17th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20006

ORGANIZACIÓN DE LOS ESTADOS AMERICANOS Consejo Interamericano para el Desarrollo Integral

(CIDI)

PREPARATORY MEETING FOR THE V MEETING OEA/Ser.K/V

OF MINISTERS OF EDUCATION CIDI/RPME/INF. 2/07

August 27-28, 2007 23 August 2007

Washington, D.C. Original: Spanish

FINAL REPORT

INTER-AMERICAN SYMPOSIUM

UNDERSTANDING THE STATE OF THE ART IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND

CARE: THE FIRST THREE YEARS OF LIFE

(Part of the Project “Policies and Strategies for a Successful Transition to

Socialization and school”)

17th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20006

EXECUTIVE SECRETARIAT FOR INTEGRAL DEVELOPMENT (SEDI)

DEPARTAMENT OF EDUCATION AND CULTURA (DEC)

INTER-AMERICAN SYMPOSIUM

UNDERSTANDING THE STATE OF THE ART IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

AND CARE: THE FIRST THREE YEARS OF LIFE

Part of the Project “Policies and Strategies for a successful transition to socialization and school”

May 14 – 18, 2007 Organization of American States

1889 F Street NW., Rubén Dario Meeting Room, 8th floor

Washington DC, U.S.A

FINAL REPORT

Washington D.C., May 24, 2007

Organización de los Estados Americanos Organização dos Estados Americanos Organisation des États américains Organization of American States

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We express our acknowledgement and profound gratitude, for their contributions and high

professional quality, to the team of rapporteurs for the symposium. Coordinator: Sara Victoria

Alvarado (CINDE, Universidad de Manizales, Colombia), Margarita Gutierrez Talamas (Prospectiva

Educativa, Mexico); Regina Moromizato (Universidad Católica del Perú); Erika Dunkelberg (World

Bank); Rosa Valera (Instituto Nacional de Educación Inicial, Dominican Republic); Martha Suárez

(CINDE, Colombia); María Victoria Peralta (Instituto Internacional de Educación Infantil, Chile);

Jairo Zuluaga (Universidad Nacional de Colombia); Ana María Stalla (National Inspector for Early

Education, Uruguay); and Sian Williams (UNICEF-Jamaica).

It would not have been possible to accomplish all of the work we did, with the quality with

which it was done, without the decisive support of the chairman and authorities of the Executive

Committee of the CIE; the institutional support of international organizations and institutions such as

the Bernard van Leer Foundation, World Bank, IDB, UNICEF, PAHO, OEI, CARICOM, Convenio

Andrés Bello, AMEI, CINDE, FPG, CIAR, CEECD, IIDI, OMEP, and Teaching Strategies; and the

support of offices of the OAS, including, among others, the Department of Budgetary and Financial

Services, the Department of Human Development, the Office of Conferences and Meetings, and the

Department of Press and Communications.

iv

CONTENTS

Page

INTRODUCTION

1

Part I

Frame of reference

4

Part II

State of the Art and trends in policies and programs of attention for children

under three years of age in the countries of the region

12

Part III

Significant experiences in the Americas

22

Part IV

Conclusions and Challenges

23

ANNEXES

I. In search of a post-modern pedagogy for educational work in the first three

years of life. María Victoria Peralta

35

II. Neuroscience and education. Jairo Zuluaga 65

III. Agenda 85

IV. List of participants 95

V. Analysis of the results of evaluating the symposium 108

INTRODUCTION

This Report is an account of the symposium “Understanding the State of the Art in Early

Childhood Education and Care,” held May 14 to 18, 2007, at OAS headquarters, in Washington DC,

United States. It is organized into five parts. Part I is the frame of reference. Part II is a description of

the state-of-the-art and trends in policies and programs of attention for children from birth to three in

the Americas. Part III summarizes significant experiences in the Americas. Part IV sets forth

symposium conclusions and challenges from papers and discussions. Part V (Annex) includes an

article by María Victoria Peralta, Ph.D., “In search of a post-modern pedagogy for educational work

in the first three years of life;” an essay by Jairo Zuluaga, Ph.D., “Neuroscience and education”; the

agenda; the list of participants; and an analysis of the results from the evaluation of the symposium.

The symposium included the participation of highly qualified and internationally known

professionals and researchers; directors representing 23 countries, namely Antigua and Barbuda,

Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, the United States, Grenada,

Guyana, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Saint Kitts and Nevis,

Saint Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay; and 15 delegations representing

international agencies and institutions.

The symposium was timely and relevant, as scientific, technical, and theoretical studies and

developments from the different disciplines are posing major challenges to educational systems. In

particular, science notes that one must begin from the womb and from a very early age. The

neurosciences are showing us that the quality of the environment, the plasticity of the brain, and the

preponderance of early experiences influence and have decisive effects on the development of the

human being.

The symposium reflected the challenges of the 21st century, which are demanding structural

changes in educational settings. Among them is the need to implement quality comprehensive

programs as a means of social inclusion. The changes, in turn, are inviting governments to take the

lead in designing appropriate policies for early childhood, and to pool efforts to ensure the

implementation of those policies.

Motivated by these developments, the Fourth Meeting of Ministers of Education, held in

Trinidad and Tobago in August 2005, approved the Declaration of Scarborough, in which the

Ministries stated, in part: “We recognize the need to address the structure of education beginning with

early childhood education, given its very positive impact on the quality of education and on the

reduction of inequality.” To implement this mandate, the Department of Education and Culture

(DEC) of the OAS, held two consultations (December 2005 and March 2006) to determine the issues

most relevant to government decision-makers and civil society at this time. Twenty-five responses

were received from the member states, which proposed deepening information and sharing

experiences on two issues: the delivery of comprehensive services for children birth to three years of

age; and transitions.

When the Inter-American Committee on Education (CIE) provided the opportunity to

propose projects to be financed from what is known as the “Education Reserve Subfund” (Res. 831),

the DEC, in consultation with the governments of Venezuela and Barbados prepared a proposal. In

July 2006, the CIE recommended approval of the regional project “Policies and strategies for a

successful transition of the child to socialization and school.”

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The general objective of the project is: “To support member countries in their efforts to

develop, strengthen, and evaluate policies and strategies that contribute to the extension and

improvement of the quality, equity, and coverage of the education and care of children ages 0 to 6

years, to facilitate their successful transition from home to preschool programs and from the

preschool program to basic education.”

The project was designed to identify gains made in the countries and subregions; to train

decision-makers in theory and practice; to evaluate the situation of initial/preschool and basic

education; and to pull together lessons learned and challenges for the design, implementation, and

evaluation of policies in the hemisphere (early childhood education through the first two grades of

basic education). The project has developed a series of activities which, it is hoped, will contribute to

strengthening the institutional capacity of the participating institutions, improve the quality of

services, and expand coverage with equity.

The project includes among its strategies the implementation of two symposia:

“Understanding the State of the Art in Early Childhood Education and Care,” May 14-18, 2007,

Washington, D.C., whose report is presented in this document; and a second symposium to be

scheduled by the government of Chile in 2009 on “Policies and strategies for a successful transition

of the child to socialization and school.”

The symposium’s Technical Committee circulated a questionnaire to the 34 member

countries of the OAS in order to prepare a preliminary assessment to help contextualize the member

states’ policies and programs (topics included: coverage, personnel, policies and legislation,

curriculum, costs, challenges and lessons learned, research projects, and implementation of birth to

three programs. A total of 19 questionnaires were returned and reviewed as a sample of input for

drawing conclusions.

The agenda of the symposium offered participants the opportunity for reflection, research,

and analysis of the scientific, neuroscientific, pedagogical, social, economic, and policy bases of child

development, and the importance of the early years. It was consistent with a comprehensive view of

human development, from a multidisciplinary perspective; from gestation to subsequent development

in school, and throughout one’s lifetime.

When programming the symposium, the intent was to motivate and support the development

of public policies for the birth to three-year age group, to share, among all those in attendance, the

same theoretical/conceptual bases so as to gradually construct – with the contribution of the delegates

– the conclusions and challenges identified of the symposium.

The research and studies presented made significant contributions to the processes of analysis

and reflection among the participants. Special emphasis was placed on the importance of and

rationale for providing quality services and education from the earliest ages; the effects of these

experiences on successful transitions; and their effects on the countries’ human and social capital.

The panels on experiences, organized by subregion, contributed numerous innovative ideas

for implementing policies. The important experiences carried out nationally or as pilot projects –

Chile, Jamaica, Peru, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Reggio Emilia, Abecedarian, CENDI

(Mexico), and Early Head Start, among others – and the observation visits on Wednesday, together

with the theoretical and conceptual foundations, presented on Monday, provided a common frame of

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reference for the group work. That work was carried out on Thursday, in groups organized by sub

regions.

Throughout the symposium an effort was made to follow intentionally selected set of issues

that challenge the entire region: policies, programs, research, training, evaluation, monitoring,

coordination, financing, and transition.

As part of the symposium, the overall design for project evaluation and monitoring was

prepared, and an instrument was applied to measure the attainment of the objectives set for the event.

(See Annex 5, Analysis of the responses.) Looking to the future, other instruments will be prepared to

evaluate the objectives of the overall project and the gains achieved by member states. The indicators

and instruments prepared after the symposium will be forwarded for consultation to all those in

attendance, and to government and civil society institutions in the countries, before they are

implemented.

The result of the group work made it possible to identify current trends, and to construct

conclusions regarding the state-of-the-art and current challenges, in a collective and participatory

manner. These conclusions are presented in the fourth part of this report.

Lenore Yaffee Garcia

Director

Department of Education and Culture

Organization of American States

Gaby Fujimoto

Senior Specialist, Education

Department of Education and Culture

Organization of American States

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PART I

FRAME OF REFERENCE

THE RIGHT OF CHILDREN TO AN APPROPRIATE AND RELEVANT EDUCATION

FROM BIRTH

The symposium began with an opening speech by President Michelle Bachelet of Chile. She

noted the important of comprehensive attention from the first years. Her speech was followed by a

session replete with new theoretical and conceptual knowledge and important policy initiatives in

some countries of the Americas.

The research and studies presented contributed significantly to the participants’ discussions

on the importance of addressing the earliest ages and the effects of successful transitions. These

research initiatives offered the fundamentals of early childhood care and education; raised the

challenges of education in the 21st

century; and considered the impact of quality child care on the

countries’ human and social capital.

The key ideas discussed the first day of the symposium can be summarized as follows:

A. Highlighting Chile’s approach to designing policies for birth to three years, which

occurs through the creation of a Social Protection System, which operates intersectorally with the

participation of all governmental and nongovernmental sectors, and with the political commitment of

the President herself.

The program of the Social Protection System for early childhood is called “Chile Crece

Contigo” (“Chile Grows with You”). It addresses several areas with a comprehensive approach,

including: (1) timely interventions; (2) accompanying the mother from pregnancy, giving her the

tools to establish a bond with her child; (3) household visits and detection of developmental delays;

(4) educational support with the participation of the parents; (5) support from the media; (5)

improving legislation on maternity.

By providing services to children from birth to three years, it fosters the participation of

Chilean mothers, if they so wish, in the labor market. In the most vulnerable sectors only 9% of

mothers hold jobs, while in the areas with better economic conditions, both parents are employed in

60% of households. There is an expectation that if the mother is integrated into the labor sector,

household income will increase as well as the mother’s self-esteem, which will have repercussions for

her relationship or bond with her child.

Chile is working to improve the quality of education and early education from several

angles: (1) it has a system of accrediting centers; (2) it is establishing an oversight and enforcement

agency, such as a supervisory intendancy of education; (3) improving the teacher-child ratio; (4) it is

providing professional education and training for working with children from birth to 3 years.

B. Canada is stepping up its commitment to early childhood. In 2003 it experienced

major changes: the federal government made a commitment to the provinces to increase the budget

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within five years, and signed an agreement to expand coverage and access to early childhood

education programs (that are not costly). Federal government financing was being incorporated into

the policies and programs of each province.

In the province of Saskatchewan, comparatively poor, the budget rose from 19 million to 56

million Canadian dollars; teacher salaries rose 21%; programs were added for children 3 and 4 years

of age; and a subsidy was provided for access to registered day-care centers.

In Canada’s experience the important issues that should be carefully examined are:

Gender – It matters more than we think – women teachers are poorly paid and it is

considered a low-status job. At present more educated women seek employment in other

sectors, and those who are less educated remain in the sector. At the country level, it is

still thought that they should not be paid, because child care is seen as a responsibility of

the family.

Socioeconomic level – According to the studies undertaken by Doug Willms and Clyde

Herztman there are inconsistencies with respect to the factors associated with

vulnerability. Socioeconomic level is one of the factors, and in Canada the vast majority

of children who are at risk or vulnerable are from the middle class. Therefore, perhaps

targeted policies are not necessarily the best, and we should seek universal policies for

early childhood.

Differences in pedagogy – There are some questions that are the focus of theoretical and

conceptual considerations: Should the emphasis be on cognitive aspects, or on socio-

emotional development? Cognitive development garners more political support. Should

we focus on early childhood to prepare children for school and for life, or take measures

to make primary schools more friendly? Should the curricular philosophy be modified to

emphasize cognitive development?

Social policy – It matters and is linked to framing policies for early childhood. As

persons helping to promote and shape policy, the commitment is to examine what the

citizens of our countries need at every level: family, academics, entrepreneurs in terms of

the development of human capital.

Sharing lessons learned and experiences, both good and bad.

C. UNICEF proposed the framework for social policy and public policy. Social policy

consists of a series of public policies designed to foster social development.

The challenge is to situate the development of early childhood policies in the framework

of public policy and social policy. Does the response entail framing policies that foster

support, or that foster demand?

We need information that can be used that is clearly related to local and global needs and

policies.

We need the countries’ experience in monitoring and evaluation of research results in

policy design.

D. The neuroscience researchers from Canada and Colombia underscored the following

findings:

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A baby is born with one-fourth of the brain developed, up to the age of nine months,

without mechanisms for controlling primary emotions – secondary altriciality.

In the first two years of life, there is an explosion of synaptic growth – but at 8 months of

life a reduction of the synaptic connections not used already begins.

It is important to observe closely that the development of the brain is a dyadic

phenomenon very bound up with the development of the higher regulatory functions such

as the capacity to self-regulate and develop emotions.

For the development of that dyadic relationship the positive emotions that the mother and

baby experience are a sort of glue holding it together.

Functional abilities/skills are important – healthy functioning is described not by IQ

(intellectual quotient) or how much one knows, but by the ability to learn. One should no

longer speak simply of cognitive skills but what they constitute – attention, pattern

recognition, sequencing of skills, visual and spatial processing, causal thinking. These are

the types of experience that the child needs to develop with his or her caretaker/mother.

Based on their research Shanker et al. conclude that 83% of the problems children

experience nowadays can be prevented by intervention in the first two years of life.

E. The World Bank showed that there have been advances in coverage in the region, in

building institutional capacities to measure learning, partnerships between the public and private

sectors, and greater capacity for conducting research.

Challenges persist with regard to coverage and quality of early childhood care,

completing basic education, improving learning, and reducing the gap with the OECD

countries.

A three-level conceptual framework is used to improve student achievement: (a)

analyzing the political and social conditions that affect the child’s learning; (b) analyzing

the characteristics of both the students (age, cognitive level, access to early childhood

education, natural ability) and their families (values, level of education, time spent doing

homework with children); and (c) analyzing the characteristics and conduct of the school,

which also affect the child’s learning.

These contributions were rounded out with the presentation of the status of children at risk. It

was noted that investment in early childhood is receiving ever greater attention and recognition

worldwide.

A message put out in a series in The Lancet1/

notes that the estimated figure of 6 million

preventable deaths each year in developing countries represents just the tip of the iceberg. In this

series, it is estimated that more than 200 million children are unable to realize their potential

development because they live in poverty, with poor health and nutrition, and deficient care. The risks

are particularly harmful for long-term development when experienced at an early age. These risk

factors affect the developing architecture of the brain, which is critical for learning, health, and

behavior. Fostering cost-effective early childhood development programs is a priority for the global

1. The three articles in The Lancet: “Developmental potential in the first 5 years for children in

developing countries” (January 6, 2007); “Risk factors for adverse outcomes in developing countries”

(January 13, 2007); and “Strategies to avoid the loss of developmental potential in more than 200 million

children in the developing world” (January 20, 2007) <http://www.thelancet.com>.

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development agenda. The Lancet presents evidence that shows that promoting cost-effective

programs that include increased investment in early childhood is a priority for the global development

agenda.

The academic coordinating initiative contracted María Victoria Peralta, Ph.D. and Jairo

Zuluaga, Ph.D., who undertook a bibliographic review and research in the areas of pedagogy,

neurosciences, and education. They analyzed the policies, research, and technical documents created

for the sector, including macro-curricula, programs, orientations, materials, and experiences that have

been unfolding in the Region. The purpose of this effort was to obtain a frame of reference to help

optimize the technical instruments permanently being developed in the countries, which support the

practices in both the formal and non-formal spheres.

The complete documents are presented as Annexes 1 and 2 to this report; here, only a

summary is presented (see Annexes 1 and 2).

F. The following was underscored as a frame of reference for pedagogy for children from

birth to three years:

The proposition that children have the right to an appropriate and relevant education from the

time they are born has a lengthy history in the education and rearing of children. From Comenius,

continuing with Pestalozzi, Froebel, and Montessori, among others, this concept evolved not only as a

postulate, but as a practice consistent with the broad vision of a modern pedagogy, therefore one

respectful of children, and their characteristics and needs. This was the thinking that the various

educators who established early childhood education in the hemisphere made their own and applied.

This pedagogy was grounded in philosophical and pre-psychological or psychological bases,

depending on the period in question, in addition to its own constructed knowledge. In recent decades

new contributions have been incorporated. In effect, the neurosciences, sociocultural anthropology,

historical-situational analysis, along with other frames of reference have further underpinned the

pedagogical mission at this stage, and, along with it, a more interdisciplinary and renewed approach

to its theory and practice.

The most important thing about the aspects reviewed and the frames of reference

obtained in the area of pedagogy:

1. The reaffirmation of the right of children under 3 years to an appropriate and relevant

education.

There are still countries that do include an educational approach in comprehensive care for

babies; rather, they are addressed from the standpoint of protection, labor, or health only. Yet even in

those countries there is ever-greater recognition that the child, even before birth, has the right to

comprehensive attention in which the education component is not early or anticipated, but appropriate

to the stage they are at; it should be relevant to their needs, characteristics, and interests.

2. Existing programs, whether formal or non-formal, should not only be extended to the

whole population in this age group, but substantial advances should be made in educational

quality.

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Expansion of coverage at this stage, while slow and not always addressed as a right of the

child, is currently expressed in formal day-care programs (salas cunas, jardines maternales, crèches,

etc.) and non-formal programs (home-based day-care facilities, itinerant educators, Wawa-wasi, etc.).

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While it is true that these offerings make it possible in some cases to address primary needs

of children such as care and food, sometimes with “recreational” components, there is a need for

proposals for educational quality to support the projects and learning needed in this area. The concept

of “guardería” (a place to guardar or “keep” children, without any organized activities) should be

overcome once and for all, and not be confused with educational proposals.

The following aspects should be considered in effort to move forward on this front.

3. Enhancing the foundation of a pedagogy for children from birth to three years, giving

children greater opportunities

The review of the curricula in the region at the macro level, and the analysis of the

bibliography used, shows that gradual progress has been made toward firmer theoretical grounds and

renewing the positions or contributions they provide. The philosophical and social bases of early

childhood education are beginning to postulate a baby who is a subject-person-citizen in a context of

rights who, as such, needs to be seen in a light somewhat different from the limited vision of “object

of certain stimuli” characteristic of the traditional approach. To this end, family should participate in

significant training actions, for which their empowerment with current knowledge appropriated by

them, with a methodology for adults, is essential.

At the same time, the neurosciences and cognitive psychology and theories on bonding

have highlighted the importance of this stage of life, from the fetal moment, reinforcing the need to

support an enhanced cerebral architecture through enriched environments with timely and relevant

learning opportunities grounded in quality affective interactions in de-stressed environments.

Sociocultural anthropology and ecology have placed emphasis on the cultural and natural

environments that contribute to healthier lifestyles with meanings for children in their family milieu

that strengthen identity and a sense of belonging, with an openness to other areas.

In keeping with these gains, and the theoretical construction particular to pedagogy, the

active role of children in their learning experiences has been accorded greater importance, in

interesting and contextualized educational situations that favor their integral well-being, where they

are able to choose, act, and change, in keeping with their interests and characteristics.

4. Developing of a pedagogy for the first years of life requires overcoming the approaches

based on “recipes of experimental activities” for children from birth to 3 years. Progress is

being made operationalizing it in curricular development.

In the field of education, one observes a return to a basic sense of pedagogy that is valid for

every stage, and more so in the first years of life. It includes greater respect for the uniqueness of each

child and recognition of the complexity of education, which require careful diagnoses and educational

proposals for each situation. This, in turn, suggests the need for greater specialized professional

training in this area.

In order to win recognition as a stage of education and to assure quality proposals, micro-

level curricula must be designed in which all key factors participate – planning, human and physical

orientation, educational organization of the time and processes of qualitative evaluation and

enlightenment.

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This recognition of the need for curricular development at this stage means that all the

problems of a curriculum – cultural selection, power struggles, the hidden curriculum – are revealed

at this stage, in which the status of the subjects as children becomes confused with a “childish”

approach to education.

5. In some cases there has been progress from a pedagogical proposal of modernity

towards a post-modern perspective.

If establishing a pedagogy for babies grounded in modernity for babies has been a slow

process, based on “universal concepts of child development,” and principles and practices applied in

somewhat undifferentiated ways to sociocultural contexts, the move to a pedagogy of post-modernity

is still quite incipient.

In effect, this pedagogy addresses diversity, situates education in the context of family and

social projects, works with cultural and natural contexts, assumes that the milieu accords priority to

certain aspects of development over others, views as relative the homogeneity sought by “standards”

applied uniformly, and is still very incipient, even more so in this age group. Nonetheless, some

current experiences are embracing this perspective: one may wish to observe these contexts, as input

for proposing one’s own way forward in this field.

G. What does neuroscience education have to offer today?

Following are some of the relevant aspects extracted from the conceptual discussion at this

symposium, with inputs in the form of the papers and discussions specifically related to the

neurosciences, as offering a perspective that has become fundamental for designing policies and

educational strategies.

