Within the context of developing a strategic frame to reopen contexts of early childhood care and education in the Arab region in line with the reopening-schools plan at the regional and global levels by addressing the needs and challenges of stakeholders and filling gaps in policy instructions and practical recommendations related to the resumption of care and education programs at the stage of Early Childhood and its implementation in the context of the Coronavirus pandemic.
The UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab Countries - Beirut, in cooperation with the Regional Center for Early Childhood Development, held a regional webinar on September 7th, 2020; with the aim of assessing the current situation of formal and informal programs related to early childhood care and education at the national, institutional and programmatic levels in the region, as well as identifying common needs, challenges, and lessons learned during the Corona pandemic and beyond.
The symposium included some presentations by government officials, educators, and early childhood care, and education professionals, who have an extensive experience in designing and implementing early childhood care and education programs in a variety of contexts. Meanwhile, Mrs. Kifah Haddad, Director of the Regional Center for Early Childhood Development at the Syrian Ministry of Education, gave a presentation on the response plan to the Corona pandemic, the importance of the age stage, and the mechanism of work of the Regional Center for Early Childhood Development with this stage in the light of the Corona pandemic. As well as she presented an overview of the projects of the 2020 plan, included the following:
• Modifying the standards document for kindergarten curricula.
• Get-ready-to-go-to-school program.
• Writing an English language curriculum for kindergarten for the first time in Syria.
• The mobile library as part of the National Reading Day project.
• Transforming the kindergarten curriculum to become electronic in line with current developments due to the increasing need for distant-learning.
• Training kindergartens that belong to various bodies in Syria.
• Preparing a life skills guidebook for childhood stage.
• Raising awareness of the local community on the importance of early childhood through training on the Primary Care Manual.
• Analyzing the current situation of childhood in Syria. One of its results was to access at the early childhood strategy.
• Preparing training manual about child's rights in coordination with many concerned parties in Syria.
• The Center signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor in Syria to start sponsoring this stage.
• Preparing a regional report about the reality of the Arab child in crises.