the Early Childhood Workforce Initiative. This webinar puts the spotlight on the notion of early childhood practice being political, and on early years practitioners as activists and change agents. In an interactive format we explore:

• What does early childhood activism mean or look like in different political, geographical and cultural contexts?
• Are advocacy, activism and the ability to effect positive change essential elements of professionalism in general, and therefore the early childhood profession in particular?
• Is it reasonable to expect early childhood practitioners to balance an activist critical stance alongside other roles such as pedagogical expert; builder and maintainer of relationships with children, their parents and other professionals; as well as manager in return for little recognition and poor remuneration?

The webinar is primarily intended for early childhood practitioners, leaders in early childhood services and lecturers/trainers teaching pre-service and continuing professional development courses on leadership, professional practice in the early years, working with families with young children and social policy.  

It is also beneficial to those who represent the interests of the early childhood workforce (trade unions, professional councils, representative bodies) at national and international levels.

Meet the Panelists:

Moderator:

• Margaret Kernan, Team Leader Early Years of International Child Development Initiatives (ICDI) [Bio]

Speakers:

• Emma Byrne-MacNamee, Early Years Programme Manager of Northside Partnership [Bio]
• Felicity Norton, Deputy of Pen Green Centre for Children and their Families and Research, Development and Training Base [Bio]
• Margy Whalley, Research Associate, Formally Director of Pen Green Centre for Children and their Families and Research, Development and Training Base [Bio]

The date of this webinar has passed. You may access the recording below.