The conclusions and recommendations from the neurosciences can be grouped as follows:

1. In the context of the sciences

Socializing scientific knowledge in general and knowledge of the neurosciences in particular

is not only desirable, but has become, for modern society, a duty and a social right associated

with the right of access to information.

This dissemination is associated with all the risks of deviant interpretation and application of

ethical and aesthetic precepts inherent to the human condition, and thus demand special

attention.

The conceptual diversity entailed in these interpretations, beyond the facts and scientific

inferences that can be characterized with levels of objectivity and universality are revealed in

diverse social, political, and economic contexts with the multiplicity and complexity these

entail.

One result is the consolidation of a broad spectrum of globalized knowledge: from the most

rigorous to the popular, the latter allowing for inevitable fantasies and myths, which should

be recognized and assumed within this framework for the socialization of knowledge.

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Neuroscientific knowledge should be applied to the classrooms and spaces of interaction for

education and human development, bearing in mind the foregoing premises of vulnerability.

It will regulate itself based on interdisciplinary social dynamics and collegial groups which,

as in this symposium, include educators, scientists, policy makers, political scientists,

sociologists, and the general public, advocating its critical and plural incorporation in early

childhood education.

The experiences in the OAS member countries represented, which included forums,

courses, symposia, and opportunities to debate in an effort to find common ground

between education and the neurosciences, have been very well received. More than

snobbism, this highlights the innovative thirst for education in all societies.

2. The context of health and human development

The issues inevitably linked to investment in education are generally issues our societies

have not yet been able to face head on. Essential inputs for the neurodevelopment of the

individual and the population at large, like access to food and health, continue to be

insufficient and worrisome.

The indicators for gauging access to these resources, despite apparent changes in terms of

expanded coverage in relation to early development, including intrauterine development,

need to be permanently reassessed and broken down into indicators that redefine poverty

and its impact on development in general and on neurodevelopment in particular.

In the context of intersectoral dynamics, it is fundamental to strengthen maternal-and-

child care programs as the basis for human development despite declining yet still-high

mortality rates.

The different strategies for diminishing maternal and infant mortality in recent decades

have given way to the survival of a new diversity of individuals. As an example of this

new human diversity we have very low birth-weight newborns, which on surviving have

a high risk of neurological morbidity.

This new diversity demands calls for the implementation of education policies for early

childhood that transcend sectoral boundaries.

3. In the context of the neurosciences

The coming on the scene of the language of neurosciences in education and the re-

elaboration of the pre-existing languages reflects the inevitable socialization of

knowledge, and involves the challenge of grasping the historical ebb and flow of words

and things.

The new paradigms for interpreting neurological development processes and the

technological evidence based on different research methodologies in neurosciences, but

in particular on the studies of functional imaginology, allow us to recognize a nervous

system that is changing in the face of educational processes, helping to anticipate

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deviations in the early processes of change linked to the construction of knowledge and

learning of the world around us.

Similarly they allow us to appropriate, recognize, and as a result seek to foster respect for

differences among individuals, not only between men and women (gender), but also those

associated with social, cultural, and ethno-anthropological contexts. Such recognition and

respect have led to the demand for educational models that take these differences into

account. We human beings learn and educate ourselves in and for diversity.

Extreme idealization, be it technical, progressive, scientific, utopian, or fundamentalist,

for designing and implementing educational processes in the first stages of life, finds its

limits in that which human knowledge has not been able to transform, and which is born

of its evolutional and historical essence, i.e. its diverse and unique social being, which

operates from the complexity of the individual. This has been called many things in the

symposium, but stands out as what’s natural.

The neurosciences have made it possible to recognize typologies in efforts to provide

attention that make it possible to interpret them not as mere filters of stimuli, but as

dynamics of prioritization in communicational interaction and in the interpretation and

construction of reality, as elements fundamental for educational change. The assertive

interpretation of such typologies of attention may favor educational interaction.

Working from the concepts of plasticity and communicational (synaptic) reorganization

of the nervous system, the neurosciences recognize human diversity as the endless

processes the human being can use to adapt to and transform his or her environment.

Educating and educating oneself is translated as this dynamic of transformation. It is

apparent that these processes take place as non-linear sets of interactions, with a

permanent trend to complexity, in which hierarchies are established, based not only on

the increased number of communicational contacts and cellular units, but also on their

selection and loss.

Research on the early organization of sensory and motor processes makes it possible to

recognize modifications in how the pathways of sensory processes are prioritized and

how the developing nervous system integrates its particular perceptions of the world, so

as, on that basis, to organize their acts, through movements. The early stages of life,

including intrauterine life, have been found to be those in which the capacity of our

system to transform in the face of changes in the environment is at its peak. These

periods, known as critical periods of development, involve the greatest capacity for

transformation of the human being for future learning, and demand special attention.

Early changes in tolerance for sensory stimuli, and inadequate perception as sensory

noise of those daily stimuli that do not make other individuals uncomfortable, are

examples of early forms of alteration that can be observed in early indicators of

neurological development that make it possible to anticipate changes that upset the

subsequent stages of the educational process. We learn, from the womb, and models of

social interaction transform us throughout our development.

- 13 -

The early stages of human neurodevelopment should be studied, as they relate to

pedagogic practices, with ever greater rigor, so as not to fall into inadequate

appropriation of scientific knowledge, consolidating neuromyths that may be exemplified

in an exaggerated emphasis on plasticity, or in the literal interpretation of approaches to

the imaginological localization of functions in specific places of the brain, or the over- or

under-valuing of the capacities for educational transformation of the individual.

Thinking of an education based on scientific evidence poses a methodological issue that

must be carefully considered, and it presents, from the outset, two major conceptual

challenges. The first has to do with the very construction of the levels of evidence, based

on science, as one of the paradigms of truth. The second is ensuring flexibility of the

model so as to adapt it to different contexts, in terms of the heterogeneous and

multicultural nature of the social world.

- 14 -

PART II

STATE-OF-THE-ART AND TRENDS IN POLICIES AND PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN FROM

BIRTH TO 3 YEARS IN THE COUNTRIES OF THE REGION

The results presented in this section attempt to show the progress and limitations in the

countries of the Americas in relation to policies and programs for children from birth to 3 years. The

information has been provided by the participating countries, through questionnaires and group work

done as part of the activities programmed in the context of the symposium.

For the purposes of this report, gaps have been found in the information either because the

countries have different criteria for organizing their information systems, because in many countries

there is no information disaggregated by criteria reflecting the diversity of children, be it cultural,

social, geographic, or based on physical and mental condition, or because indicators for registering

children from birth to 3 years have not been taken into account. In addition, there is no information

from the health sector, as the information has been provided by the ministries and institutions linked

to the education sector and the development/social assistance sector.

Following we present the information organized by subregions. We have sought to reflect the

state of the art in the categories of policies, curricula and programs, evaluation, monitoring, research,

training, financing, coordination, and transition.

1. Andean Subregion

Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru participated, as they provided answers to the questionnaire.

Neither Bolivia nor Venezuela participated. The information presented corresponds to the three

countries that participated.

Policies for the comprehensive attention for children from birth to 3 years

A trend is observed in the countries of the Andean subregion to move from childhood policies

with a sectoral approach to a population approach. This has led to recent initiatives to reformulate

processes and criteria for targeting, i.e. to move from regional criteria to more specific criteria, to the

point of identifying the most unprotected families. This is what the SISBEN has done in Colombia.

Nonetheless, in most of the Andean countries, the efforts, methods, and procedures for

targeting continue to be incipient and disarticulated, as there is not sufficient information, especially

on children from birth to 3 years.

In Ecuador, one important area of progress has been incorporating care for children from

birth to 3 years in the policies of the education sector by popular mandate; in the other countries

consideration has been given to adopting universal early education for this age group.

Nonetheless, a common denominator in the Andean countries is the low coverage for the 0 to

3 years age group, and that which exists is focused on basic health and nutrition aspects (child

survival), whereas education and development have not been sufficiently addressed. It is observed

that the total number of children from birth to 3 years is greater than the number of children ages 4 to

- 15 -

6; only in Peru is the difference minimal. Coverage for this stage of life ranges from 3% to 18%, far

from the coverage attained at subsequent levels of education.

In addition to the scant coverage, one observes that the focus on children from birth to 3 years

is in urban areas, which suggests the lack of equity in targeting the programs for children in this age

group.

As regards the quality of care for children from birth to 3, it is difficult to determine it

objectively, due to the lack of criteria.

The policies for this stage of life reflect gaps in legislation. New legislation is needed to

afford mothers who participate in productive activities the opportunity to do so with greater stability,

and with enhanced possibilities of providing services to their children during this stage of life.

Curriculum and programs geared to children from birth to 3 years of age

Services for children under 3 take many different forms, yet they provide scant coverage,

there are no synergies among modalities, nor is a record kept of the strategies or lessons learned,

resulting in missed opportunities for constructing relevant models of intervention.

Most models and strategies geared to this phase of life have been designed by civil society

(NGOs) with the support of international cooperation, with a well-defined time of operation, without

actions that might guarantee the sustainability of such interventions.

While the diversity of modalities of attention is positive insofar as it attempts to respond to

local particularities, it also gives rise to disorder in the rules for implementing and operating programs

that are issued in each sector, resulting in confusion for the ultimate providers of services.

For dispersed and remote communities, non-school programs continue to be a viable

alternative, yet they do not enjoy the support or resources they need to offer quality care.

Peru and Ecuador describe having curricula for children under 3 years of age; in Colombia

one is being designed. The countries note that there are processes for establishing and monitoring

programs, yet one notes serious limitations in the evaluations of the progress made by children in this

age group. Moreover, while there are efforts to move to a conception of active, participatory

childhood, where children are seen as having rights, the “adult-centered” view still prevails, i.e. where

the child depends on those who provide them with care, education, or assistance.

Evaluation and monitoring

There are clearly few information systems on this age group, those that exist or have been

developed by each sector (education, health, social development, and others) are not unified in terms

of their indicators and criteria, making it impossible to compare the information. In addition, there is

no link among the systems for monitoring and evaluating the policies and programs for this age

group.

The lack of such systems helps perpetuate a weak culture of citizen evaluation of early

childhood policies and programs: as there are no clear and precise indicators, it is not possible for

- 16 -

society as a whole to have basic and relevant information that might enable it to take actions for

monitoring, oversight, and social audit.

It is noted that the programs face resistance to evaluation, since the goals proposed are not

met, and because the available resources are not used in a timely and relevant manner.

Research

The countries of this subregion agreed that research looking at children ages 0 to 3 years is

focused primarily on “child-rearing practices,” that they are not able to establish links with the

proposals made, and they are far-removed from the programs for this age group. In addition, the

studies carried out are not disseminated or applied, they are merely adjusted to funders’ demands.

Early childhood policies do not include research as a key element for the development and

improvement of the policies and programs geared to ensuring comprehensive attention for children

under 3 years.

Training

In relation to training human resources, the countries indicated that there is no clear policy as

to the requirements for suitable professionals to work with children under 3 years, and that the

training plans in early childhood education are not in line with the needs and specificities of this

population.

There are isolated initiatives to train educators (professionals and non-professionals) not

recognized in policy; non-professional care-givers have low levels of training, and there is no

investment for continuing education and training. In addition, criteria for evaluating teachers and

care-givers who work with children under 3 years have yet to be adopted.

Financing

The figures are uneven from country to country. Colombia invests 34% of the national

budget in care for children under 3, at an average cost of US$ 270 per child/year. Peru reports that

the government invests 0.10% of the national budget, with the education sector investing US$ 61.7

per child/year, and the social development sector US$ 313.96 per child/year. In that case, the

difference in investment per child by each sector could be explained by the types of services

(educational vs. comprehensive attention) and by the coverage of each sector.

In addition, there are reimbursable loans for coverage from cooperation agencies, that do no

depend on measuring the risk of future sustainability, i.e. whether the state will be in a position to

assume the costs of care and coverage when financing for the project runs out.

Coordination

Although there have been advances in the design of policies geared to comprehensive

attention for children under 3 years, this policy has weaknesses when it comes to ensuring effective

coordination among sectors and institutions.

- 17 -

Transitions

Attention at this age is given by institutions unaware of the needs and cultural particularities

of the children and their families, making the family-institution transition difficult and traumatic.

2. Mercosur Region

For this subregion, information was available for Chile, Brazil, and Uruguay, collected

through the questionnaires, as well as information obtained from the working groups, in which Chile,

Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay participated.

Policies for the comprehensive care of children from birth to 3 years

There is a lack of policies for working with children from birth to 3 years from the standpoint

of equity with an emphasis on social inclusion. As in the Andean subregion, one observes a larger

number of children under 3 years compared to the population ages 4 to 6; coverage ranges from 12%

to 16%, less than the other levels of education.

The countries of this subregion have not reported information on children from birth to 3

years, disaggregated by groups according to ethnicity and geographic location. Nonetheless, the

overall data indicate that more services are provided in urban areas.

With the exception of Chile, one notes that the policy for children from birth to 3 years is

focused on social policies; in most of the countries of this region, early childhood education for

children from birth to 3 years is not recognized as the first level of the educational system, and gender

policies (which entail benefits for mothers) are weak.

Curriculum and programs geared to children under 3 years

In those countries that have a proposed curriculum or guides for working with children from

birth to 3 years, there is a trend for children to be considered as persons, with rights. Advances in this

regard have been uneven in this subregion. In Chile, an open and flexible curricular design is

proposed, offering general guidance to the operators of educational services; in Uruguay a curriculum

for children from birth to 3 years has been completed. Brazil does not have a curriculum. The

countries of this subregion noted that very little has been done in the way of curricular developments

for indigenous education.

Evaluation and monitoring – research

Some isolated research experiences have been the basis for reworking the curriculum or

programs promoted by the universities; in some cases longitudinal studies have been started to

determine a given program’s effects.

At present, Chile has evaluations of curricula and learning, as well as actions for monitoring

children from birth to years of age in kindergartens. In addition, the countries stated that work was

being done to implement programs and indicators for three-year-old children and that the evaluations

on nutrition in their “progress maps” only had standards for children ages 3 months to 6 years.

- 18 -

Training

Although there are gaps in the training of professionals working with children under 3 years,

initiatives are being submitted for in-service training of teachers, in which continuing education takes

place in higher education institutions supported by government funding.

Financing

Financing for the education budget of the country and states is determined by GDP, and is

provided by the federal government (Brazil), through the ministry of finance. The countries of this

subregion did not report information on the percentage of investment in children from birth to three or

on cost per child/year.

Coordination

Organized civil society has demanded participation in early childhood education; local

networks are proliferating with each passing day, and have helped bring about a strong partnership

among sectors and institutions. There are experiences that show that society, the state, the church,

universities, and associations can coordinate and strengthen attention for children from birth to 3.

Transitions

There are no studies on transitions, nor are they considered in policymaking. Some address

the transition between kindergarten and the next level of education.

3. Central American Subregion

Information came from Panama and Costa Rica, collected through the questionnaires, as well

as the information obtained from the working groups in which Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador,

and the Dominican Republic participated. No response was received to the questionnaire from

Honduras or Guatemala, nor did they participate.

Policies for providing comprehensive attention to children under 3 years

As regards the policies on comprehensive attention, we note that in Costa Rica the population

is considered from conception to age 18. In the case of El Salvador, the participants stated that equity

policies have been put in place in some countries of the region, but they do not specify in which areas

the criterion of equity is reflected. In Nicaragua one observes that the policies for children from birth

to 3 years are carried out as part of a National Strategy for Initial Education, and in the Dominican

Republic, services for children from birth to 6 years are compulsory.

In the Central American subregion there is information on this age group from Costa Rica

and Panama; as in the other subregions, the number of children under 3 years is larger than the

population 4 to 6 years. In the case of Costa Rica, coverage for children under 3 years accounts for

1.3% and in the case of Panama 10.75%. In terms of equity, services in Costa Rica are concentrated

in the urban areas, with a minimal percentage for the rural areas or the indigenous population. In

Panama, the population under three years that receives the most attention is concentrated in the

indigenous areas.

- 19 -

Costa Rica’s legislation for working mothers has policies and programs that provide support

to such women, with services for children under 3 years of age. Panama did not report having any

laws that benefit the indigenous or rural population, or working women.

Curriculum and programs for children from birth to 3 years of age

The programs and curricula in this subregion conceive of children as persons with rights and

potentials. The curricula in Panama and Costa Rica cover children from birth to 6 years; only Costa

Rica has a plan to implement the curriculum, decentralized agencies, and training and monitoring.

Nonetheless, they note that no evaluation is done of children from birth to three. While Panama has a

curriculum, it does not have an implementation process. Nicaragua has a curriculum but only for

children ages 3 to 6 years.

Evaluation and monitoring – Research

In this subregion, the members of the working group integrated aspects having to do with

evaluation to those related to research. They note that international organizations have issued reports

that describe attention for children from birth to 3 years, nonetheless they add that there is little

evaluative research on programs and projects for children in this phase of life, and those that exist are

isolated, depending on the initiatives being furthered in each country. As indicated for other

subregions, existing research is focused on studies that refer to guidelines for childrearing; there are

difficulties when it comes to incorporating them into the programs.

Training

The countries noted that there is little professional training for caring for children from birth

to 3 years. They also noted that in the case of non-professionals who work with children in programs

for the birth-to-three age group, there is differentiated training based on the description or function

they perform.

Financing

The only information on record on financing is that provided by Panama, which indicates that

it invests, annually, US$ 408.38 per child under three years. The other countries do not report

figures, but indicate that there are financial resources that come from international loans; in other

cases they are provided by NGOs, grants, and other sectors of civil society. Yet they are insufficient

for expanding quality coverage.

Coordination

There are differences in this respect. Whereas in some countries comprehensive care actions

are taken for children from birth to 3 years through actions coordinated with the various institutions;

in other cases there is no coordination among institutions.

Transitions

There are few formal studies describing the transition of children from birth to 3 years.

- 20 -

4. North America Subregion

In this subregion, information on Mexico and the United States was collected from the

questionnaires; in addition, information was obtained from the working groups in which Canada,

Mexico, and the United States participated. No response to the questionnaire was received from

Canada. Canada’s experiences shared in the working group are important efforts being made through

private institutions that work in coordination with governments. Therefore, the following information

does not necessarily reflect the national data for all three cases.

Policies for comprehensive attention for children under 3 years

In the case of Canada, there is a universal national policy of early childhood care that dates to

the year 2000 and was reformulated in 2006. It establishes the legal framework for services for this

age group. In the case of the United States, there is a targeted policy (for children from low-income

families) implemented through the Head Start program.

As in the subregions described above, the number of children under 3 years is larger than

those in the 3 to 5 age group. Mexico reports 76% coverage for this age group, yet the largest number

of children served is concentrated in urban areas. In the United States, according to the report by

Head Start, current coverage is 61,970 children under 3 years in vulnerable circumstances.

Mexico has rules that regulate services for children under 3 years, yet there are no specific

provisions for the border population or free programs for children with special educational needs. In

the case of the United States, Head Start has an Early Head Start program that provides attention to

children under 3 years from low-income families; there are also forms of social support for mothers,

such as allowances and cash transfers.

Curriculum and programs for children from birth to 3 years

In the case of Head Start, there is no curriculum, but ”program performance standards”;

private organizations decide what curriculum or curricular framework to use, mindful that the

objective is to comply with the training standards that propose indicators. Xx[this is an example

where I think the original is confusing] There is no curriculum for this age group, but there are

guides and materials to orient the adults who work with children in programs that provide services to

children under 3. In the case of Canada, there is no national curriculum, just programming standards.

In Mexico, there is a curriculum for children from birth to 4 years in the Early Education Program;

they note they have a plan for implementing the curriculum with training actions and materials to

support implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.

Evaluation and monitoring

Both United States and Canada have evaluation systems. In the case of the United States, the

programs are subject to a systematic internal evaluation annually and every four months. The

benchmark for growth and development is applied to children from birth to 3 years at the federal level

in the United States.

Research

- 21 -

Funds are allocated by the federal governments for research in both the United States and

Canada. In Canada, the research is financed by provincial funds. In the case of the United States, the

funds come mainly from the federal government; a given amount or proportion of the total Head Start

budget has been earmarked for evaluation and research.

Training

The performance standards for care providers and educators are established by each province

in Canada. It was also noted that training of professionals who provide services to children in this age

group has no bars to entry for those who provide the service in Canada (except in Quebec) or in the

United States. Continuing professional education and training is encouraged by the institutions of

both countries. In the United States these are the CDA and the NAEYC.

Financing

Mexico invests 1% of the national budget in services for this age group; in the United States

this figure is 10%. The financial funds are added up (federal/provincial) so as to optimize resource

use in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and are administered by the states or provinces.

Services for children from birth to 3 years of age are supported by federal, local, and private funds.

Coordination

The Head Start program in the United States has scant relations with other sectors. In

Canada, the provinces of Alberta and Quebec have cooperation and relations among services

providing attention for children with special educational needs, and cooperation among the public and

private sectors is promoted in the implementation of day-care services.

Transitions

Parents in the Head Start program are given support accompanying their children under 3 in

the transition from the home to the day-care center, and from the day-care center to kindergarten.

There is close coordination between parents and day-care centers in Canada.

5. Caribbean Subregion

For this subregion, information came in from Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts

and Nevis, and Belize, through the questionnaires, and from the working groups, in which the above-

mentioned countries participated, along with Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and Jamaica.

Policies on comprehensive services for children from birth to 3 years

In the case of the Caribbean subregion, CARICOM accounts for the largest number of the

English-speaking countries, and has fostered the drafting of the Regional Plan of Action for ECD. In

this regional plan, the 20 member countries of CARICOM have intersectoral policies for services for

children from birth to 3 years. They also have guides for the development of policies, regulations, and

- 22 -

standards in early education. These guides include basic standards for the services provided in these

countries.

In the Caribbean subregion one notes slight differences between the population from birth to

3 years and the population ages 4 to 6 years. Coverage ranges from 25% to 38%, with equal or greater

coverage in rural areas.

Curriculum and programs for children under 3 years

Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Belize have proposed curricula for children under 3 years

in which the responsibility for implementation is entrusted to the education sector. In addition, they

note that there is a process for implementing the curriculum, yet in general there are no evaluation

actions; only Saint Kitts and Nevis reported carrying out this activity.

