National Conference on Early Childhood Development/Better Parenting

This document provides details on a conference organised by UNICEF's Early Childhood Development/Better Parenting (ECD/BP) project. The material first provides some background on the project itself, and on preparations for the conference. The national-scale project is designed to equip parents and caregivers in Jordan with the knowledge and skills needed to help fulfil their children's needs and to honour their children's rights to maximise their social, physical, and intellectual capacities. Technical support for the project will be provided by the Johns Hopkins University's Center for Communication Programs (JHU-CCP). This support will, it is hoped, culminate in the production of a communication package designed for decision makers and NGOs associated with the project. This package consists in a multi-media presentation of early childhood programmes in Jordan (in both Arabic and English), a fact sheet, and a website. In addition, a study (involving a literature review, a questionnaire, and interviews) of the adoption and institutionalisation of the ECD/BP project by various stakeholders was conducted. The study revealed that meetings and conferences, as well as personal interviews and workshops, are the most accepted channels of communication about ECD issues.

The conference itself addressed and expanded upon these efforts. Twelve agencies participated as working groups to discuss the needs and activities associated with successful integration and institutionalision of the project in their organisations. (The needs and activities differed in accordance with the developmental stage of the organisation). Obstacles were also discussed. A "Presentation of Findings of the Working Groups" is included to detail these discussions.