Evaluation and monitoring – Research

In the Caribbean subregion, research has been undertaken on programs that serve children

from birth to 3 years. This research has been evaluational, such as Jamaica’s birth cohort study

(1986), status of the preschool child (Profiles Project) 2003, stimulation of children from birth to 3

years old and effects 18 years later (Lancet 2007), surveys of learning environments in 10 countries,

instruments for measuring developmental outcomes piloted in Jamaica 2006, plan for screening

referral and early intervention 2006 (8 countries), and MICS completed in UNICEF country

programs. Jamaica’s Annual Survey of Living Conditions recently included a special module on

parenting and will include a module on ECD in 2006. xx[e original: may need fix]

Training

The Caribbean subregion has the Regional Qualification Frameworks 2006, which include

performance indicators for both professional and non-professional personnel who work with children

from birth to 3 years. In addition, it has a proposal called Framework Development for the

Establishment of a Regional Accreditation, an instrument used within the country in relation to the

parameters established in the Regional Qualification Frameworks.

Financing

With respect to financing, two of the eight participating countries have information on annual

cost per child. In the case of Saint Lucia, cost per child is US$ 23 in public services and US$ 92 in

private services. For Saint Kitts and Nevis, the cost in public services is US$ 6, and in private services

US$ 15 to 20 per child per year. Studies on costs/investment in education and early care are being

undertaken in four countries.

Coordination

Institutional ties have been strengthened in the Caribbean subregion. CARICOM plays a

major role in the integration actions of the member countries and institutions associated with child

care. The subregion has national level organizations such as the Early Childhood Commission

(Jamaica), Pre-Primary Education Council (Dominica), National Council on Early Childhood

Education (Trinidad and Tobago), and the Inter-ministerial ECD Commission (Suriname).

- 23 -

Transitions

There are few formal studies on the transition for children from birth to 3 years. They note

that the most important learning objective set forth in the designs and structures is to guide support

for transitions, sharing the responsibility for doing so with the parents.

- 24 -

PART III

Significant experiences in the Americas

Among the most significant programs and experiences being undertaken at the national level

in the hemisphere is the program “Chile crece contigo” (Chile Grows with You) which provides

comprehensive care to children from birth to 5 years based on coordinated actions among the

different sectors. Peru presented the comprehensive attention program known as the “Programa

Nacional Wawa wasi” for the population under 4 years living in poverty. The United States has the

Early Head Start and Good Start, Grow Smart programs, which serve children under 5 years from

low-income families. And in the Central American countries one finds the Project for Strengthening

Low-income Mothers’ Literacy (Proyecto de Fortalecimiento a los Procesos de Alfabetización a

Madres de bajos recursos) called “Toma mi Mano”) (Take My Hand) undertaken by the OEI. Also

presented were programs being developed to train professionals in early childhood education in

Barbados.

The programs and experiences being developed at the local level presented include the

prenatal program “Construyendo un Mejor Futuro” (Building a Better Future) carried out by CENDI

in the state of Nuevo León, Mexico. In the United States we found the University of Ohio’s “Learning

from Reggio Emilia” initiative, which draws on and adapts the Italian educational proposal to the

U.S. context, with positive results for child development. Also presented was the “Creative

Curriculum” experience developed by Teaching Strategies. And in Spain, the program “Educating the

child’s personality in values” is being developed, using primers that illustrate different situations.

Research at the local level includes the longitudinal study of the Proyecto Abecedarian,

which corroborates what investment in the first 5 years of life can mean in the long run for children,

families, and communities. A study has been undertaken in Peru in the context of the Niños de la

Amazonía project of the Universidad Católica and the van Leer Foundation, that reveals the processes

and conditions for a successful transition from home to school in children from the Peruvian Amazon.

In the context of the symposium, the participants had an opportunity to make observation

visits to two educational centers, the House of Representatives and the Greater Mount Vernon EHS.

In general lines, the participants discussed the importance of the environment, the relevance of the

relationship between parents and schools, and the fundamental importance of ongoing training for the

personnel who provide such services. (See CD from the Symposium, with complete information, or

the website <http://www.sedi.oas.org/dec/documentos/simposio/default.htm>.)

- 25 -

PART IV

CONCLUSIONS AND CHALLENGES

Initial Considerations:

Pursuant to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by most of the countries

represented in this Symposium, in the context of Education for All and based on the project “Policies

and Strategies for Young Children’s Successful Transition to Socialization and School,” special

attention was given to the gains in the policies and normative frameworks with respect to early

childhood care, which for the purposes of this symposium begins in gestation and continues through 3

years.

In recent years, research on child development has emphasized the importance of

comprehensive attention, beginning at gestation, in which the social, historical, and cultural context is

a decisive factor for the life of the individual. Accordingly, it is not sufficient to approach the child

from a solely neurological perspective or an exclusively educational perspective, rather a broader

vision that integrates other disciplines, which view the child from a complex cultural, historical,

environmental, and social context (ecology of childhood).

Given that this stage of a child’s growth, development, and learning is critical, as expressed

by the 34 countries of the Americas, it is imperative to review, deepen, and construct the criteria and

orientations that make it possible to find the most efficient and relevant mechanisms for putting such

policies in place, in which the conditions to benefit those characteristics and potentials of children are

clearly established. In this regard, children are seen as individuals with rights, full-fledged citizens,

curious, happy, loved and capable of loving, creative, free and autonomous, capable of establishing

relationships of otherness with others who are different and in an attitude respectful of their

surroundings. These qualities will enable children to begin to act as responsible and critical citizens

who contribute to the social setting in which they grow up.

This vision requires that one have integrated social policies in which children are treated not

just as “educable” subjects, but as competent individuals from a rights-based approach, whose rights

reflect quality and equity in terms of life cycle, gender, culture, and geographic context, this approach

acknowledges the integration of the systems for information and evaluation, and research and

knowledge, with the shaping of human talent that sees to the care and education of children.

Subsequently, these strategies need to be integrated with the policy-makers and decision-makers,

ensuring stable financial resources to sustain and develop these policies.

These propositions were supported by the various international agencies that participated in

the symposium, who have also envisioned the need for inter-agency and inter-institutional

collaboration to attain better results.

In this context, the main thoughts that derive from the work done during the symposium are

grouped in the following categories, setting forth the main trends encountered and the challenges they

pose to the Hemisphere.

- 26 -

Policies:

State of the Art:

1. All the countries of the region have moved towards designing policies, laws, and regulations, or

strategies for early childhood, some with more participatory approaches in which, in addition to

the government, there has been involvement of civil society, NGOs, multilateral agencies, and

others.

2. In most countries of the region, early childhood policies are more focused on the 4 to 6 years

age group; the specific normative frameworks for the under 3 years age group, where they exist,

are very limited.

3. All the countries accord priority to expanding early childhood coverage, focusing attention and

resources on children over 3 years, from a perspective of equity and social inclusion, serving

populations that are more marginal and excluded socially, economically, and culturally. The

development of formal and non-formal programs for children under 3 has shown slow growth,

despite the results of research demonstrating how crucial this stage of life is.

4. All the countries note as one of their priorities improving the quality of health care, child care,

education, and other services directed to children ages birth to three or early childhood.

Nonetheless, the resources, orientations, and criteria are focused mostly on children over 3

years, and the personal, socioeconomic, ethnic, and cultural particularities of the families and

children are not considered.

5. Most of the countries still preserve a sectored approach to policies for early childhood, without

considering the child as an integral being. The result is fragmentation in the agreements and

regulatory frameworks for early childhood policy.

6. There is still a tendency for each successive administration to design and implement policies,

rather than having policies of state for early childhood, which translates into discontinuity,

fragmentation, and the lack of sustainability of the programs through which those policies are

put into practice.

7. Although all the countries have normative frameworks that stem from early childhood policy,

the processes of implementation are negatively impacted by budgetary limitations, the failure to

accord priority to this age group in the political agenda, and fragmentation in the decision-

making processes in the state.

8. There is a gap between research on early childhood, especially for the stage of life from birth to

three years, and policy making for this sector of the population in most of the countries. Policy

making is not necessarily grounded in accumulated knowledge nor does it use evaluation and

monitoring to help systematize policy.

9. Serious weaknesses are observed in the information systems and in the statistics they generate,

which are only overall figures, not disaggregated ones, often constructed merely as

approximations, which makes decision-making and monitoring of policy difficult. Qualitative

information is almost non-existent, making it difficult to learn about the processes, specificities,

and diversities one finds in the different population groups.

- 27 -

10. In the policies and normative frameworks for services to children under 3 there is greater

emphasis on aspects related to early childhood care, without clear considerations of the

educational aspects unique to this stage of development.

11. In most countries of the region, there is an absence of policies and normative frameworks

geared to early childhood that address the special educational needs, gender, and indigenous,

rural, Afrodescendant, and border populations.

12. There is little policy-making in the area of communication to raise citizen awareness of early

childhood in general, and in particular awareness of the importance of comprehensive attention

and quality care for children under 3.

Challenges:

1. Making progress in constructing normative frameworks that ensure comprehensive attention

from gestation to 3 years, moving from the sectoral approach to a population approach, with a

rights-based perspective and greater citizen participation.

2. Proposing the population approach not only for this stage of life, but also considering the

particularities that stem from the cultural, social, and geographic diversity of children, as well

as the diversity of physical and mental conditions, and of the situations of vulnerability of the

families and their children, which contributes to specific interventions.

3. Moving, in the region, from policies of particular administrations to state policies, so as to

ensure the continuity, articulation, and sustainability of the programs that stem from such

policies.

4. Designing policies, criteria, and normative frameworks that address the particularities of the

stage of life from gestation to 3 years through different alternatives, both formal and non-

formal, depending of the needs of children and their families.

5. Putting in place processes of articulation that overcome the gap between research and policy-

making. Drawing on the knowledge constructed from different plural paradigms, from a

quantitative and qualitative perspective, as a starting point and reference point for monitoring,

evaluation, and implementation of policies.

6. Putting in place policies for equity and social inclusion that consider the particularities of

children and their families in relation to their special educational needs, gender, ethnicity, and

geographic location.

7. Putting in place communication policies and strategies that raise the awareness of the entire

society to the importance of birth to three and the role that should be played by the different

actors and institutions to guarantee and implement actions for the well-rounded development of

children under 3 years.

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Macro-level Curricula and Programs:

State of the Art:

1. Most of the countries of the Hemisphere have made progress in terms of moving towards

macro-level curricula that give direction to pedagogical work with children under 3 years. In

some cases the foundations of these curricula are the traditional ones, and in others they have

broadened out so as to incorporate the contributions of the neurosciences, cultural and

anthropological considerations, and historical/situational analysis. In the pedagogical

orientation of these curricula, two tendencies can be observed, one more holistic and

constructive, and the other more concrete, yet at the same time with greater degrees of

flexibility when it comes to adapting to the particular characteristics of each child and his or her

family.

2. Although most of the programs conceive of children as individuals with rights, this conception

doesn’t always translate into specific actions. Some experiences still view the child as

vulnerable, requiring protection and care, which can lead to welfare-oriented approaches.

3. One finds a diversity of expressions, interventions in the field of education and care of children

under 3 years (formal and non-formal), with a wide variety of quality of services. In addition,

these experiences are highly fragmented in relation to one another, and one observes little effort

to integrate services. If integrated, it might make be possible to determine their potential

contributions, so as to disseminate them, and help identify trends and construct relevant models.

4. There are initiatives aimed at further specifying the components and characteristics of a

proposal for quality services for children under 3 years: equipment, teacher-training, materials,

integration of education and care. Nonetheless, they fail to take into account the contexts,

realities, and characteristics of children at this stage of life.

5. Components such as democracy and construction of citizenship are being incorporated in early

childhood programs in general, but for children under 3, there is a limited conception of them

as individuals with rights, resulting in a lack of guidelines and criteria for applying those

components.

6. There is a tendency to replicate programs drawn up in other contexts, applying them in different

situations without evaluating their relevance, and also limiting the participation and creation of

the different actors who participate in providing care to children under 3 years.

7. One observes a greater effort to ensure family-program coordination, yet there is little clarity in

terms of the meaning and forms of families’ participation in their children’s education,

considering, in addition, their particular ethnic, labor, and geographic conditions.

8. There is a major trend in the governments to work together with civil society to expand and

implement programs for early childhood. Nonetheless, it is important to mention that in a large

percentage of the experiences, the participation of civil society lacks state support.

9. In a large number of the programs, one observes difficulties in implementation due to the lack

of human, technical, and financial resources for the comprehensive implementation of the

programs, putting at risk the basic quality of the services.

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10. Existing monitoring systems have a tendency to accord greater importance to indicators having

to do with completion of activities (workshops, productions, etc.) as opposed to qualitative

indicators that make it possible to assess the development of processes and the achievement of

results relevant to this age group (under 3 years).

11. Some programs are beginning to consider attention for children from the prenatal stage,

although the health-sector approach prevails.

12. Few programs in the region make explicit the inclusion of children with special needs, and few

are based on studies of child-rearing practices in the different communities of the Hemisphere.

13. There is scant research with a view to constructing pedagogy for children under 3 years,

confusing it with experimental situations for measuring child development.

Challenges:

1. All the countries should have curricular programs and pedagogic orientations at the macro level

for the birth to three age group, with a holistic, comprehensive, and multidisciplinary outlook in

terms of their foundation, and should consider children as full citizens, with rights, as their

central focus, in both the conception and implementation of their programs.

2. Redirecting child care programs for children under 3, bringing them closer to operationalization

of the comprehensive attention approach, which includes, in addition to protection, health, and

nutrition components, education with an up-to-date approach relevant to the age group.

3. Along with developing the curricular design at the macro level, there should be planning of its

implementation with strategies and resources relevant to the characteristics that these

instruments seek to support, such that the adults who are going to carry them out also develop a

participatory, reflective, and constructive approach to the processes of curricular development,

ensuring their adequate implementation.

4. Creating the conditions for quality participation of families, care-givers, and the community in

general, in the design, implementation, and evaluation of the programs of comprehensive

attention for children under 3 years.

5. Contextualizing every program to the sociocultural realities and encouraging their appropriation

by the actors in keeping with their collective projects and the assessment of each community,

and particularly the children.

6. Grounding every program on a set of rationales that confer a multidisciplinary perspective on

curricular design and implementation at the macro level.

7. Using the knowledge produced by the programs developed through their various channels –

research, monitoring, evaluation, and systematization – to ensure their optimal implementation

and to achieve greater relevance.

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Evaluation and monitoring;

State of the Art:

1. Most of the countries do not have clear systems for monitoring and evaluation of the

implementation of policies and their statistical information systems are not very reliable,

especially for the groups most excluded, due to their special educational needs, ethnicity,

gender, and geographic location.

2. In most of the countries of the Hemisphere, monitoring and evaluation of programs are

deficient, especially in the qualitative aspects that address the development and learning of

children under 3 years. They are not linked to an information system; therefore they do not

influence the direction of the programs or their decision-making process.

3. Indicators of supply and demand, coverage, and access are used, yet there are still no indicators

of quality or result expected of the programs for providing comprehensive attention to children

under 3.

4. Although in some countries the issue of design and implementation of instruments for

monitoring and evaluation has been addressed, there is no system, but rather fragmented

information that does not account for implementation of the programs or their results.

5. There is scant participation from civil society in oversight/social audit actions to keep tabs on

the policies and effective provision of services geared to children under 3.

Challenges:

1. Generating systems for monitoring and evaluation of the policies and programs for

comprehensive care for children under 3 years that yield information useful for seeing the

impacts of policy, improving the quality of programs, following up on the transition processes,

and making quality, timely, and relevant decisions.

2. Generating quantitative and qualitative systems of indicators that make possible effective

monitoring and evaluation by those who design policy and administer programs, and by the

very social actors involved in such programs.

3. Strengthening the participation of civil society in oversight/social audit actions in coordination

with the ombudspersons’ offices that see to the quality of comprehensive care services for

children under 3 years.

4. There is a need for a more contextualized and participatory approach based on the actors’

meaning that makes it possible to take into consideration their points of view regarding the

validity of programs for their children under 3 years.

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Research:

State of the Art:

1. In most of the countries research is not used as a basis for design or as a point of reference for

the monitoring and evaluation of policies and programs geared to children under 3 years.

2. There is limited research on processes of socialization, outlooks, and cultural points of

reference for children under 3 years and their families, which limits the development programs

that address the needs and particularities of children in different contexts.

3. Knowledge about children generated in academic scenarios is scarcely considered in the design

and implementation of the programs, thus it is not expressed in the actors’ social practices, and

at the same time the actors’ practices are not considered in the region’s accumulated

knowledge.

4. Priority has been accorded to quantitative research which provides valuable yet partial

statistical information on the development of children under 3 years of age, and on the

programs and their impacts, with important shortcomings in terms of approaches that account

for qualitative processes related to learning, practices, and the scenarios in which they take

place.

Challenges:

1. Closing the gap between research and social practices in the processes of providing

comprehensive attention to children under 3 years, so as to use the knowledge for improving

the quality of the programs, making them more relevant, and being able to assess their impact

on the development of the child and on constructing quality of life for themselves and their

agents of socialization.

2. It is necessary to begin to work with data disaggregated by population, gender, and age, among

other considerations, to clarify the main lines of attention. In addition, there is a need for

indicators and qualitative data on children’s learning processes, their processes of socialization

and acculturation that make it possible to characterize their outlooks and conditions of reality to

ensure the programs are more relevant.

3. Making progress in longitudinal studies and information systems tied in to national surveys

such that they contribute an ongoing flow of information to evaluate the quality of child

attention and its effects on the development of children under 3years, their families, and their

community contexts.

4. Promoting the use of qualitative methodologies that make it possible to characterize the

development of children under 3 years, the practices, and the scenario in which they are carried

out.

5. Fostering evaluation/research on the impact of programs for the birth to three age group. Very

few have been rigorously studied, thus there is little information to distinguish which types of

programs in the region for birth to three years are effective.

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Training:

State of the Art:

1. Some countries have systematic and quality processes for training educators at the professional

level for the under 3 age group. In most, teacher training continues to be focused on preschool

care for children 4 to 6 years, with no specific pedagogic specialization for children under 3

years. It is important to note that in some countries, especially in the Andean subregion,

programs for children under 3 years are not attended by teachers but by care-giver mothers or

educational promoters; apparently there is no system for their education and training, properly

speaking. Another aspect to consider is the scant training for health personnel who provide care

to children ages 0 to 3 in relation to skills for offering orientations to parents on issues of

integral development of their children.

2. There is a strong discipline-based and sectoral tendency in the proposals for training agents

involved in designing and implementing of programs geared to children under 3 years, limiting

the integrated approach needed for there to be quality care in this stage of life.

3. There is a marked trend in the development of programs geared to children under 3 years to put

in place training geared to families, care-givers, and community actors, yet most are

discontinuous, instrumental, and with methodologies that are hardly apt for adult education.

4. Most of the countries do not have a system for professional development in which home-based

care-givers and other volunteers (known by different names in different countries, including

cuidadoras de hogares, madres comunitarias, and animadoras) can enhance their knowledge

and skills, obtain equivalencies to complete primary or secondary school, if needed, and gain

access to the formal teacher-training system.

5. There is a deficit of graduate-level training programs (diplomado, master’s, doctorate)

specialized in early childhood that might make it possible to train researchers and “trainers’

trainers” to address the fundamental problems entailed in providing services to children under

3.

6. In many countries one notes that educators, during their workday, have little if any time for

study and reflection of their own teaching practices. In addition, the level of pay for early

childhood educators is very low and does not allow for access to professional and advanced

training, which is not promoted by the state either.

Challenges:

1. Putting in place systematic and quality processes for training educators at the undergraduate

level on specialized issues related to children under 3 that give special attention to the

pedagogic particularities of this sector of the population.

2. Fostering graduate-level programs (diplomado, master’s, doctorate) specialized in early

childhood for training researchers and “trainers’ trainers” to address the fundamental problems

encountered in providing services to children under 3.

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3. Developing permanent training programs based on a methodology relevant for adults to give

orientation to care-givers, family, and community actors for quality participation in programs

providing services to children under 3.

Financing:

State of the art:

1. The financing of early childhood programs for children under 3 years in the Hemisphere is very

mixed. In some countries the state covers a large part of the costs of early childhood services,

generally focused on health services. In most of the countries early childhood care is based on

the effort of the communities themselves or the contributions from NGOs and the international

cooperation agencies.

2. There is little information about the total national budget allocated to early childhood in all

sectors and at all levels of government.

3. In the education sector, most of the countries do not have information on the cost-per-child of

early childhood programs.

4. In general, education costs for the under-3 age group are not considered as an investment but as

non-priority expenditures; the rate of return of such spending in terms of human capital

development and the development of the countries is not known.

5. Efforts to obtain resources from cooperation agencies earmarked for this group are still very

limited and there is little coordination with existing public policies.

Challenges:

1. Investing in comprehensive early childhood development, in the context of a clear policy for

overcoming poverty and attaining greater equity in our hemisphere.

2. Considering and increasing financing of comprehensive attention for children under 3 years of

age as a priority investment for the countries, in terms of human capital development and rate

of return on the investment.

3. Improving the coordination of international cooperation resources and the administration of

such resources to attain greater efficiency in their use.

Coordination:

State of the Art:

1. There are very few positive experiences of coordination among sectors for early childhood

services, giving rise to fragmented practices that contribute little to the comprehensive

development of children under 3 years, or to the quality of the services.

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2. Some experiences of coordination between civil society organizations and the state are

beginning to emerge in some countries, which, however, are not yet expressed in integrated

practices relevant to children under 3.

3. Some countries have adopted participatory mechanisms for designing policies that bring

together the different public and private sectors: education councils, roundtables for

coordination, inter-institutional networks, and national or municipal plans for childhood.

Challenges:

1. Fostering inter-sectoral coordination that overcomes the fragmentation of social practices of

education and care for children under 3 years, so as to guarantee comprehensive attention and

optimal use of resources.

2. Developing coordination among academics, policy-makers, and program administrators, so as

to close the gap between knowledge and social practice in care for children under 3 years.

3. Fostering coordination between the state and civil society to attain more relevant attention for

children under 3 years, in which a clear distinction is drawn between the responsibilities and

roles of the state and civil society.

4. Continuing to make progress in the dialogue between the countries and the cooperation

agencies, emphasizing shared responsibility and the need to contextualize experiences so they

respond to the needs of the countries and the professional development of specialists in the

various areas of comprehensive attention.

Transition:

State of the Art:

1. There are isolated and disjointed efforts for the transition from the home to services for children

under 3 years, with few studies and little monitoring of these processes.

Challenges:

1. Systematizing experiences so as to draw lessons from them that would make it possible to

design successful transitions.

2. Promoting research projects and creating information systems that help create a conceptual

reference on the transition, and more clearly identify the issues and contribute background so as

to impact policies and quality programs for children under 3 years.

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ANNEX 1

IN SEARCH OF A POST-MODERN PEDAGOGY FOR EDUCATIONAL WORK IN THE

FIRST THREE YEARS2/

M. Victoria Peralta E.

Director IIDEI

“The distance between the newborn child

And five years is an abyss;

from the five-year-old child to me is just a step.”

Leo Tolstoy

INTRODUCTION

Early childhood education and care have been making major strides in recent years in Latin America

and the Caribbean in terms of increased coverage, in response to officially signed agreements that

have been fostered by different international agencies (OAS, UNICEF, UNESCO), and also in

response to the policies that each country has been adopting. The latest report monitoring early

childhood education and care (2007) describes this situation, noting that of the developing countries,

the region has the highest gross rate of schooling (62%).

This increase in coverage has been driven by a number of causes, of which the main ones

continue to be its well-known contributions as preparation for primary or basic education, over and

above what they may have to do with the development particular to this stage. It has been

accompanied by a relative consensus that if this offer is not based on certain quality criteria, one runs

the risk that much of its effect may be lost.

Accordingly, when analyzing the coverage offered, one detects that most of the countries

offer one to three years of services, three years being the most common (98%), geared mainly to the 3

to 5 years age group.3/ This information indicates, therefore, that incorporating the right to education

from birth is still a goal yet to be attained.

In terms of quality, the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean have been especially

engaged, in the last decade, in improving educational services, which has been made explicit in the

respective education policies of each one. As part of this process, which has been known by different

names in the region – educational or curricular reform, educational or curricular transformation, and

educational revolution, among others – and based on the proliferation of research reiterating the

importance of early education for the fuller development of children, a stage of improving early

childhood education and care has generally taken hold, in most cases reflected in the emphasis on

official national curricular instruments, with their respective processes of implementation. This

development, which may be classified as historic, considering that for the first time in Latin America

2. Part of this article is drawn from the author’s work “Nacidos para ser y aprender.” Editorial

Juvenil, Buenos Aires, 2005.

3. UNESCO. “El Imperativo de la calidad.” 2007, p. 93.

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all the countries have this level with these official documents, makes possible, in theory, an enhanced

pedagogical effort with children, though not all the countries have such guidelines for the 0 to 3 years

age group.

The following article seeks to outline a critical approach to early childhood pedagogy,

considering in particular the characteristics of the first stage of life (0 to 3 years), and to suggest a

didactic based, among other things, on recent contributions from the neurosciences.

This approach, which takes into consideration the contributions of the neurosciences, is not

intended by any means to restrict the sources, contributions, or complexities that must be borne in

mind by pedagogy today. In the case of early childhood it is even more essential, as the formation of

the person is so delicate at this stage, one mustn’t lose sight of a concept of the baby as a “subject-

person” situated in time, space, society, and culture, offering him or her a set of situations and

opportunities that should be rendered visible, analyzed, and tapped into. Rather, we seek to add – to

the foundations generally considered for curricular development – the contribution of the

neurosciences, which, though enmeshed in inquiry, provides us with important orientations to bear in

mind for a more solid didactics in these first years.

Trying to create a neurodidactics based on a science engaged in ongoing research – in which

despite the use of state-of-the-art technology that makes it possible to have “harder” studies, there are

already different positions because the data always need to be interpreted – no doubt entails a certain

risk, especially if one stops to consider the information one has at a given point in time. The idea,

rather, is to suggest that one must permanently study such research, and in particular how to construct

a curriculum working from it. That is the key task for us educators; and it is fundamental that there

be greater elaboration in this area. In this process, no doubt the different curricular modalities will be

adapted depending on different emphases, which is valid, and contributions will continue to be made

to the construction of pedagogical knowledge, in both theory and practice.

This initial attempt to move towards a pedagogy more appropriate for the first stage of life,

based on the theory of complexity, with a critical approach that highlights the culture legitimated, the

power relations favored, the rationalities favored, etc., also drawing on the contributions of the

neurosciences, is what we seek to do in this chapter. In other words, we want to head down the

exciting path that must be taken: constructing a critical pedagogy and a contemporary didactics

for early childhood, incorporating the contributions of the neurosciences.

I. In search of a pedagogy with a critical approach to early childhood

In the historical review we have presented in earlier papers, we have described the pioneering

path taken, from the standpoint of pedagogical knowledge, with a view to developing a pedagogy and

a didactics for the first years of life. One observes the concern of the different societies and periods

for the education of babies, from the enlightening thought and actions of Comenius, Pestalozzi,

Froebe, Montessoril, and Owen in western culture, and also from the contributions of ethno-education

of the native peoples of the Americas and the founding educators of early childhood education in

Latin America.

Later in the 20th century, this knowledge and pedagogical practice received the contributions

of psychology, which enriched its action, generating, from the outset, a line very close to child

development, beginning to design programs following the evolutional stages of babies, which

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expanded when, later, different interpretations of child development began to emerge. Accordingly,

the various proposals and educational manuals that came about, for example, from the descriptive

psychology of Arnold Gessel, which mapped out the month-by-month and even week-by-week

accomplishments of children, and which gave rise to any number of “Manuals for stimulation,” began

to incorporate the contributions of Eric Ericsson and Robert Havighurst and their “developmental

tasks,” and in particular material from Jean Piaget, and his “stages of development.” Recognition of a

“practical intelligence” in babies in the pre-operational stage notably enriched the programs that

stemmed from this psychological emphasis.

While recognizing the validity of all these contributions, it is equally true that at present, one

cannot consider that educational work with babies should be based solely on psychology or that it

should be traded in for the bases of the neurosciences, and take the form of a set of linear procedures

defined through a technological proposal, as one often observes. Perhaps one of the greatest advances

in contemporary pedagogical development entails revaluing and updating the complexity of

education, as expressed by A. Colom (2004): “We know and every day the evidence so states with

great certainty, that the educational world is, by its nature, very complex, plural, difficult to

encompass, and above all difficult to divide, in both its manifestations and its acts. In education we

find extraordinarily plural cause-effect relationships such that more than linear sequences, they form

conglomerates or constellations without well-defined limits.”4

This conception of the complexity of education, especially from the first years, was embraced

at the outset by the founding authors of early childhood education, as shown by all the theory and

practice developed, and which today should be reiterated, due to the reductionism with which certain

sectors sometimes approach education for this age group. All contemporary pedagogy requires a

broad, interdisciplinary, and critical vision of the processes of human and societal formation, which is

what all curricular development should reflect. The great Chilean teacher and curriculum expert

Viola Soto (2003) puts it in the following terms:

“Decisions about the curriculum not only entail conferring legitimacy, in the educational process, to

certain aspects of knowledge, leaving out other aspects and ranking the value accorded the

disciplines to which they belong, or integrating them, but also legitimating certain forms of

socialization related to obedience and hierarchy or participation. Socialization – along with the

transmission of knowledge – is directly related to the formation of habits, logics for explaining the

social world and the insertion of persons in it, values, attitudes. School is not neutral, it is mediated

by decisions of power, it intervenes in human formation intentionally.”5

One should bear in mind what a critical approach to education entails. Viola Soto (2003) once

again enlightens us in this regard:

“From the critical paradigm, the new curricular approaches grounded in research, both quantitative

and qualitative, open the way to different approaches to the curriculum, focused on questions such as:

Why are other contents left out of the selection of the legitimated content? Who benefits from the

privilege-conferring discourse of the selection defined for the curriculum? Is a homogeneous and

universal curriculum possible, as a proposal at this stage of globalization, given the sociocultural

diversity that exists on the planet and which is reflected in schoolchildren? From critical theory

4 Colom, A. “A (Des)construçao do Conhecimento Pedagogico.” Artmed, Porto Alegre, 2004, p. 27.

5 Soto, Viola. “Paradigmas, Naturaleza y Funciones de la Disciplina del Currículum,” in: “Docencia” No. 20.

Colegio de Profesores, Santiago, August 2003.

- 38 -

grounded in social, anthropological, and political bases, the selection of the curricular content and the

principles on which it is based appears to be an essential aspect of the formation of professionals in this

area. The question arises: For what purpose of society and man are we providing information, to reduce

society, or to transform it into a more just society in which equity and inclusion prevail?”6

Abraham Magendzo notes the following in this regard:

“When in this analysis we say that we are assuming a critical perspective of the curriculum, we are,

on the one hand, conceiving of the curriculum as an outcome of the various social interventions and

agencies that are geared to transforming society, which include assuming the functions of selecting,

transmitting, and evaluating the culture based on a political commitment, and on the other, we want

to note that the social dynamics of the school develop in a national and international social,

economic, cultural, and political context that conditions them.”7

Therefore, according to the approach of a postmodern pedagogy, i.e. a critical one in which

the curriculum is basically situated in the historical, political, social, and cultural time in which it

operates, in which the role of educational action is to ask questions as to whether one is going to be

involved in reproducing inequities, or transforming and empowering individuals and societies, in

which the power relations in educational processes are revealed, in which there is a place for

subjectivities, and, therefore, diversities, one must ask how this relates to early childhood education.

We think that the reductionist, simplistic, linear approach often adopted with regard to

educational work in recent years is evidence of the need for an approach from other paradigms that

consider at least the context in which children are born and grow up, giving visibility to the

opportunities they offer, the uniqueness of each child, and the cultural selection made in the

curriculum in light of these considerations. Missed opportunities due to a limited vision of their

capacities and their milieu, the selection made of culture, oftentimes offering “junk” elements that

come from large commercial firms with consumer-oriented purposes, used to fill children’s

surroundings, the homogeneous programs sold in the market, and those that treat everyone equally are

just some of the indications of the need for a broader and more complex approach to educational work

in this stage. There should be discussion on the concept of “baby” that we wish to promote, what

their sociocultural contexts are like, what culture is legitimized, what subjectivities are involved, and

in that way analyze and study how one can construct a relevant and propositional curriculum for the

uniqueness of each child together with his or her family and community.

Creating quality, timely curricula rich in possibilities, that can make a break with the limited work

that we have generally offered babies is thus posed as an ethical issue, which in Latin America takes

on fundamentally important dimensions, considering the vast sectors in which many are born in

vulnerable conditions, which they do not always survive, and in which those who do survive do not

always develop in the minimal conditions desirable for a dignified existence and a truly human

transcendence. With current knowledge, with the existing possibilities of greater dissemination and

communication, one could think of greater empowerment of families and communities with respect to

the best possibilities for development and learning of their babies. Limiting this action, knowing that

the children can do more and go further, is no doubt an ethical issue for decision-makers and for all of

6 Id.

7 Magendzo, Abraham. “Currículo, convivencia escolar y calidad educative,” in : Monografías Virtuales No. 2,

OEI, August-September 2003.

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us who work in human development in Latin America or in emerging countries. This chapter seeks to

make a contribution along these lines.

II. Trying to advances towards a neurodidactics

A. Some precautions

As we have noted in previous sections, the contributions of the neurosciences to human

knowledge and to a better understanding of how development and learning happen are a rich source,

which, along with those we that have traditionally considered, notably enhances contemporary

curricular development, especially for the first years of life. Nonetheless, there are many research

projects making such contributions, under way continuously, not always disseminated at the same

level and scope for the general public; making it more difficult, they are not always arrived at through

consensus by a critical community. Accordingly, as the OECD notes8, it is important to take some

precautions and try to learn about each study considered: its main purpose, its relationship with

others, the population used, and whether it resulted in learning in humans. This latter observation is

important, because as we’ve already indicated, it is more the research being done on animals than

human beings, which at any rate is superior to what us pedagogues are constructing from it, thus there

are many “pure” studies, but few educational experiences directly tied to them.

We have been able to get a closer look at this pedagogical perspective that relies more on the

neurosciences by designing and implementing the “Curricular Bases of Early Childhood Education”

(“Bases Curriculares de la Educación Parvularia”) in Chile, participating in curricular design

initiatives in Nicaragua, Ecuador, and Mexico, and examining the work of some thesis students such

as the one helping me with this paper, Mónica Basaure, together with the bibliographic review and

visits to important experiences being implemented in other countries.9 Nonetheless, while this

research is very significant, one should be cautious in assessing their contributions, in terms of not

considering them a “panacea” that has solved the “mystery” of the “human being.” To this end, it is

important to bear in mind the following criteria, which are summarized in the OECD report (2003):

“(a) The popularity of a neuroscientific claim does not necessarily imply it is valid.

(b) The methodology and technology of cognitive neuroscience are ongoing activities.

(c) Learning is not completely under the control of the consciousness or the will.

(d) The brain undergoes natural changes in its development throughout life.

(e) Much research in cognitive neuroscience has been aimed at understanding or addressing

pathologies related to the brain.

(f) An adequate science of learning considers the emotional and social factors, in addition to the

cognitive ones.

(g) While education based on the science of learning and the brain is just getting started, major gains

have been achieved.”10

8 OECD, “Understanding the Brain. Towards a New Learning Science.” Aula XXI, Santillana, Mexico City,

2003, p. 69. 9 In particular, we’d have to mention the curricular development of New Zealand, based on the national

curriculum for early childhood education, “Te Whariki,” and the Sure start” program of the United Kingdom,

which has developed a curriculum and special establishments for implementing this proposal oriented to babies. 10

OECD, op. cit., p. 70.

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Along with these reservations, one would also have to bear in mind that pedagogy has

paradigms, principles, and criteria that always seek to contribute to the enhancement of the human

being as a person, in a context of values that seek the common well-being. We make this observation

because in some experiences exaggerations have already been observed in the application of some

research in this field, which ends up turning teaching-learning situations into experimental situations

in which children are subjected to situations devoid of meaning for them, and lacking any personal

construction. In addition, there are other approaches according to which applying these contributions

entails artifices or contrived situations to which babies are subjected. In this regard, several authors

make an appeal not to lose sight of the fact that for one who is learning, learning situations have

context and meaning, which, especially when tied to the timing and relevance of experiences, must be

taken into account to adequately apply these contributions. In this regard, M. Robinson (2003) notes:

“adults really shouldn’t do anything very special. A rich milieu for babies means affectionate adults,

who are empathetic and responsive to their needs, who take time to speak, sing, and play with them,

who every day set themselves ‘tasks’ with sensitivity, who ‘manage’ children with confidence and

don’t think they are going to ‘break’ them; and who take care to resolve situations of stress for

children or what makes them happy.”11

One example of the exaggerations in this field has to do with the experiences that have

focused on the “bits of intelligence” by which a succession of cards with different kinds of

information are provided, to exercise children’s great capacity for memory. The view of the human

brain in these cases is that of a computer, into which large amounts of information need to be fed. A

very commercial bibliography has emerged in this vein that offers children, from the time they are

babies, cards with symbols, signs, and words, and others that purportedly tap this enormous capacity

of children for memory, de-contextualizing the situations from any reality. Assuming that this

information is retained: What is the sense of the child retaining information bereft of meaning,

learning with methodologies for adults, setting aside the acceptance, play, comprehension, and well-

being of babies, among other considerations? Neuropediatrician Pere Perez-Olarte (2002) makes the

point that if one introduces artificial elements such as those represented by these bits of information

“we can accelerate the maturation of certain cerebral zones, but we run the risk of a rupture in the

equilibrium and relationship among neurological functions. Neurological maturation is very delicate,

and prudence is fundamental when it comes to introducing artificial elements.”12

He adds:

“intelligence results from diverse factors (genetic, cerebral integrity, physical, sensory, and emotional

experiences...) and a profound understanding of them is still limited. The best way to benefit

development is to have an overall and individual understanding of each child, so as to offer him or

her what he or she needs in the growth process.”13

For these reasons we have persisted in designing a didactics based on a “critical pedagogy”

that gives impetus to the educator and families to reflect beyond an apparently successful didactics or

a very striking technique: We want to emphasize that all current paradigms and principles of a

genuine pedagogy for infants should continue to be the basis for curricular development. To this can

be added contributions from this science, and some more specific situations, which could be

considered “neurodidactics.”

11

Robinson, Maria. “From birth to one. The year of opportunity.” Open University Press, UK, 2003, p. 101. 12

Péres-Olarte, Pere. “Los bits de inteligencia. Consideraciones desde la perspectiva neurológica y el

desarrollo.” Revista Infancia No. 75, Asociación de Maestros Rosa Sensat, Barcelona, September-October

2002, p. 40. 13

Id., p. 41.

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This relationship between pedagogy and a neurodidactics was once again envisioned

intuitively by the educators who founded modern education. For example, J. A. Comenius, in his

“Didáctica Magna,” said: “everything which, when it comes to learning, produces contentedness

reinforces the memory,” while H. Pestalozzi noted: “ideal learning develops with the head, the heart,

and the hands.” Centuries later, neurological research would demonstrate this, as we describe in the

next section.

B. And so what do we understand by “neurodidactics”?

To address this concept we must consider what is understood by didactics. Luis Alves de

Mattos points out: “didactics is the systematic set of principles, rules, resources, and specific

procedures that every teacher must be familiar with and know how to apply to guide students securely

in learning the subjects in the programs, mindful of their educational objectives.”14

This broad approach to didactics goes beyond the limited concept that of late has gone by the

same name in terms of a very delimited set of procedures that set side the whole wealth of pedagogic

action. Miguel Zabalza (1996) also makes an appeal in this regard: “the child must see itself as

safeguarded from the perceptive fixation that derives from the rigid, stereotyped use of certain

materials described as ‘didactic’ isolated from the living contexts of the reality. Such a fixation may

lead to conceptual distortions that immobilize and divert the child’s thinking, rather than making it

malleable, open and rich.”15

Applying this concept with this more open approach, we could say that neurodidactics16

includes a set of criteria and procedures that derives from the contributions of the

neurosciences, and that guides curricular development, especially in selecting, sequencing, and

organizing learning situations that refer to sought-after objectives, and that are designed based

on the propositions of a pedagogy respectful of the complexity of human formation. This last

observation is aimed at avoiding the technological approach to didactics that one sees of late, to the

point of developing modules with activities determined absolutely, rigorously sequenced with a

“methodological how” apparently resolved from the whole, that expresses a very one-dimensional

and homogeneous view of learning.

We reiterate the need to consider the complexity of human formation, adding, to the usual

philosophical, psychological, sociocultural, and pedagogical fundamentals on human diversity,

insights into diversity from the neurosciences, in terms of the unique nature of the development of the

nervous system in each individual. In that connection, one should bear in mind that “the nervous

system is dynamically changing, organizes itself, does not follow an established order, is

enormously flexible and adaptive, never static, always developing new neuronal networks in

response to experiences.”17

In addition, one should consider that there are no two identical

neurons, and that each human brain is an organ unique and distinctive in its interconnections, that it is the result of the dynamic interaction of genetics, the environment, and personal interest.

Therefore, always considering as a basis the major periods of human growth and development, this

uniqueness in the development of the nervous system is such that it requires a personal educational

14

De Mattos, Alves. “Compendio de Didáctica General.” Kapeluz, Buenos Aires. 15

Zabalza, Miguel. “Didáctica de la Educación Infantil”. Nancea, Spain, 1996, p. 291. 16

As we have indicated, this concept has been coined by various German researchers, such as G.Gridrich and

G. Preiss, and W. Brandl, among others, who have produced works with this title. 17

Ibarra, Luz María. “Aprende mejor con gimnasia cerebral.” Garnik ediciones, Mexico City, 1997, p. 15

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approach, and, therefore, one that is diversified, not always entirely subject to control, as is the case in

all human formation.

Friedrich and Preiss (2003) note that the great fundamental principle of neurodidactics is:

“have infants learn in keeping with their gifts and talents.”18

They add that the study plan should not

decide what to do, because it is known that not everyone is born with the same conditions prior to

learning. It is known that the prior cognitive conditions are genetically determined only in terms of

potential, and that they develop in interaction with the surroundings, i.e. due to learning. “Each child

has his or her own repertoire of possibilities for development, has his or her own peculiar talents, but

also his or her limitations.”19

They explain by noting that the brain knows where the person’s strong

points are and tries to exploit them and expand them by means of keen searches and questions. “A

child’s curiosity, which often appears insatiable, isn’t arbitrary and without purpose, but is led by its

personal gifts. A child is interested, in most cases, in that which it knows best, and will ask insistently

about it.”20

Therefore, the most important task of neurodidactics is to discover what children master best,

what awakens their curiosity, what they like. “From neurodidactics, an ideal class adapts the content

of the subject areas to individual competencies. Only pedagogues who know the capacities of their

students can feed the learning brain what it longs for.”21

They clarify that this does not mean that the

students should only learn what they want to learn, for socially they must learn basic contents, but

that one should avoid always prioritizing that which does not interest them, for this would put an end

to the real learning gains that give impetus to permanent inquiry and that move them along their own

paths, which helps to overcome other deficits. The fundamental thing is to benefit the disposition to

learn.

On the importance of having a neurodidactics to support educational work, Friedrich and

Preiss (2003) note: “The development of the cognitive capacities and the brain are, therefore,

inseparably linked to one another, and so are, therefore, didactics and neurology. Only the

collaboration between the two can develop new learning strategies that take into account the children,

with which educators and teachers can better know their students’ talents and have them shine. And

one who knows how and under what conditions the brain is modified upon learning will be able to

teach better.”22

C. What are some of the main contributions of the neurosciences to a general didactics?

The different specialists in this area point out, as some of the main antecedents to bear in

mind:

The human being is always engaged in permanent learning because the activated

synapses reinforce or weaken one another by means of new stimuli, experiences, thoughts,

and actions. Nonetheless, it is during early childhood that neural connections form in the

largest numbers, and in which there is greater plasticity vis-à-vis new situations. Therefore,

children learn more and better than others. Friedrich and Preiss (2003).

18

Friedrich, G. and G. Preiss. “Neurodidáctica”, in: “Mente y cerebro.” No. 4, Spain, 2003, p. 45 19

Id. 20

Id. 21

Id. 22

Friedrich, G. and G.Preiss. “Neurodidáctica,” in: “Mente y cerebro”. No. 4, Spain, 2003, pp. 40-41.

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The brain needs continuous interaction with the outside world for its development, and

takes interest in the changes that occur in its surroundings. The diversity of external

stimuli determines the complexity with which neurons connect and interconnect. Friedrich

and Preiss (2003). The human being is prepared, in terms of evolution, to seek and approach

the unexpected or the unusual, as absolutely unprecedented new information from the outside

world. On approaching novelty, cortical activity increases in several areas of the brain. This

strengthens synaptic connections, ties together areas in new patterns, and accelerates the

production of neurotrophins. L. Katz and M. Rubin (2000).

The formation of neuronal connections requires a process of selection and ordering in

the brain in the face of the profusion of existing stimuli. That task is performed by the

attention span, which is focused on that which is new, surprising, or moves, i.e. the changes

that take place in one’s surroundings. The unknown surprisingly excites neuronal networks,

facilitating memory. Friedrich and Preiss (2003).

The meaning we attribute to an event will impact on the stimuli selected from the milieu

and the process of internalizing it. When there are high expectations of something, i.e.

focused attention, certain expected stimuli are better captured. Friedrich and Preiss (2003).

The cerebral cortex deals with learning from the outside world, especially when it is

related to the learning one has already done. The more on-target the data provided, the

better one takes in and remembers that which is new. Learning is a self-impelling process: the

more one knows about something, the quicker one makes progress in that area. Friedrich and

Preiss (2003).

When one organizes new information with an already-existing connection, i.e. when one

learns something new, two neurotransmitters are generated, dopamine and acetylcoline,

which stimulate the desire to continue learning. Friedrich and Preiss (2003).

When one learns something for the first time, it is done slowly at a certain pace, but

when the neurons are activated repeatedly, more myelin is produced, increasing the

speed of transmission, and making that learning more agile. L. Ibarra, (1997).

When learning does not take place, one must seek a new type of learning, one that is

easier for the brain, that reinforces those connections that are defective due to situations

not understood and memorized under compulsion. Good learning increases dopamine

(transmitter molecule) producing a sense of happiness that gives the person a boost, which is

different from the sense of frustration. Friedrich and Preiss (2003).

The emotional system decides which stimuli are important and valuable through the

limbic system. Therefore, feelings may foster learning to the extent that they intensify the

activity of neuronal networks and reinforce synaptic connections. The information on which

the limbic system has placed an emotional seal is engraved profoundly and enduringly in the

memory. On forgetting knowledge, what remains is the emotional base, which subsequently

helps one incorporate into the existing web new learning related to that situation. Friedrich

and Preiss (2003). “One learns better if the environment is emotionally positive, if they are

happier, if they are enjoying themselves.” N. Acarín (2003). Emotions are energy in motion

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that can be controlled, managed, and expressed; they stimulate large areas of the brain,

achieving powerful connections with thought. The stronger the emotion associated with

learning, the better it is assimilated and remembered. L. Ibarra (1997).

Emotion and motivation direct attention to information that is filed in the neuronal

circuits and, therefore, one learns whenever one focuses on a central activity. It is

difficult to be able to direct one’s attention to two things at once. One must excite the

relevant network, actively retain it, and let it rest. Friedrich and Preiss (2003).

In the emotional brain, “emotional valence” or competency to evaluate a given situation

or the value of information received is an important part of the emotional competency for

learning and functioning adequately. The latter includes the capacity for self-awareness, to

have self-control, and the capacity to resolve conflicts and cooperate with others. Self-

control, which allows one to control impulses so as to be able to delay gratification, and

which ensures success in learning, activates a specific part of the brain (anterior cingulated

gyrus), which plays a critical role in the networks of the brain responsible for detecting

mistakes and regulating the cognitive process and emotions. OECD (2003).

One can alter emotional states by forming specific mental images, since the emotional

brain also has connections with the perceptive areas of the brain. Imagining or visualizing

activates many of the same areas of the brain that perception sets in motion. OECD (2003).

At the same time, recalling feelings of affect or frustration directly impacts the autonomous

nervous system and changes the heart rate, an effect that remains in the body for hours. (B.

Stock, 2002).

All learning is first stored in the short-term memory. For it to move to the long-term

memory requires chemical and electrical changes, and a greater intensity of impression,

which forms engrams that constitute the long-term memory. This, in turn, requires

focus, repetition, and variation. With respect to this last characteristic, it is noted that the

more varied the forms, the more a given piece of information is transmitted; or the more

senses involved, the more anchored learning becomes in the long run, since one can gain

access to what is learned by distinct channels, as the neurons communicate with one another

by electrical impulses. Friedrich and Preiss (2003), N. Acarín (2003).

Forming connections takes a time as yet unknown; accordingly, learning should be at

intervals, giving time for this “storage.” Alternating learning with relaxed moments of play

would be the most appropriate way, from a didactic standpoint, to avoid overlaying.

Friedrich and Preiss (2003). Learning requires pauses that make possible mental relaxation

or social interaction without stress. Walking, doing exercise, opens the mind to the sensory

stimulation of the real world. L. Katz and M. Rubin (2000).

The brain needs to organize and explain to itself everything that it is internalizing.

Chaos does not facilitate learning. One needs to organize the surroundings, seek a logic that

may range from magical to scientific. Curiosity leads one to think of responses to that which

is unknown.23

N. Acarín (2003).

23

Acarín, Nolasc. “Higiene, alimentación, afecto y estimulación,” in “Infancia” No. 82, Barcelona, November –

December 2003, p. 36.

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One learns innately, by mimetism, the lessons implicit in everyday situations such as

walking, talking; situations that are different, irregular. Explicit learning requires a conscious

will. N. Acarín (2003). The same thing happens with the innate perception of quantities,

numbers, and arithmetic manipulations; more complex operations in which one must link a

representation of a quantity with visual and verbal symbols and their transformations require

learning that is cultural.24

OECD (2003).

There are neurotransmitters that produce a sense of well-being that makes it possible to

maintain a positive disposition to learning. These include serotonin and endorphin, which

may be released by the brain naturally as a result of laughter, an affirmative gesture, or a

significant human relationship. C. Ramos (2002).

Good physical conditioning and good cardiovascular function would appear to have

positive implications, maintaining the functioning of regions of the brain associated with

executive processes that have to do with spatial orientation, or with activities that combine

complex activities, such as driving. OECD (2003).

The two hemispheres have different cognitive capacities. Each hemisphere can function

independently when they are separated. Although the right hemisphere is generally mute and

cannot communicate its experience verbally, it can do many things that the verbal hemisphere

does. Basic processes such as sensory analysis, memory, learning, and calculations can be

done by either hemisphere. Nonetheless, the capacity of the right hemisphere is limited when

the task implies abstract reasoning or analysis. Intuitively, it appears obvious that the callous

body and other commissures integrate the functions of the two hemispheres” xx[stray quote]

… “Each hemisphere separately has its strong and weak points with respect to a given task.

Certain tasks are better performed by analysis, breaking the problem down into logical

elements. Such a task is appropriate for verbal codification. Other tasks can be done best not

by sequential analysis, but by a simultaneous processing of the totality of the input”….. “It is

generally said that our encephalus is constituted by the left hemisphere, which stands out for

intellectual, rational, and verbal capacity and analytic reasoning; and a rights hemisphere that

stands out for sensory discrimination and emotional, not verbal, capacity, and intuitive

reasoning. Nonetheless, in a normal encephalus with an abundance of commissural

interconnections, the interaction of the two hemispheres is such that we cannot clearly

dissociate their specific functions.” Eric Kandel (2000)

D. What are some of the main contributions of the neurosciences to a didactics in the first

years of life?

The bibliographic review provides us with a series of considerations:

In the fetus, the first thing to develop is the sense of hearing. At 12 weeks the nerves,

lungs, and diaphragm begin to synchronize with the first patterns of sound absorbed by the

nervous system: the mother’s heart, the noises of her digestion, her breathing, her voice,

24

OECD, “Understanding the Brain: The Birth of a Learning Science.” Aula XXI Santillana, Mexico City,

2003, pp. 76-78.

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through the vibrations transmitted through the amniotic fluid, capturing noises from the

outside world. This leads the child to learn the sounds of his or her mother tongue from the

womb. L. Ibarra, citing Dr. Tomatis (1997). “Electrophysiological studies have shown that

the auditory system, from the outer ear to the cortex, is functional from 24 weeks after

conception in the human being, and that the fetus is capable of reacting to the stimulations of

sounds shortly thereafter.…” This prenatal activation contributes to the normal modeling of

the auditory nerve structures that will make possible hearing and its operation”… “therefore it

is necessary to benefit the individual with a normal sound environment in his sensitive phases

of development to ensure that certain auditory capacities are not partially compromised”

(Chantal Pacteau, 1995).

The first sensory system that develops fully (it myelinizes five months after conception)

is the vestibular system, which controls the sense of movement and balance. In the

embryo the vestibular system is already visible at two months. The head remains very active

while the fetus moves in the amniotic fluid, and, thanks to that, the child can continue

moving, which is crucial for its cerebral processes. The connection among vestibular system,

the cerebral neocortex, the eyes, and other muscles is extremely important in the learning

process. If we do not move, the vestibular system is deactivated and complete information on

the environment is not taken in. In the first year-and-a-half after birth, the vestibular system

is very active, since one learns to challenge the sense of gravity by taking stock of the

physical environment through movement; each movement will stimulate the vestibular

system, which in turn will stimulate the brain to incorporate new lessons. Then one is able to

master the greatest equilibrium challenges, such as sitting down, standing up, walking, going

up stairs, turning out, slipping, and swinging. L. Ibarra (1997).

Taste is an important sense in the natal and post-natal period: it provides valuable

information on the mother, the environment, objects within reach, and one’s own body. L.

Ibarra (1997).

The sense of smell is closely associated with memory, considering the important role in

one’s initial learning of foods, environments, and pleasant or dangerous situations. In

the case of danger, pheromones are released, which are perceived by the baby. Bad odors

unleash negative responses in the brain, whereas natural oxygen stimulates it. L. Ibarra

(1977).

The sense of touch, immediately after birth, stimulates the growth of the body’s sensory

terminations involved in motor movements, spatial orientation, and visual perception. If

that activation doesn’t happen, muscular movements will be deficient, and distortions will

arise in learning. Touch, in turn, makes it possible to know the dimension, texture, form, and

weight of objects. L. Ibarra (1997).

The fetus responds to human stimulation in the uterus (the uterine milieu is not totally

dark) and spontaneously manifests ocular motor activity, which involves visual

perception and makes it possible to define the field of vision and to follow and fix upon

objects. Chantal Pacteau (1995).

Babies can see at birth, but they do not perceive the minimal details. They have not yet

acquired the skill to focus both eyes on the same object or to perceive depth, for which

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natural exercise and control are fundamental. M. Nash (1999). The sense of sight works

better when the eyes are actively moving, picking up sensory information from the

surrounding world. In an active learning situation, the external muscles of the eye

constantly move up and down, from side to side, or in circles. The more the eye muscles are

strengthened and move together, the more the connections that will be made in the brain, and

the readier one will be to respond. The more eye movement there is, the more the muscles of

both eyes work together in a coordinated effort. L. Ibarra (1977).

If the different senses are coordinated in learning about a new object or situation, more

areas of the brain are activated and more learning is retained. The sense of smell, for

example, may “anchor” other senses. L. Ibarra (1997).

Critical periods are fundamental to consider for deploying all of children’s potential for

development and learning. In the case of sight, once the child is born, he needs to take in

the surroundings in order to adjust and achieve fine synchronization. If it isn’t possible,

especially in the critical phase, the capacity for sight develops only partially, or one may

experience a considerable loss. Friedrich and Preiss (2003). With few exceptions, the

individual’s windows of opportunity do not close so abruptly. There appear to be several

windows for the development of language. The window for syntax may close early, at five to

six years, whereas the window for learning new words may never close. M. Nash (1999).

While learning continues throughout the life cycle, there are “prime periods” for

development, periods during which the brain is particularly efficient for certain specific types

of learning. In the first month of life, there is intense activity in the cortical and sub-cortical

regions that control the sensory-motor functions. Cortical activity increases between the

second and third months, which would be an optimal period for visual and auditory

stimulation. At eight months, the frontal cortex show extraordinary metabolic activity. This

part of the brain is associated with the ability to regulate and express emotion, as well as

thought and planning. R. Shore (1997).

Intelligence is in large part our ability to discover patterns. It is necessary to create

situations that stimulate children to find or construct patterns. Pam Schiller (2001).

Include music and movement in learning situations. Research points to the value of music

and movement. Both help develop the formation of patterns. Pam Schiller (2001). Truly

significant learning is not completed until it finds a personal outlet or expression in thought or

movement. Movement, therefore, is an essential part of learning and thought. Each

movement becomes a vital link for learning and for the brain process. Each muscle stores the

memory of the movements we have learned. If one develops cerebral capacity through

movements, forming neuronal networks through the muscles, then it is essential, for the

learning process, to allow children to explore each aspect of movement and balance in their

environment, to express themselves through movement. L. Ibarra (1997).

Music has very positive effects. Combining situations involving sight and sounds helps

children make new connections, accordingly one must choose activities that have both, for

example, looking for the source by tracing a sound emitted. J. Silberg (2000). Singing has

many benefits. It helps develop language, reduces anxiety, allows for a sense of happiness,

and develops auditory discrimination. Pam Schiller (2001).

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Learning in children may incorporate diverse perspectives, in certain respects allowing

them to be able to handle two different situations, for example, two languages that have

different acoustic models and organizational structures. Friedrich and Preiss (2003).

The memory of pronunciation is formed by imitating the sounds heard, which are

identified and distributed in the basic components of a language; if one hears those of other

languages, one will register them and will feel more secure on subsequently learning that

language, and it will be easier to memorize. Friedrich and Preiss (2003).

The bases of mathematical understanding are established in the first years through

games associated with practical life, such as the one-to-one match-up of objects in relation

to existing persons, and involving all the senses (mathematical experiences with colors,

movements, evocations, songs, etc.). Friedrich and Preiss (2003).

Use the observation of children’s actions as a guide for pedagogical intervention.

Children learn from practice, but not without support. Observation provides a basis for

helping educators and parents learn how and when to offer support. Pam Schiller (2003).

The imagination activates sensory-motor patterns in relation to emotion and memory. For this reason, when a child imagines a story, and it is changed in some account, he

identifies the change because it doesn’t coincide with the already-formed neuronal networks.

L. Ibarra (1997).

E. Applying the contributions of the neurosciences to curriculum development for the first

stage of life

Based on all the contributions obtained form the bibliography analyzed above, one should

bear in mind that educational work in this stage must be an integrated and harmonious whole, in

which much of the pedagogy developed thus far has been ratified, and adding some new perspectives

in order to reinforce the general principles and criteria that have generally been applied.

In effect, an attentive, responsive, propositional pedagogy respectful of babies’ needs and

requirements continues to be the great foundation for educational work in this stage.

Parents’ role continues to be irreplaceable, and should be strengthened and supported by

the educators with orientations that empower them in their knowledge and that expand their day-to-

day educational practices. With respect to this synchrony that should exist between committed

parents and the development of their babies, once again the neurosciences provide us with insights

that suggest just how much this relationship should be supported. Dr. Nash (1999), for example,

notes: “parents are the first and foremost teachers of the brain. Among other things, it appears that

parents help their babies learn by adopting the style of rhythmic expression and high tone with which

many talk to them.” She adds, “somehow the exaggerated sounds rich in spoken vowels that parents

adopt look like the selected pieces of food that the adult birds feed their chicks.”25

Also fundamental are the conditions of incoming children in light of learning: Adequate

general health, in which integral and balanced nutrition is important; adequate alternation among

25

Nash, Madelaine. “Mentes fértiles,” in Time/Life Learning, USA, 1999.

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periods of alertness and replenishing sleep is essential for taking advantage of both moments;

adequate oxygenation, along with healthy life practices that give well-being and lack of stress to

babies, all constitute a fundamental basis for developing intentional educational situations.

In addition, the conditions in which learning situations unfold are important: healthy,

safe, well-lit environments that make it possible for children to focus their attention, avoiding an

overload of stimuli, for example, along with expressions of affection, love, and acceptance, should

generate, in babies, sensations of confidence, pleasure, and interest in exploring.

The integral development of children, in which the activation of both hemispheres of the

brain is fostered, with their respective specialties, yet at the same time interconnections, is an

essential factor in all learning. Emotions and cognition, gestures and words, the analytical and

overall approach, should be present in all learning situations for children.

Close observation of the different “signals that children send,” regarding their pace and

ways of acting, favoring the situations and games of interest to them, pleasing and producing

pleasure, trying to understand what babies want to communicate and that is particular to and unique in

each of them, must also be developed in adults who become engaged in educational work with

children.

Speaking to them, singing to them, reading to them, playing bodily and verbal games

they enjoy should all be regular resources in the adult-child relationship that also make it

possible to reiterate already-favored learning situations.

Encouraging them to be permanent explorers in secure, interesting environments chosen

or prepared for them should be another fundamental aspect for strengthening their autonomy, sense of

security, curiosity, and attitude of inquiry and “learning to learn.”

Establishing clear and consistent rules that have to do with their sense of security,

relationships with others, but where it is feasible for children to realize themselves and be understood,

should be another major component of their day-to-day experience. Making them see what is wanted

of them, and what they shouldn’t do, will benefit the formation of the self-discipline necessary for

their relationships with others; nonetheless, it should not inhibit other characteristics of their

personality, such as their action and their interest in inquiry.

Provide them with situations that invite discovery, wonderment, solving small practical

problems, with various materials that build on lessons already learned that are appealed to, in

environments in which they feel safe. This is another application of these criteria, drawn from the

neurosciences.

Integrating all that has been said, one should bear in mind that all these basic general

conditions are essential since “care in the first years and nutrition have a decisive and long-term

impact in how people develop, their ability to learn, and their capacity to regulate their own

emotions.”26

III. GENERAL PROPOSALS FOR CURRICULAR DEVELOPMENT WITH BABIES

26

Shore, Rima. “Rethinking the brain.” Families and Work Institute, New Cork, 1977, p. .

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One fundamental aspect to be clearly established is that like any systematic and intentional

educational initiative, in this stage a curriculum should be developed with all that implies, i.e. cultural

selection and organization consisting of the various factors through which it is made operational,

through the processes of planning, implementation, and evaluation, in a dynamic cycle with

constant feedback, for the purpose of favoring desirable and relevant lessons.

We make this observation, since one often finds, in some of the bibliography, references that

cast doubt on the relevance of developing an educational curriculum, with all that entails at this level of

education, based on the fact of how “small the children are,” and they continue calling for “stimulation

manuals.” Once again, we wish to emphasize that every intentioned educational action, given the

complexity of the formative task, and more so in babies, requires curricular development, due to all the

decisions involved in selecting and organizing the curricular factors.

Therefore, a curriculum is needed for babies considering several factors, mindful that when

defining an explicit or stated curriculum, in tandem there is a null curriculum (i.e. that which is not

selected and therefore is annulled or left aside), and that at the same time there is a certain distance

between the explicit curriculum and the one implemented, which is, to some extent, different from the

real one, since a hidden curriculum also comes into play. This hidden curriculum finds expression

through the power relations established, through the gestures, words, and other forms of expression used

by educators, which are not planned, but which exist, and whose presence, at times, is not even noticed.

This whole situation shows how difficult it is to design a curriculum at any level of education,

especially with small children, who largely depend, for their educational experiences, on the selection,

organization, and implementation done by adults.

Clarifying what variables intervene most, or how one can strengthen those that are more

difficult to control, and determining how they participate, has no doubt been the great search of

researchers in this realm. We observe, in any event, that we have used the expression “more or less

CYCLE OF CURRICULAR DEVELOPMENT

PLANNING IMPLEMENTATION EVALUATION

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intervening” aspects, because we consider that given the complexity of humans and educational

processes, it is difficult to establish linear or deterministic relations, besides which they are not

desirable. There are always variable and unique dimensions that make education a diversified process

that is always interesting to analyze, think about, and construct.

Determining which variables are most dependent, or independent, is a response that depends

on one’s curricular approach. According to Viola Soto (2003) “an approach is a construct of the

curriculum that refers to a given way of thinking, organizing, and orienting the practices of the

school-based educational process with a view to shaping a certain type of person and world that are

desired, that are expressed in objectives or purposes, in keeping with certain principles (assumptions

Which variables are most dependent, or independent, depends on one’s curricular

approach. According to Viola Soto (2003) “an approach is a construct of the curriculum that refers

to a given way of thinking, organizing, and orienting the practices of the school-based educational

process with a view to shaping a certain type of person and world that are desired, that are expressed

in objectives or purposes, in keeping with certain principles (assumptions on which the theoretical

construct rests) and criteria (operational instruments consistent with the principles), according to

which the actions and interrelations of the teacher and the students among themselves and with the

knowledge that has been selected, are defined and explained.”27

She adds: “A curricular approach is

set forth within a foundational paradigm and implies philosophical, ethical, political, economic,

scientific, and technical decisions, which configure and identify it.”28

27

Soto, Viola. “Paradigmas, Naturaleza y funciones de la Disciplina del Curriculum.” Docencia No. 20, Colegio

de Profesores, Santiago, August, 2003. 28

Id.

DECLARED OR EXPLICIT CURRICULUM

CURRICUL IMPLEMENTED

Most dependent

aspects involved

Most independent aspects ivolved

independientes

REAL CURRICULUM

Hidden Curriculum

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Therefore, depending on the curricular approach and therefore the philosophical, ethical,

political, scientific, and technical backdrop, and the conception of the human being, the curriculum to

be designed, implemented, and evaluated will vary. Rationalist or technological conceptions of the

curriculum, for example, will have more linear, homogeneous, and deterministic conceptions of

education. More humanist, culturalist, critical or post-critical conceptions will further more open,

situated, participatory curricula with a place for inter-subjective dynamics, feelings, appropriations,

and diversities.

At the same time, among the factors by which the curriculum is operationalized, those that are

more integrative of other sub-factors and more orienting in early childhood education are:

on which the theoretical construct rests) and criteria (operational instruments consistent with the

principles), according to which the actions and interrelations of the teacher and the students among

themselves and with the knowledge that has been selected, are defined and explained.”29/

She adds:

“A curricular approach is set forth within a foundational paradigm and implies philosophical,

ethical, political, economic, scientific, and technical decisions, which configure and identify it.”30/

Therefore, depending on the curricular approach and therefore the philosophical, ethical,

political, scientific, and technical backdrop, and the conception of the type of man one has in mind,

the curriculum to be designed, implemented, and evaluated will vary. Rationalist or technological

conceptions of the curriculum, for example, will have more linear, homogeneous, and more

deterministic conceptions of education. More humanist, culturalist, critical or post-critical

conceptions will further more open, situated, participatory curricula with a place for inter-subjective

dynamics, feelings, appropriations, and diversities.

At the same time, among the factors by which the curriculum is operationalized, those that are

more integrative of other sub-factors and more orienting in early childhood education are:

29. Soto, Viola. “Paradigmas, Naturaleza y funciones de la Disciplina del Curriculum.” Docencia No. 20,

Colegio de Profesores, Santiago, August, 2003.

30. Id.

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Therefore, considering that every curriculum is established as a coherent and interrelated

proposal among the various factors that constitute it, in keeping with the foundations and learning

desired, one could plan situations such as those proposed, with respect to each of them, along the lines

of seeking greater educational opportunities for babies:

Planning of all the curricular factors generally

As shown in the foregoing graphic, planning is a process of intentioned anticipation, which

should be present at every moment of curricular development. One should plan the different types of

planning (annual or every six months, sectoral, or partial); the human environment, constituted by the

adults and children; the physical environment, both interior and exterior, permanent and temporary; the

different time periods, from daily to annual; and, finally, one should plan the evaluation procedures to

be used.

Human environment:

This is a fundamental factor for human formation in general, and in particular for the

development of affective ties and the intelligence quotient in babies. So important is its influence,

constituted by the family, in the first place and care-givers and educators, one could say that it is not

possible to design an adequate educational curriculum for this age group without accepting, explicit,

permanent, and purposeful love.

It begins in the pre-natal period. Several types of research show that the child is capable of

perceiving the sounds and movements close to the outside world, which the parents can take advantage

CULTURAL SECTION OF LEARNING

APRENDIZAJES

Organization of Factors in the currículum

Planning Human

Environment

Time Space Evaluation

Foundations of the curriculum

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of by talking or singing to the child, lightly massaging the maternal womb, and, above all, generating

sensations of safety, placidity of orderly patterns of life (of rest, sleep, alertness, food). Once the baby is

born, it is fundamental that he or she be breast-fed in the first six months of life for the stimulation of all

types (senses of touch, smell, and taste) that this entails, and because different research projects show

the importance of natural breast-feeding from the standpoint of nutrition, immunity, and affective and

cognitive development. In terms of the affective dimension, this happens since the mother secretes

oxytocin in the milk, which benefits attachment with her child. It also contributes to intellectual

development, through an acid in the milk that serves that purpose, but especially because the moment of

breast-feeding should be conceived of as an opportunity for talking to, singing to, and caressing the

child, all of which generates, or reiterates, neural connections. Therefore, everything done to favor the

mother’s presence alongside her child in the first months, and at feeding time in the event that the child

goes to an out-of-home program for baby care, should be a focal point of care in this stage.

Along with the permanent affective contribution of parents and family in general

(grandparents, siblings), it is fundamental that the persons who regularly care for babies also openly

express their affection, accept them with their particularities, and have high expectations of their

potential for development and learning, along with a greater capacity to accept them and encourage

them to get to know their surroundings, generating confidence in the persons and the surrounding

milieu.

To the extent that babies feel trust towards the educators who care for them at day-care center

or kindergarten and feel emotionally stable, they can gradually incorporate new persons into their scope

of knowledge, relations, and affects. These persons may be other children or other adults; the adult may

visit the babies in their play areas, or the children may go to other places where the adults generally

work.

In the case of other children, it is particularly interesting to favor interactions of the baby with

his or her older siblings, if they attend the same establishment or if they can go during some agreed-

upon period, if they are, for example, schoolchildren and have a different schedule. The possibility of

other family members going to see the baby (grandparents, aunts and uncles, etc., in the case of the

impossibility of the parents doing so) should be given major consideration.

Other adult persons at kindergartens could also contribute (food handlers, gardeners,

secretaries, etc.), alternating periodically with the babies in their play environments, or who can “be

visited” at their usual places at work, so that the child can also associate the persons with different

places, all of which enriches the children’s human environment.

The participation of the babies in some festive, religious, or community ceremonies or activities

that have to do with them, and in keeping with their possibilities, may also be considered within the

curriculum for expanding their familiarity with persons and situations – without that imposing major

demands – who can contribute to them at this stage of life.

Subsequently, to the extent that the children advance in their ways of moving about

autonomously – walking, running, going up stairs, etc. – it is important to make visits to other

significant persons in their community, insofar as possible, at their places of work (merchants,

cleaning staff, care-givers, artisans, etc.).

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One should reiterate the importance of the affective and verbal expression of all these persons,

since they represent, along with their families and most stable educators, the children’s first human

relationships, and so play a key role in generating their confidence and interest in others.

Physical environment:

Given that the role of the family is always key at this age, it is fundamental to work with the

parents on environments in the home, so as to improve the spaces the child has at home, not only from

the standpoint of safety and hygiene, but also in terms of the shaping of the child. Adapting some

corner or place for them to have their playthings, their boxes for exploration, with interesting toys, often

made by the family itself, is a basic aspect to be worked on in parents’ meetings. It is also important to

provide some suggestions on the exterior space, in terms of having plants with a diversity of forms,

colors, and fruits in planters or in the garden. In addition, one can discuss other places in the

community (plazas, parks, museums, etc.) where the children may be taken.

Following are other measures that could be considered for working in day-care centers or

kindergartens, based on the understanding that children should be in environments meet the basic

requirements for addressing their different needs, in terms of both safety and pedagogy:

Incorporate significant elements of their family milieu to enable them to establish bonds

between their home and the establishment. These could be: affectively significant toys (teddy

bears, dolls, and others), music boxes with similar melodies, photos of them and their families,

plants with flowers similar to those in their homes, cushions or similar objects, etc.

Foster differentiated spaces in their activity rooms that create more intimate

environments, that are cozier and warmer yet at the same time interesting in terms of their

color contrasts with the walls, ceilings, and objects they have (cloths, curtains, mobiles,

cushions, rugs with different textures and colors, etc.).

Make sure that the activity rooms or playrooms have areas or corners with elements for

exploring that are really interesting and different from what is usually offered in homes or

toy stores. For example:

- Surfaces (floors, walls) with different textures, colors, objects that can be stuck on with

different effects: light, shiny, reflecting, etc., mirrors, buttons attached with elastic bands,

so that they resist when pulled, etc.

- Flat transparent objects, and in volume, filled with different sounds, visuals, of different

consistency and weight;

- Balls in different shapes, weights, and with all type of different effects (transparent,

bouncy, soft, hard, that make sounds, etc.);

- Different kinds of wheels on fixed axes, or that make it possible to have two or more

semi-transparent disks and that produce interesting visual effects when they move.

- Hanging objects that the children move and that have interesting effects (strips of

cellophane paper, wrapping paper, little bells tied on strings, etc.).

- Boxes with holes, lids, doors, pieces of hose of different thickness and colors, to put

objects in, with different degrees of difficulty.

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- Books or pictures with hard covers, with clear, real images of persons and objects from

their day-to-day surroundings.

- Objects with sensors that move or make noise when hit or spoken to, that make it

possible to establish cause-and-effect relationships.

- Paper circles to place on the floor around the children who are already sitting, for finger

painting. - Large lined sponge blocks of different sizes, forms, and colors, for building.

Create interesting outdoor environments through gardens or planters for growing aromatic

plants, with leaves of different sizes, textures, forms, colors; flowers with different colors, sizes,

and smells; fruits with different colors, smells, and shapes. In particular, have flowers that offer

interesting effects, such as movement (maravillas or sunflowers, sun rays, etc.) In addition,

consider surfaces with different textures and forms (winding paths, diverse circuits) and with

areas that have various angles of inclination depending on the children’s physical possibilities

for movement. Areas with sand and games with water and objects with different sizes and

effects (transparent hoses, funnels of different sizes, plastic cups that are perforated, cut into

strips) make it possible to provide for different experiences.

Select close and more distant community environments to provide babies other experiences

(plazas, gardens selling plants with striking flowers, fruit trees, places with animals, etc.).

Consider outings to museums, for example, of modern art where there are works of art with

different materials, colors, and forms, and with movement, that can be perceived by children.

The same may happen with open-air band concerts, folkloric groups, soloists, and chamber

groups playing classical music, which can offer other kinds of musical experiences.

Organization of time:

Besides the basic daily schedule of activities with the babies, consider other new ones, such as,

for example, periods for “relating” with others, for having “sensations” or “exploring” with different

objects, or with “nature.” Such activities should gradually change as the children grow, and with the

seasons of the year. Have outings to the garden or plaza when everything is in bloom in the springtime

is very different from the fall or another season; the children should also be afforded various

possibilities for exploring their mobility and their capacity to investigate.

It is especially important to see to it that every period is educational, especially those called

“regular” that take up a large part of the workday with children at this age. This means that moments

from changing time to feeding times should be used to reinforce affective and cognitive exchanges;

situations should be pursued for exploring the relevant objects or for conversations related to what

they are doing.

It is also fundamental for the adult to avoid periods “without intentioned activities,” which

could happen between the different moments of change. To this end, it is suggested that one have

“magic boxes” full of objects with safe and interesting effects, accessible to the children for them to

explore freely.

Planning specific learning situations: objectives, activities, and resources

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The fundamental thing at this stage is to plan educational situations that enrich what is generally

done, in the context of affect, safety, and trust for the babies, considering the new possibilities offered

by familiarity and current contexts.

If, for example, objectives related to auditory experiences are planned, it is appropriate to

play not only with the usual phonemes and musical sounds, but to amplify them, first in all their aspects:

intensity, pitch, duration, timbre, as made by persons, instruments, and objects emitted, directly or

taped. The effects of music, especially classical, have been considered especially useful for the growth

and development of the brain, in addition to fostering interest or talent in music. Subsequently, offering

opportunities to sounds and expressions from other languages or parts of the world that offer timbres,

rhythms, and harmonies different from those of each community or country is also important due to the

expansion of neural connections already described. Talking with children on a regular basis about their

day-to-day lives, from the first months of life, is also a substantial factor for the development of

language, whose effects in terms of greater vocabulary, for example, can be seen from the first year of

life. Of late, some videos or DVDs have appeared in the market, with combinations of interesting

images and sounds, to play for children for short periods.

To accomplish objectives related to experiences in nature, encourage, for example, playing

with different types of sand (they have different effects: thick-fine, of different colors), with and without

objects (shells, sieves, small sticks, various containers with a variety of perforations, hoses, funnels); or

touching, smelling, and observing different types of flowers, in different places, which benefits

knowledge of them, and all the associated language. Just as important as varying learning situations is

their reiteration and broadening, so that connections are formed in the brain that make memories and

associations possible.

Learning situations related to the production of interesting effects, might involve, for example

offering children objects such as those that bounce when they fall, make noise or light up when shaken,

or installing surfaces that reflect with different effects (reproducing the figure or deforming it, showing

it in different colors, etc.). It is especially interesting to support objectives tied to "cause-and-effect

relationships," taking advantage of resources available in the present-day milieu, such as:

- Using switches to turn a light on or off, or to turn musical equipment or a television on or off.

- Interacting with toys that move when a noise is made.

- Using key chains that give notice of their location by emitting a sharp sound.

- Use a remote control to turn things on and off.

- Paint with different media (pieces of foam, thick brushes) on sheets of paper placed around the

babies on the walls, on inclined planes, with different shapes and surfaces.

- Paint in books in which colors come out when contact is made with water applied by brush or

hand.

- Scribble on different surfaces and with different materials, and see the effect of erasing it: dirt

with small sticks, paper and pen, green chalkboards and white marker boards.

- Put stickers of various sizes, colors, and shapes on different surfaces and backdrops, and observe

the resulting effects and combinations.

- Speak by telephone with people they know very well.

- Draw with pencils that change color when another special one is used over it.

- Put batteries in different objects in piles and observe whether they work or stop working

depending on whether or not the batteries are in.

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In objectives related to “looking for ways to solve problems,” consider bringing about

situations for which there are several possible resolutions, be it with activities provided for, or other

materials offered to them for their own search. For example, in the face of the “classic” situation of

approaching an object beyond one’s reach, not only placing the toy on a hanging object, but other

possibilities, such as a ball that one can throw to hit it, a rod, a chair to climb, etc. Just as interesting, for

children who are already walking, is to make room dividers with different kinds of entrances (larger,

smaller, with different shapes) where they must find the appropriate path for reaching a given object or

situation that interests them.

Evaluation:

In this stage of life, it is fundamental to evaluate on an ongoing basis, due to the swift and

important changes that occur throughout. The use of different instruments for evaluation (tests, scales,

etc.) will help identify the lessons children are learning. Nonetheless, one should recognize that personal

observation of babies will be relevant because they account for the important processes that take place.

Whatever the usual procedure for observing, it is fundamental that one make use of photographs, sound

recordings, and video recordings, so as to be able to fully take in the children’s responses to the different

situations, in particular, their processes of seeking and discovering. This helps parents visualize the

importance of certain attitudes and processes, which often times are more significant than the end

activities that one expects, and helps the educators begin to perceive gains not perceived when one is

working with them.

IV. Planning some educational situations for the first age group

In keeping with everything we have said, planning learning situations during this stage should

take account of a series of general and specific criteria. Among the general criteria are those that have

to do with every planning situation, i.e., planning must be done in context, based on an assessment and

an objective, adjusting and diversifying based on the children’s characteristics and interests. Among the

specific criteria, the following should be taken into account:

That most of the time planning is individual or for small groups with similar development

characteristics.

That educational situations are being planned, therefore they should be enjoyable,

interesting, and as “natural” as possible for the children, and not experiments or stimulation

offering babies insecurities, or exaggerated artificial sensations.

That the assessment of prior learning should be permanent, so as to advance yet at the same

time not accelerate the lessons.

That reiterating and varying the learning situations should be permanent so as to establish

and stabilize the existing neural connections, and at the same time generate new expansions of

the network.

V. The possibilities of quality education for babies in Latin America

Based on all the foregoing, the possibility of designing and implementing an education for

babies in the 21st century in Latin America should not, therefore, mean contrived learning situations

or sophisticated resources beyond our reach. Instead, it should hinge on trust and opportunities for

children, creativity and empowerment of families with all this knowledge, tapping the human wealth

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that exists in families and communities, and the extensive resources and situations offered by the

natural and cultural milieu.

Therefore, summarizing the proposals that have been put forth, the fundamental consideration

for putting in place a relevant education along post-modern lines for babies entails:

being aware of sociocultural changes that have taken place in general, and in particular in the

babies’ households and communities, and in the educational possibilities they offer in each

milieu;

becoming familiar with the growing possibilities of development of an infant’s brain, and

children’s capacities for learning, putting in place a timely and relevant process to apply those

contributions;

fostering an attitude of trust, in persons who have contact with babies, in the broad possibilities

of learning in children from birth;

applying quality principles and criteria in curricular development (planning, implementation,

and evaluation) in any of the modalities in which they are implemented;

establishing a system of permanent observation and listening to children in light of their

advances, detecting their many non-verbal and verbal languages, so as to feed back into the

whole process and better respond to their interests;

making visible resources existing in the homes and communities, and relate them to possible

learning situations for children; and

seeking local and regional support networks to expand the array of social experiences of

babies, in contexts that give them security and confidence.

This set of criteria, together with the official curricular frameworks that the various Latin

American countries offer the Region, help provide a context favorable for engaging in a timely

educational action that is both relevant and systematic for this period in children’s lives. With this in

mind, we present a summary of some of these macro-level documents.

5.1. ADVANCES AT THE MACRO LEVEL IN WORK WITH BABIES IN LATIN AMERICA

In Latin America, a major effort has been made to design and implement national curricula,

which the countries have been putting in place in the last decade, albeit with different degrees of

specificity. Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua,

Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Cuba, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic have such guidelines,

which incorporate and adapt, in varying degrees, the contributions of research in this area.

These macro-level curricula have gradually gone forward from guidelines focused on the 3 to 6

year age group to the under 3 age group. Among the countries that have been developing curricula that

consider the entire period from birth to 6 years are Chile, Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Cuba,

Uruguay, and some provinces of Argentina.

Given the impossibility of analyzing all the curricula in the Region, only some countries will be

taken, by way of example, that have developed their macro proposals in recent years, especially for the

birth to 3 year age group.

Argentina, since it is has a federal system, depends on each province or city developing its own

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curriculum, based on general guidelines at the national level. The curriculum of the City of Buenos Aires

is interesting in this regard; there, considerable effort has gone to on working educationally with children

in the first years of life. A sequence of objectives has been proposed that no doubt clarifies and helps

pedagogical work with this age group. At the same time, they address issues seldom addressed, such as

“plastic exploration or experimentation with different materials towards the beginning of the first

attributions of meaning to what has been done. In addition, the curricular design of the initial level

(Nivel Inicial) of the provincial government of Río Negro addresses the child from birth, including

objectives such as: “Exploring the motor possibilities of one’s own body and the progressive control of

movement in relation to the activities in which one is involved.”31

Brazil has also developed a “Curricular Reference Guide for Early Childhood Education.” It sets

forth, among its general objectives: “To become familiar with some cultural expressions, showing

attitudes of interest, respect, and participation vis-à-vis them, valuing diversity" and "Developing

a positive self-image, acting with ever more independence, with confidence in one’s own capacities

and perception of one’s limitations.”32

The specific objectives for children from birth to 3 years of age

include: “Expanding one’s knowledge of the world, manipulating different objects and materials,

exploring their characteristics, properties, and possibilities of manipulation, and entering into contact with

various forms of artistic expression.”33

The case of Nicaragua is particularly interesting. It has recently developed a macro curriculum

and a consensus curriculum for children ages 3 to 6 years, with the participation of the country’s various

civil sectors. Its curricular foundations include a “historical-educational foundation that enables

children to be genuine actors of the age in which they live”34

and an ecological foundation, which

among other things should make it possible “to put an end to ecological aggression and help society

foster values of environmental protection.”35

Accordingly, they formulate objectives of care,

protection, and development of the environment, as well as “safety vis-à-vis the natural milieus,” and

formulating “explanations about elements, phenomena, and situations of the environment.”36

The curriculum developed in Costa Rica37

for the “Maternal and Child” years (birth to 5 years) is

one of the major developments for the first years of life based on a series of “purposes” that are

postulated. Guidelines are provided with respect to all the factors in the curriculum, accompanied by an

annex on the distribution of space, planning, and evaluation. Among the objectives for the first months,

31

Government of Río Negro, “Diseño Curricular. Nivel Inicial,” Provincial Education Council (Consejo

Provincial de Educación), Río Negro, p . 133. 32

Ministry of Education and Sports, "Referencial Curricular Nacional para a Educacao Infantil." Introduction,

Volume 1, Brasília, 1998, p. 63.

33 Ministry of Education and Sports, "Referencial Curricular Nacional para a Educacao Infantil," Introduction,

Volume 3, Brasília, 1998, p. 95. 34

MECD/PAININ. "Marco Curricular para el trabajo con niñas y niños de 3 a 6 años en los preescolares y Centros

Comunitarios." Managua, Nicaragua, October 1999, p. 8.

35 Id. , p. 14.

36 MECD/PAININ. "Guía Multinivel: Aprender haciendo con niñas y niños de 3 a 6 años". (Document undergoing

validation) Nicaragua, December 1999.

37 Ministry of Public Education, “Programa de Estudio. Ciclo Materno Infantil Educación Preescolar,” San José,

Costa Rica, 2000.

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they proposed, for example, that children: “Use and enrich their capacity for play as a means for

appropriating knowledge enjoyably”, and “That they gradually appropriate knowledge of the

systematized culture based on the day-to-day culture.”38

Ecuador, for its part, has since 2000 been carrying out a “curricular frame of reference”

(“Referente Curricular”) that encompasses the period beginning with the first months of life, with

significant participation from the sector. It has adopted an updated approach in terms of foundations and

pedagogical proposals, emphasizing, in addition, the issues of interculturality and art in particular. Its

title, “Flying high”39

, reflects a concept for bringing out the potential in children from the time they are

born, which translates into different objectives.

In the case of Chile, the new Curricular Bases of Early Childhood Education ("Bases

Curriculares de la Educación Parvularia")40

were completed in 2001. They support an up-to-date quality

proposal for children from the first months until they enter basic education, with a set of “areas of

learning experiences,” “core learning,” and 232 points of “expected learning.” The Curricular Bases also

consider the various modalities (formal and non-formal) by which this level of education is imparted in

Chile.

The final version of this document41

includes a series of particularly noteworthy characteristics.

First, a more compelling concept of child is emphasized than the one traditionally considered, based on

legal, historical-situational, socio-anthropological-cultural, ecological, psychological, pedagogical, and

neuroscientific foundations, introducing a change in the main focus from what children lack to their

strengths, considering that children can and want to learn more than has traditionally been considered. In

the case of guidance for the first cycle (birth to 3 years), have a foundation in the neurosciences was

fundamental, especially for the key criterion of supporting diversity and stability of neuronal connections

through timely and varied educational situations, which gave rise to a large number of “expected

lessons.” Especially important in the psychological foundation is the appeal to consider development

more as “a starting point” than a destination, as this opens up more opportunities for babies’ learning.

The pedagogical principles noted also include the founding principles of early childhood education,

some of which have been constructed in recent years, such as well-being, empowerment, and meaning,

suggesting that all are essential from birth.

The fundamental aspect of this proposal is that notable advances have been made with respect to

a more traditional concept of the social construction of the infant, which envisions him only as a

dependent, basically receptive being: from a “child bubble,” isolated from his cultural and social

contexts, especially with respect to babies, to a genuine protagonist of the time and spaces offered him by

the 21st century. This entails considering him a subject-person, social actor, and citizen, all from a

perspective of his “child being” that he should always retain. In this approach, these aspects are

emphasized from birth.

The application of this concept of the small child implies developing a 21st century “pedagogy

for small children” that is more empowering, transforming, and humanizing, that addresses diversities

and therefore creates opportunities, based on a different “reexamination” of children, their potentials, and

38

Id., p. 62. 39

Republic of Ecuador. “Volando Alto.” Quito, 2002. 40

The final version is at the web page of the Ministry of Education of Chile: www.mineduc.cl and it can be

downloaded. 41

Ministry of Education. “Bases Curriculares de la Educación Parvularia,” Chile, October, 2001.

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their new conditions and scenarios.

Among the “ambits of experiences for learning” that are proposed in the “Curricular Bases for

Infant Education,” “Personal-Social Formation” including core lessons associated with autonomy,

identity, and living in community, with new emphases expressed in their conceptualizations and

proposed objectives. The ambit of “communication” includes, in turn, the core contents in the areas of

“verbal language” and “artistic language.” The area of “Relationship with the natural environment

and cultural milieu” encompasses the core contents of “living beings and their surroundings,” “human

groups, their ways of life and relevant events,” and “logical-mathematical relationships and

quantification.”

In the 232 specific objectives or “anticipated lessons” offered in this national curriculum, one

observes educational intentionalities that seek to continue developing children’s potential in a

comprehensive manner, in their different and greater capacities. For example, “Personal and Social

Formation” includes expected lessons that make it possible for small children to assume more fully, as

their own, their rights as children, in addition to taking on an active role in developing healthy lifestyles

in every respect, also identifying situations of risk that may have a negative impact on them. Knowledge

of and respect for the diversity of ways of life of other children and their families, along with the

development of democratic practices, constitute other central aspects of this area. In “Communication” it

is interesting to see the expanded possibilities of expressing themselves artistically and technologically in

this day and age; in addition, “good humor” is a regular factor in the curriculum. The area “relationship

with the natural environment and cultural milieu” includes important expected lessons in which children

formulate hypotheses on what transpires in the immediate and mediate environment, for example in other

countries, or the universe. And the past is addressed to the extent that it is meaningful for them. In other

words, there are no limits on children’s knowledge and action beyond those allowed by their possibilities

and interests.

The “Contexts for learning” component greatly strengthens the role of the educational

community and the quality of affective and cognitive interactions of adults with children in such learning,

along with the meaning that those lessons should have for them. Emphasis is placed on expanding

opportunities offered by the natural and sociocultural milieu, both proximate and distant, for small

children’s learning in the contemporary world, and a way to organize one’s day-to-day time that is

consistent yet constantly enriched with new work periods.

Several criteria are put forth that apply to any planning, allowing freedom of choice to carry out

these curricular instruments, but providing incentives for children’s participation in keeping with their

possibilities.

In the evaluation, emphasis is placed on an evaluation of the significant lessons by knowing to

better observe and listen to children in their learning situations. In light of babies’ needs, this is

fundamental, since it becomes necessary to be able to “read” their multiple languages, which are

fundamental gestures and pre-verbal.

In summary, the Region has been engaged in an important process of curricular design and

offers interesting examples which, along with other guidelines internationally, and the ongoing research

in the sector, stimulate curricular action in this field.

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VI. Conclusion

In this article we have sought to summarize the full array of research and analysis seeking to lay

a foundation for this new perspective on children at this stage of life, which has been so difficult,

socially and culturally, for us to recognize as transcendental and educational.

In effect, the research discussed shows us that in both the social and cultural area, and in the

most recent biological research, all types of contributions may be found for developing a wide-ranging,

timely, and relevant educational effort, from the pre-natal period, and even more so from the moment a

child is born.

The countries’ educational policies also support this trend, as does knowledge. We know how

to do it along the line that we have tried to develop in this endeavor to respect the diversity of each

child. So, what’s missing?

First, there is a need for greater awareness in Latin American families of the crucial role

families can play in their children’s development and learning in this stage that is so crucial. This

implies developing an intentioned effort committed to children from before they are born, implementing

everything we’ve been able to summarize, but based on knowledge that is understood and has meaning

for them, that empowers them in their role, and does not make them dependent or feel limited in terms

of their possibilities.

This poses a challenge to educators and communications media to support families, and to

examine their own roles. In effect, us educators, supposedly those who mobilize society in this sense,

should take on the challenge of being genuine transformers of society, empowering families, fully

developing children, by applying all the knowledge that exists to this end, and denouncing situations of

negligence or indifference that keep these proposals from being applied or generalized.

Clearly there is an ethical issue when the knowledge is there as to how to empower children

and one is able to do so, and yet it is not done. Therefore, Latin American societies should see

themselves as eminently educational, seeking to provide the facilities to families and support institutions

to play their important role. In this context, “decision-makers” should take a leading role, prioritizing

investment in this age group, and fostering actions with a population approach that encompasses the

largest number of children in this stage of life.

The Latin America that we want, with the new generations characterized by solidarity,

creativity, thoughtfulness, inquiry, and initiative, shaped from the maternal womb: That is the great

revolution we seek, and which is within reach as never before.

MVPE/mvpe

Santiago, May 10, 2007

iidei@ucentral.cl

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BIBLIOGRAFIA

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Basaure, Mónica. “Propuesta curricular para primer ciclo de educación parvularia derivada de los

aportes de las neurociencias”. Tesis para optar al grado de Magister en Educación Parvularia.

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Madrid, 1992.

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2000.

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Zabalza, Miguel. “Didáctica de la Educación Infantil”. Nancea,Madrid, 1996.

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ANNEX 2

NEUROSCIENCES AND EDUCATION

JAIRO ALBERTO ZULUAGA GÓMEZ

M.D., ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR

DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROPHYSIOLOGY AND NEUROLOGY

UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE COLOMBIA

BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION

PARODYING HUXLEY’S HAPPY WORLD

Let’s imagine, for a few moments, a female robot, with a soft feminine voice and a certain

maternal tone in her speech, technologically developed and perfected, such that in the year 2050 she

could accompany our children from very early on in their lives. She would be present in each and

every space of family and social interaction without growing weary, selecting those experiences that

could be most significant for their development, and providing permanent support for each of the

critical periods of their development; optimizing and vetting the processes of appropriating and

organizing experiences and memories; and favoring selective forgetting in keeping with the

educational programs in place for the globalized society of the times. What name might we give this

technological marvel? Perhaps “Educatrónica”?

Let’s add to this enchanting and practical educational instrument an immense memory that

can be evoked in three-dimensional videos, but above all in precise and justified actions, where she

would permanently and selectively condense and process all the information compiled by the

neurosciences and education. Knowledgeable of the so-called fundamental sciences (physics,

chemistry, and mathematics), supplemented by historical, philosophical, and psychological

information, she would consolidate a body of extensive and integrated knowledge, the neurosciences

of the future. And with that foundation she would go, step by step, along the path of our little ones,

taking herself along and venturing out with them as they take their first steps. She would be

knowledgeable of each and every one of the stages of human development. With a clear sense of the

advisability and inadvisability of each experience to be had, and with sufficient capacity to anticipate

the risks that the handling of certain information could entail for our baby, she would provide care in

his or her earliest experiences.

She would understand the plasticity of the nervous system, recognize the current stage of

development for each age of our child; she would have Piaget, Vigotsky, and Freud in her records and

it would not be difficult for her to evoke to each detail the neural and neuroglial interaction of his or

her changing brain. She would swiftly analyze the data of functional brain images from her files,

recognizing the expected states of activity in our child while he or she is reading, writing, or engaged

in mathematical processing. She could even recognize and anticipate the emotional stages of the child

and compare them with parameters that could be anticipated as normal. Based on this she could filter

externally the best sensory and perceptual options for the construction of reality, favoring an ideal of

the development of the human potential, for that biological individual who has been programmed in

her as a learner and who is the sole purpose of her mechatronic existence. She would also have a total

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record of all the nutritional recommendations for supporting cerebral and comprehensive

development, and would know the details of the biochemical interactions of the neurotransmitters,

hormones, and growth factors, as well as their receptors in the different cells of the body.

Accordingly, she would program the interactions to be strengthened; those that could be set aside; and

would even know which cell populations, in their transitory existence, would be condemned at a

given moment to programmed cellular death, as a necessary event for getting past a given stage of

development.

As the last scene of this overture, our imaginary ideal-type robot would learn from her

experience and interaction, not only with our son or daughter, but would be a participant in spaces

which, in that school of the near future, would enable her to self-adjust her programs to take account

of the latest advances in the neurosciences, social conditions, and their changing demands, but above

all the familiar patterns of tradition and culture and the contours of our child’s emotional and

affective response.

Is this a desirable educational tool, looking to the future? As parents would we be purchasing

this Educatrónica, in the markets of that time, at increasingly reasonable costs, with the certainty that

we’d be leaving our children in the “best hands”? Would these computer geniuses answer to the

updated social ideals, such as ideals of comprehensive and balanced education and formation? Would

this model support respect for the diversity, difference, and uniqueness of each human experience?

Would it be another technological contribution to the development of individual creativity, linked to

the socially desirable ideals of justice and equity? Would this archetype of neuroscientific knowledge

make the best contribution to our children’s education? In summary, would be sleep without worry?

WHERE THE NEUROSCIENCES COME FROM

A BIT OF HISTORY

Understanding living organisms and comparing them with inert matter has been a very

ancient search and topic of interest. The 18th and 19

th centuries saw transcendental moments in this

understanding, based on the recognition of the basic units of living organisms, i.e. cells. These units

could be seen thanks to microscopes and the possibility of making very thin samples, which, when

dyed, made it possible to recognize cellular components. Nonetheless, the nervous system and its

related structures were an exception, as their units remained hidden to microscopic scrutiny. Such

was the weft of their structure and the intricate network that formed the prolongations of their cells,

that indeed one doubted their individuality, and the system was conceived of as a great tapestry of

crisscrossing fibers (fibrillar theory of the nervous system). Towards the end of the 19th century,

special tinctures developed by the Italian Camilo Golgi made it possible to isolate these units visually

and to recognize that the nervous systems of all living beings were made up of similar units. This

technique opened the way to studying the nervous system based on explanations given coherence by

Santiago Ramón y Cajal in what was recognized as the doctrine of the neuron. This proposed

explanation detailing the nervous system came together with the anatomical knowledge of the brain

which, while addressed by humankind from the dawn of culture, as can be verified by the

anthropological findings of trepanated skulls in diverse cultures, has been strengthened notably in this

century. Since ancient times the relationships between behavioral characteristics and the brain have

been recognized. Many writings testify to the recognized association of the brain with the capacity for

thought, as well as its possible alterations in mental illness.

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This was the outlook at the beginning of the 20th century. In this setting, anatomy, as the

study of forms, with its microscopic derivative, histology, made it possible to recognize the details of

the nervous system and to foster, in embryology, the claim to identify, structurally, the stages of

organization of the individual, from the fertilized reproductive cells, with the consequent maintenance

of the characteristics of the species. At that time, these were the central disciplines of knowledge in

the study of the nervous system.

Then major unknowns came on the scene with regard to the “mechanisms” of communication

among the nerve cells: neurons and the set of cells organized in an interactive corporality as muscular

systems and sense organs. The observation of the capacity of the nerve cells to generate electricity

(bioelectricity) in the 18th and 19

th centuries, made this appear to be the basic language of cellular

communication, but the early 20th century saw the rise of major scientific debates. And so the

explanations of electrical functional continuity between cells (electrical synapses), which proposed

the direct transmission of the electrical signal from one cell to another as a form of propagation of the

already-recognized nervous impulse, were confronted by those positions that focused on chemical

intermediation, activated by electrical currents (chemical synapses). This explanation of the release of

substances that we call neurotransmitters today, and which act as chemical messengers between one

cell and another, predominated significantly thanks to the research methods developed at the time,

with a temporary dismissal of the recognition of direct electrical connections (electrical synapses).

Physics, chemistry, and mathematics, recognized sciences since antiquity, found in the 20th

century their tie-in to the interpretation of life, giving rise to derivative scientific disciplines, which

are established as defined areas of research, including, among others, biophysics, biochemistry, and

molecular biology. With the discovery of the genetic code and the basic rules of heredity in the mid-

20th century, a reductionist model for understanding life was consolidated: the whole can be

understood based on a study of its component parts. It was assumed that if we know the molecules

that make up the cells, and the cells that form living organisms, we will be able to understand

individuals, their behavior, and their relationships. This premise gives rise to specific scientific areas,

related ever more directly to the nervous system, the brain and its component cells, neurons, and

neuroglia.

At this time, several areas are involved, from neurochemistry, in which new interpretive

models are constructed for transmitter molecules (neurotransmitters) and their functions, new

substances are isolated related to vital support for the cells known as growth factors, and previous

molecular sets are functionally associated with hormones, which were already studied as substances

that regulate the organism’s overall functions of growth and nutrition. Thus a conceptual corpus is

constituted that expands its influence towards neurophysiology, electrophysiology, psychology,

neurology, and clearly all the areas of knowledge and human development, including what are known

as the social and human sciences. As a result, new disciplines are arising in the neural realm, such as

neuroanthropology and neurotheology. It is in this context that the disciplines that seek to understand

biological and human phenomena find common ground specifically in the search to understand the

biological and the human; they come together in seeking an understanding based on the nervous

system. To summarize, we could present a conceptual transition from neurochemistry and

neurophysiology, moving to derivative spaces that involve neuropedagogy. This transition

incorporates a wide methodological and interpretive variety in which one notes, above all, the

complexity of a biological system which, from its relational subsystem, the nervous system, looks at

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itself and seeks to interpret itself for itself. The human brain looks at the brain. Better still: what is

understood seeks to involve that which is to be understood. It is on this basis that the so-called

neurosciences are defined; some prefer to characterize the endeavor in the singular, as

“neuroscience”.

Concomitantly, human knowledge has anticipated the crisis of the molecularist model.

Throughout the 20th century, integrative proposals that consider the whole as much more than the sum

of its parts emerged and were cultivated so they might blossom: First Darwinian evolutionism and its

representations in ethology as behavioral science and in ecology as the science of relationships.

Later, in mechanics and engineering, cybernetic analyses and the emergence of a general systems

theory, the interpretation of relationships based on a unifying model, for biological and artificial

systems, both social and individual. Examining the emerging properties of the system was proposed

as a way to explain the “something more” that arose when grouping together the parts to form a

whole. These insights have been incorporated into the neurosciences more recently in the form of new

conceptual models and methodologies that represent a departure from traditional experimentation,

and which are being used in computational systems and mathematical analyses, and even to reorient

philosophical positions.

THE TOOLS OF THE NEUROSCIENCES

As presented above, the neurosciences, recognized from the angle of their diversity, also

allow for a diversity of strategies to address and study neurobiological phenomena.

Moving from the apparently simpler to the more complex approaches, We could adopt a

simplified understanding of some of the strategies used in neuroscientific studies, moving from the

apparently simpler to the more complex approaches:

LEVEL

DISCIPLINE

TYPE OF STUDY

MOLECULAR NEUROCHEMISTRY

NEUROPHARMACOLOGY

MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

IN VITRO

PHYSICAL-CHEMICAL

SUB-CELLULAR

SYNAPTIC

NEUROCHEMISTRY

NEUROPHARMACOLOGY

MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

PHYSIOLOGY

IN VITRO

PHYSICAL-CHEMICAL

MICROSCOPIC

ELECTRIC

NEURONAL

NEUROGLIAL

CELLULAR

NEUROCHEMISTRY

NEUROPHARMACOLOGY

MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

PHYSIOLOGY

IN VITRO

MICROSCOPIC

ELECTRICAL

CELLS IN CULTURE

TISSUE SAMPLES

INTEGRATED CELLULAR

MICROCIRCUITS

NEUROCHEMISTRY

NEUROPHARMACOLOGY

MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

PHYSIOLOGY

IN VITRO

MICROSCOPIC

ELECTRICAL

CELLS IN CULTURE

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NEURO-COMPUTATION

COMPLEX MATHEMATICS SAMPLES OF FIXED

OR LIVE TISSUE

INDIVIDUALS NEURO-ETHOLOGY

PHYSIOLOGY

NEUROPSYCHOLOGY

NEUROLOGY

BEHAVIORAL

ANIMAL MODELS

IMAGINOLOGICAL

OVERALL

ELECTRICAL

POPULATIONS ECOLOGY

ETHOLOGY

SOCIOLOGY

ANTHROPOLOGY

PEDAGOGY

BEHAVIORAL

ANIMAL MODELS

IMAGINOLOGICAL

OVERALL

ELECTRICAL (EEG)

HISTORICO-

HERMENEUTIC

The boxes in the foregoing chart are not mutually exclusive, nor do they exhaust all the

methodologies used by the neurosciences to approach their object of study. It simply seeks to

exemplify the different levels of approach to the problem of the nervous system in a living organism,

as a system of relationships and interactions. From there, one can extrapolate the wide diversity of

evidence which, as a result of the biological, psychological, and social functionality of the human

being, can be compiled, and the very diverse levels of weighting and interpretation this requires.

Presented simply, the data yielded by neurochemical studies on synaptic neurotransmission cannot be

associated simplistically with complex variations of conduct. The variations of social conduct should

not be reduced simplistically to electrical or imaginological evidence. Both should be the subject of

an integral weighing and inquiry, as is modern science’s claim to objectivity, seeking models to

interpret associations of scientific events in multidimensional theories that do justice to the

complexity of the phenomena.

A TEMPORARY LEAP TO CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS

THE MODELS AND CONCEPTS

Human behavior is gradually organized from the intrauterine environment. Relational

systems are organized towards complexity starting from processes of differentiation and functional

specialization from the cells to the multicellular subsets integrated in systems. Therefore, it is

necessary to invoke the analysis of neurological development, not only in the text implicit in its fine

molecular, cellular, intercellular and systemic dynamics, but also based on its context. Context

changes, determining the transitory validity of models. Facts are not equivalent in all contexts. Re-

contextualizing an idea implies re-elaborating it within different frames of reference. The cultural,

social, historical, and conceptual paradigms on the basis of which the idea is represented give rise

directly to the crisis of representation on the basis of which the universe evolves and is transformed.

In the historical development of the neurosciences and the bridges that can be built from them

to child development and education in the early stages of life, there are ever more lines of research

that inquire into the quality of the family bond and its role in the development of the individual. The

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undeniable positive role of the early mother-child bond and its projection in biological terms of

family and social culture, in guaranteeing health and well-being, is intuitive and obvious.

Beyond this obvious point, we propose this contextual recounting of neurological

development and its projection towards the modern proposals for institutional and formal education

for the early stages of life, from three confluent scenarios.:

FIRST CONTEXTUAL SCENARIO

DEMOGRAPHIC – THE BIRTH OF A NEW DIVERSITY

In the course of the 20th century, emerging from the industrial revolution and dizzying

scientific development, with different yet generally high birth rates, the world population increased

unforeseeably, doubling, by the end of the century, on average every 23 years. Without losing sight of

the north-south differences, and mindful of the contrast between countries with considerable

technological development and industrialization and those that have not attained these, this population

growth is explained demographically as the result not only of medical, scientific, and technological

development, exemplified in vaccines and the development of antibiotics, but also the substantial

contribution of general changes in basic living conditions: sanitation infrastructure, housing, and diet.

With notable asymmetry among the different nations, infant mortality has fallen, especially early

neonatal mortality. In medical units for the adaptation of newborns, the ever greater availability of

incubators and equipment for respiratory support transforms the outlook for the survival of human

newborns. Those babies who died before survive today. Low birth weight has ceased to be a problem

of infant mortality, and has become a fact of morbidity. The baby breathes, no longer dying of

asphyxia. His heart pumps and there is no digestive or metabolic limitation or infection that cannot

be treated; early surgery saves those who appeared to be beyond saving, and new drugs make it

possible to overcome deficits of enzymatic substances that before took hundreds of children to an

early death. But what are the alternate consequences of this survival? What adaptations do our

nervous system and brain develop in the face of these particular circumstances? What are the

relational consequences of this success vis-à-vis the imminence of death, for the new human being

and his or her family?

Let’s address this last question so as to move from it to the others. To this end let’s allow

Pierre Budin, one of the first modern neonatologists, to narrate his experience of the mid-20th century

in the face of one of the possible response of a family overwhelmed by this survival against all

prognoses: abandonment. “Unfortunately a certain number of women abandon their children whose

needs they have not had to satisfy, and in whom they have lost all interest; the little one has been

saved but at the price of losing its mother.” Sensitized by such incidents, Budin’s work was redirected

at that time to restoring the mother-baby bond through breastfeeding.

Paradoxically, in the 1980s modern neonatology, nascent in what was then becoming called

the third world, took up as its main banner the importance of total isolation of the low weight

newborn, based on the argument that this was necessary to diminish the metabolic and infectious risks

associated with that condition. Many newborns were abandoned by their mothers; so it was a

challenge to health groups to induce parents to take back their children. They encouraged the parents

spend time with their children and opened the doors so they could come into the rooms where special

care was being provided. One should not infer from that experience a biological human trend to

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necessarily abandon their offspring in crisis; rather, this supports the ethological analysis that arises

from the historical event narrated.

VARIATIONS ON THE FIRST SCENARIO:

THE PARADOXES OF POVERTY

By the 1980s, in Colombia as in the rest of Latin America the situation was alarming: infant

and perinatal morality reached about 40 per 1,000 live births, the main causes being problems

generally associated with low birth weight. The incidence of prenatal and perinatal infections and the

hypertension induced by pregnancy had significant impacts. With a very insufficient supply of

incubators and equipment for ventilatory support plus the good judgment and sense of what’s

appropriate characteristic of human acts of solidarity, more than an initial scientific position, the

pediatricians at the Instituto Materno Infantil of Bogotá, headed by Edgar Rey and Héctor Martínez,

rediscovered the importance of the early bond for development, and with the watchwords of Love,

Warmth, and Breastfeeding, they organized, under the name Programa Canguro (Kangaroo Mother

Program), a proposal for the management of preterm newborns, using practical means to make up for

the lack of technology.

As they saw the problem: “Immediately after birth, the low weight newborn was placed in an

incubator generally shared with one or more children…. Persons from outside were not allowed into

the intensive care unit; this category included the mother. She could only see her little one when he or

she was discharged from the unit. We began feeding with dextrose, which was followed by

formula…. The time of the hospital stay was highly variable; in some cases it reached up to three

months, so long as the mother still remembered her child and would come to claim it. The proportion

of children abandoned was very high due to the total absence of affect.” (Martínez and Rey, 1983).

The Kangaroo Mothers Program was based on the behavior of marsupials, who support the

final development of their immature offspring in their pouch. The program’s proposal was simple

and consisted – once the basic medical needs for survival were taken care of – of having low birth

weight babies temporarily placed in skin-to-skin contact with the breast, initially the mother’s and

then the father’s as well. The success of this proposal is notable, to the point that over the next 20

years it spread to the widest variety of contexts and countries, from Africa to the Nordic countries,

where it was embraced despite the availability of plenty of technology. Today it is sponsored by the

World Laboratory (Laboratorio Mundial) and supported by extensive clinical monitoring studies.

What results are evident initially?:

Earlier discharge from hospitals, reduction of crossover infections and of the apparently

paradoxical complications from isolation in aseptic glass incubators.

What can we see in the longer term?:

The development of a progressive culture for recognizing and tolerating difference;

culturally overcoming the familiar biological tendency to child abandonment in the face of

imminent disaster and the initial detachment;

incorporating the need to participate in reconstructing the mother-baby bond, no longer

considering it obvious and inevitable;

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the demand for historical recognition of a new human diversity, arising from the survival of

an ever greater number of individuals with high biological risk, who before would die.

SECOND CONTEXTUAL SCENARIO

THE SPECTRUM OF DIVERSITY AND UNIQUENESS IN NEURODEVELOPMENT

Every second, two to three human brings are born. The survival of newborns at increased risk

has consequences for the complex and delicate processes of development of their nervous system.

These consequences have been studied from biological, medical, and social perspectives, resulting

necessarily in the recognition of a new diversity, presented previously. The biological backdrop of

human diversity opens up on its two conceptual approaches: nature (genetic determinism) or nurture

(environmentalism). The current scientific debate is no longer focused on isolating these two

approaches as contrary, but on recognizing how they interact.

Evidence of the clinical consequences of neurological disease in those who have survived

thanks to technological development speaks for itself. The most extreme are epilepsy, cerebral palsy,

mental retardation, learning disorders, delays in language development, and behavioral alterations.

The most subtle are understood in terms that approximate uniqueness, how each individual adapts to

his or her context, and very especially how the context changes before him or her. There have been

many names for these phenomena in history: minimal cerebral dysfunction, transitory neurological

syndromes, maturopathy, hyperactivity attention deficit disorder, developmental dyspraxia, and

sensory integration deficit, among many others. What is inevitable in the analysis is difference and

uniqueness, summarized based on the criteria for assessment: multiple intelligences, cognitive styles,

diversity of contexts. This goes beyond the individual and the individual’s structure, and shifts to

considerations focused more on relations and interactions. From the various levels of study,

neuroscience ratifies it: Cells differentiate, molecules change, and communications are shaped by the

volume and quality of information.

What is familiar here? The paces and stimuli that we assume evolutionally as our own? The

lullaby with a basic melody and harmony, but with its own modulations of the near-by, of the

maternal? What induces us to change, to go beyond the familiar, to seek, finally, the cry of

independence of each of our ages?

THE FAMILY BOND, IS IT JUST THERE, OR IS IT MADE?

LEARNING TO BE PARENTS, LEARNING TO BE CHILDREN

The individual grows and develops from a single all-powerful cell, the fertilized egg. From

there, the first embryonic stages lead to very fast-paced cellular reproduction and differentiation. At

four weeks from conception (of a total 40 weeks that human gestation lasts), as many as

approximately half a million neurons are produced per minute. Yet these neurons are nothing if they

do not communicate with one another. During the first two quarters of human gestation, the

connections between neurons are being produced at an unimaginable pace: two million connections

per second. This is represented structurally in an organ that grows and folds into itself. Throughout

this process the embryo and fetus developing in the intrauterine environment is tested in its ability to

adapt to changes. It learns some movements, floats in the amniotic fluid and receives soft massages

from the uterine walls; it takes in, in waves, nutrition and hormones from its mother, and perceives

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that at each stage, its communicative development makes it possible for the child to detect changes in

temperature, light, or sound in its life-giving nest. All this interaction shapes us early on and prepares

our whole system to adapt to change, to life outside the womb. The last three months of human

gestation, like the first months of our life outside the womb, impose high demands for adaptation and

selection of neurons and their communicative relations. This selection is determined to a significant

extent by the environment, requiring functional adjustments with the death of cells that have filled

their transitory roles and synaptic selection; and those communicational contacts useful for the type of

changing environment prevail.

Cells are lost and their contacts adjusted. Our brain grows. Its average weight at birth is some

400 grams. By two years of age it has doubled, and by age 6 it is nearly the weight of an adult brain

(1400 g). Our nervous system changes constantly, from conception until death, from the precursor

cells of our brain, still undifferentiated, until those which, in the adult stage, have assumed specific

functional roles. These are structural changes evidenced anatomically, cellular changes that are

recognized microscopically, and molecular changes that require special tracking techniques to be

detected. They are changes which, no matter their structural level, are related to one other

functionally in time, and are the basis for all behavioral processes, from the simplest to the most

elaborate.

Movement, memory, emotions, learning, evolution: All depend on communicative changes to

a greater or lesser extent. Life experience through sensory stimuli touches each organizational

process, redefines the rules of interaction, and guarantees an individual adapted to the environmental

context in which he or she develops. The very diversity of life and cultural and social dynamics

depends on these changes.

Recognition of the intricate mechanisms underlying early development of the nervous system

and its forms of regulation, the possible changes in such a complex process, and the technological

possibilities opening up, looking to the future, to avoid them, is reflected in gene therapy and early

intervention in environmental factors associated with such changes. But how, when, and especially

from where and to where can one intervene without altering the right to be individual? How can one

recognize the different family, social, and cultural contexts and incorporate them into the analysis of

what is desirable?

In the pendular movement of knowledge and its back-and-forth dynamic between

understanding the role of genetic and environmental factors in the development of the complex

communicative network of the human brain, we have moved from the extreme of genetic determinism

of the early 20th century, reinforced by the accomplishment of decoding the human genome, to

extreme environmental determinism, attributing excessive importance to environmental and

epigenetic factors that are fundamental in this dynamic. Yet behind this, almost dragged by it, is the

human feeling of mother, father, and family, around their roles and responsibilities. Are my genes

what define my relationship and bond with my child? What will he be like and what will he be? On

the other hand are questions that go to the environment: Will my actions and the relational spaces

that we foster or the limitations that we impose play an inexorable role in his future? These, the fear

they provoke, and the need for individual and cultural answers, both pragmatic and substantive, are

proliferating in the face of our constantly changing living conditions.

A TRANSITION IN CARE

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Even though we permanently rediscover what is essential, and even though in this case what

is essential in developing the family bond is its biological basis of evolutional guarantee, culture and

its migration among societies (i.e. globalization) should construct spaces of trust for understanding

and appropriating differences.

This entails:

Adaptation to and of the ever more fast-paced changing contexts.

Need to recognize, in the list of history, those things which, because they are counter-

intuitive, we reject, either out of fear or because they are not obvious.

Assuming as part of the educational model the appropriation of uncertainty in the face of a

future that continues to evolve, including our relationships and circumstances.

THIRD CONTEXTUAL SCENARIO

MULTICULTURALITY AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY

In 1993, Colombian anthropologist Carlos Pinzón, at a conference on perinatology, examined

ethnic differences in parenthood, with a paper whose title was very illustrative: “Children of the

Harvest, Children of the Drought” (“Hijos de la cosecha, hijos de la sequía”). Based on studies in

communities of the Colombian Pacific coast and some rural areas of central Colombia, he established

the difference in family acceptance of children depending on the context in which they were born.

While those born in times of good fortune and abundance were favored in the family context with

better treatment and projects, those born in misfortune remained in such circumstances. Their real or

concealed abandonment was a fact.

Any number of socioanthropological studies and reports recognize and document the

different interpretations that human gestation and childhood take on in different ethnicities and

cultural groups. It is not necessary to have recourse to reports from indigenous communities in hidden

jungle areas to recognize this diversity. Even in the large cities of our modern global village, it is easy

to recognize sociocultural organizations with diverse models of early childrearing and different ways

of conceptualizing education. In communities in old Russia, possibly forced by climatic conditions

and the mother’s need for work, newborns were wrapped in cloths like “cigars,” assuming this would

provide protection and would facilitate mobility. This understandable custom entails the consequent

limitations imposed on sensory contact and freedom of movement, which is accepted as necessary

from the neuroscientific perspective of development. Similar actions have been reported in Andean

communities in South America.

As for food and nutrition customs, and emphasizing the limitations associated with poverty, it

is evident that the balances and access to protein-caloric intake are unequal in different parts of the

planet. Beyond that, cultural dynamics put in place obstacles to dietary customs that on occasion are

not easy to overcome through scientifically grounded discourse on sanitation and food hygiene. This

applies not only to dietary customs associated with undernutrition, but also to those particular to the

more developed countries, related to obesity.

For this contextual scenario, and given its complexity, we merely state the problem, making

reference, in addition, to the fourth neuromyth presented above, regarding dietary fashions and

nutrients, in some cases tendentiously called neuronutrients.

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RETAKING THE ROAD: SOCIALIZING AND DISSEMINATING SCIENTIFIC

KNOWLEDGE

Scientific knowledge is a social construct grounded in experimentation that can be tested,

compared and reproduced. It is consolidated in prevailing cultural models in a historically changing

scenario, and is rendered operational in technologies that can be taken advantage of for human, social,

and macroecological well-being.

Pasko Rakic, one of the most prolific neuroscientists in terms of producing models for

understanding the development of the cerebral cortex, when introducing the section on development

in the second edition of his landmark book on modern neuroscience (Cognitive Neurosciences edited

by Michael Gazzaniga), states his concern over the ever wider gap between developmental

neurobiology and cognitive neuroscience. Something similar could be recognized, somewhat against

appearances, with respect to neuroscientific knowledge and neuroscience education. Rakic, refuting a

pessimistic position after this observation, recognizes and ratifies the urgency of building a bridge to

close this distance. Yet he shifts his proposal to the human dimension of knowledge, to a bridge not

of ideas but, very particularly, of individuals (speaking of “bridge people”). Ideas come from

individual people, not from minds. If a cross-cutting proposal is recognized in this formulation, or

better yet an interdisciplinary one, we would see behind it working groups that address the

overwhelming volume of information coming from modern science, and who would not only set out

to characterize it in terms of impact and levels of credibility, but would also critically appropriate and

digest its generalities and transform them into integrative models, with ever more direct cultural and

social connotations.

Appropriating new forms of representing the nervous system and its development and

therefore of interpreting animal behavior leads man to recognize and re-elaborate his own points of

reference for awareness and cognition, grounding them in scientific facts that transcend science itself

and involve education and culture.

THE RISKS

As Pinel puts it in his book Biopsychology, scientists can make mistakes, and scientific

mistakes may be assumed as more or less widely disseminated truths, for variable periods of time.

One example of inadequate interpretations of scientific facts may be found in the work of Egas Moniz

for which he was awarded the Nobel prize in physiology and medicine in 1949. His clinical

experiments began with the isolated observation of an irritable chimpanzee which, when treated

surgically, severing the connections of both frontal lobes showed an “improvement” in its behavior.

Moniz proposed to neurosurgeon Almeida-Lima that he test this technique for the treatment of

psychiatric diseases. From the first tests it was assumed as a scientific truth that a pre-frontal

lobotomy, as the procedure is known, was effective for treating psychiatric diseases, and on this basis

the techniques and experiments spread, opening the way to what at the time was dubbed

“psychosurgery.” The initial evaluations of the patients operated on by Moniz and Almeida-Lima are

seen today as having little objectivity, with biases associated with the evaluators and the method,

which evidently failed to take into account behavioral diversity not only among species but also

among individuals of the same species.

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The risks and implications of such a procedure were not recognized until years later, after its

widespread dissemination throughout Europe and the United States, where at least 40,000 patients

underwent frontal lobotomies. The diversity of behavioral consequences related to the operation

ranged from epilepsy, deficit in planning and anticipating the consequences of one’s acts, to situations

of amorality and failure to recognize the social and cultural environment. With this example, chosen

from among many others because it is so compelling, we emphasize, with Pinel, the importance of

recognizing that “some consider solid scientific methods as unnecessary obstacles along the way for

patients who seek treatment and physicians desirous of providing it.”

In the educational and pedagogical context, the continuing search for support for models of

action may be concretized in an apparent legitimacy of actions that are risky in light of inadequate

interpretation of scientific facts. The fact that their effects are not represented in acts as dramatic as in

the foregoing example does not diminish their social and historical impact. This results in what

Goswami calls, and quite rightly so, the establishment of “neuromyths,” as the result of

interpretations of scientific facts that fluctuate from total literality without contextual analysis, to the

excessive emphasis on and consolidated use of assumptions that are passed off as truths even though

they arose from speculative fantasies. Here we will analyze some of the less extreme of these myths,

in keeping with Goswami’s proposition.

We will then take up anew some aspects which in our view are emerging as visible elements

of neuroscientific knowledge and that may be subject to appropriation for laying a pedagogic basis,

starting from a permanent critical analysis of criteria that combines rigor and flexibility, opening

scenarios for continuity and rupture.

MYTHS AND LEGENDS IN THE NEUROSCIENCES

FIRST NEUROMYTH:

PLASTICITY AND CRITICAL PERIODS OF DEVELOPMENT

We recognize the plasticity of a material to refer to its capacity to be deformed by external

forces without losing its defining characteristics. In some cases, one includes the additional property

of retaking its original form when the deforming force is no longer exerted. In biology, the concept

of plasticity apples to the capacity of biological systems’ components to transform in the face of

environmental changes and, on this basis, to adapt to their surroundings. This fundamental criterion is

determinant of the evolutional capacity of species to transform over broad time frames, beginning

with the change in the individuals in time frames restricted to the duration of their lives.

The last four decades of research have been useful for recognizing the nervous system as a

plastic system. The classic image of a genetically predefined system, with few possibilities of

regeneration and change, has evolved. In the early formation of the nervous system, its

organizational bases are directed only partially by the genes. The individual’s genetic makeup makes

possible the intrusion of elements of the environment that vet and regulate cellular interactions and

dynamics of additions and subtractions, with gains but also losses: the more efficient interactions are

selected, initially to guarantee our survival, then to afford us ever more complex options for action

and behavior.

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There is abundant scientific evidence that relates the plasticity of the nervous system to its

capacity for transformation. From the reports of functional recovery from brain or neural lesions, to

the most contemporary work on models of synaptic and cellular (i.e. communicative) reorganization

related to memory and learning. Recognition of detail which, from neurotransmitter molecules and

their cellular receptors, fosters understanding as to how one can bolster or depress cellular responses

in the short, medium, and long term, has been the main object of study of the neurosciences in recent

decades. It has also made it possible to establish the biological and cellular bases of memory and

learning., i.e. how a multicellular organism, a human being, can modify his or her behavior based on

what has been learned, making it possible to reformulate some of the traditional conceptions about

educational theories and pedagogic models.

Education is, in essence, a complex process of multidirectional and multidimensional

transformation based on the communicative dynamics not only among individuals of the same

species, but also with other species and environmental conditions. This multidirectionality entails

transformations of both individuals and environments.

Nonetheless, the shift of concepts from plasticity to the educational context allows for and

even fosters over- and under-interpretations of it. Plasticity has limits. The tensions to which the

individual is subjected force him to adapt, and this is attainable within margins, beyond which the

stimulus inducing change becomes dangerous and may compromise his integrity.

Synaptic changes associated with plasticity have been associated mythically, in education,

with those classically known as critical periods of development. Such periods make reference to

functional windows in which a developing nervous system is at the height of its potential for being

modified in its communicative connectivity, based on the conditions of the milieu. Concepts coined in

phrases such as the development of “engrams,” “mental maps,” or “synaptic pruning” represented

popularized versions of neuroscientific knowledge which, linked to education, represent relationships

among moments and changing functional stages. Once these pass, the possibilities for transforming

processes diminish substantially. In short, these critical periods are assumed to be opportunities that

you take or leave, thus ignoring the options for cognitive development and variability that these paths

offer in different individuals, in addition to the substantial differences between the animal species

used for basic research and the human species.

It is assumed, for example, that plasticity is always linked to synaptic-communicative

increase, and that the quantities of stimuli necessary for a process can be given continuously in

dosages like continuous fixed and practical recipes for forming circuits. And so “synaptic training

programs” are proposed, based on a linear interpretation of these temporary opportunities. This

simplistic interpretation is presented as a technological myth that has been emerging in the form of

training programs in languages, music, or the easier and much debated proposals for early stimulation

and education, which even reach the gestational period. With the terminological adjustments that

have been made to them, The different forms of early or adequate stimulation, with the terminological

adjustments made to them, should be subject to ongoing review and reinterpretation, in light of

changing scientific knowledge.

One easy-to-recognize example of this neuromyth on plasticity and critical periods was the

practice in vogue in the 1980s of intrauterine stimulation based on “formulas” of music, light, or

movement, based on supposed critical periods in auditory, visual, or proprioceptive development:

Vivaldi and his flute concerts amplified on the wall of the maternal womb, lamps with colored lights

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applied as visual stimulators, movements induced in the mothers’ body as various forms of rotating

stimuli, all based on supposedly tapping into the windows of maximum synaptogenesis. Two to three

decades later, we study and recognize the impact that these simplistic and acontextual models may

have had in terms of difficulties modulating attention or regulating motor activity in large groups of

schoolchildren, today adults, who were classified in the very broad functional category of attention

deficit and hyperactivity syndromes.

SECOND NEUROMYTH:

FUNCTIONAL DIFFERENCES, LOCALIZATIONS AND SPECIALIZATIONS IN THE

HEMISPHERES OF THE BRAIN

The behavioral studies by Roger Sperry in patients who have undergone surgery to cut and

disconnect the means of communication between the two hemispheres of the brain, as a form of

treating certain hard-to-handle epilepsy cases, consolidated an ancestral tradition made explicit in

18th-century phrenology by Franz Joseph Gall and bolstered by the clinical-pathological correlations

of Paul Broca and Carl Wernicke. “Nous parlons avec l’hemisfere gauche” (we speak with the left

hemisphere), Broca said in France on recognizing the impact on the production of language of lesions

to the frontal area of the left hemisphere. Such disorders recognized as aphasias (speaking

impairment) set in motion a continuous search to locate the mental functions in specific areas of the

brain.

The work done by Sperry’s group ushered in a scenario delightfully propitious for

locationalism, for based on the studies of their patients, a very broad line of work began that sought to

recognize and differentiate the processing qualities of each hemisphere of the brain. And so the right

hemisphere, and those individuals for whom it is functionally predominant, was presented as the basis

for developing spatial skills and the appropriation of rhythms, images, and forms. The right

hemisphere, associated with important creative and associative capacities, is characterized as the

artistic brain. As a counterpart, the left hemisphere appeared to be associated with the performance of

tasks involving serial processing: mathematical and linguistic, concrete tasks with respect to defined

facts, and processes that make it independent as the logical brain. With the expansion and

enhancement of techniques of clinical and imaginological study, neuropsychology correlates and

integrates functional images of our brain with cognitive behaviors and skills, so as to understand in

ever greater detail the variations in time and space linked to the cognitive processes; above all it

recognizes the diversity and variability of the dynamics that the same individual shows in performing

the same function at different times of his life and with different degrees of experience.

Educating right or left brains. Prioritizing by segregating activities aimed at the logical-

mathematical learner compared to the artistic-emotional learner. These are some of the claims arising

from the literal and oversimplified application of these scientific facts. The indiscriminate and on

occasion dangerous expansion of educational offerings so justified gives rise to a social responsibility

to critically review such applications, “supported scientifically.”

THIRD NEUROMYTH

COGNITIVE STYLES AND CEREBRAL GYMNASTICS

The clear recognition by the neurosciences of the processes of sensory and motor integration

as the bases of cognitive development is another widely-appropriated aspect of pedagogical models

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and early educational intervention. What we hear, see, touch, or taste constitutes not only isolated

simple sensations of images, sounds, smells, or flavors, but whole sets integrated in complex

perceptual images, which evoke emotions and feelings, as fundamental means of supporting our

learning. We don’t learn anything that doesn’t affect us emotionally. We don’t consolidate memories

of that which does not take on meaning through reinforcement and motivation. We generate our sense

of space and time, in the earliest phases of our development, based on sensory and motor experience.

Up and down, before and after, numerical series and conceptual abstraction, are ways of representing

reality that arise from our sensations and movements. When we push a ball and it rolls, when we’re

asleep and recognize the limited space of our crib, when we cast an object towards the universe we

imagine, we verify the physical laws that govern us and expand our interpretive possibilities.

All these experiences transform our brains in terms of synaptic sums and differences, in

relationships of greater or lesser functional powers of our intercellular connections, in balances of

prioritizations of the signals that are determinant and/or gratifying in our continuous immersion in the

ocean of stimuli that constitute our reality. Yet these paths of interpretation and processing are not

pre-imprinted in our nervous system from our embryonic development and the stages of maturation of

the fetus to birth. These paths are constructed second-by-second and are reshaped and sculpted by

sensory and motor experiences. In a permanent back-and-forth of tests, of synaptic-communicative

trials and errors, of thousands of millions of possible and developable cellular interactions, those

connections that demonstrate by their results, in this dynamic of inputs and outputs, that they are

preferable for the functional moment one experiences are selected and strengthened, or disappear or

reduce their impact as a signal.

Based on the foregoing, we can intuit the vast diversity of possible paths for processing for

different individuals; and the uniqueness in the dynamics of developmental selection. Genetically,

with variable degrees of identity, reality and individual experience, we are shaped differently even

from the most incipient stages of our embryonic development. We are different and diverse, even in

cases of genetically identical twins.

Once these particularities are assumed, the proposals for categorizing styles of cognitive

performance range from the most concrete, which describe the prioritization of the modalities of

sensory inputs or patterns of organization for movement, defining three basic styles of learning:

visual, auditory, and coenaesthesic (associated with movement). From there, more elaborate

proposals, such as those that call for recognizing the multiplicity of intelligences and those which

look not only at their plurality, with the inclusion of categories such as emotional or “savage” forms

of intelligence – widely embraced in the management of pedagogical models and classroom strategies

– but also with the repercussion that this has had in the other direction, driving the neurosciences to

search for and recognize new models, also plural, for understanding the phenomenon of knowing and

its infinite possibilities of diversity. From there, theories arise regarding forms of awareness or

rationality that not only allow for but demand paradigms of interpretation, based on complexity and

on the non-linear or serial relations of cognitive and social events.

Having taken a look at the foregoing with critical judgment, we must assume that the

simplistic claim to assimilate these scientific facts and construct, from them, theories of education and

development – which like our robot Educatrónica limit the interpretation of the relationship between

neurosciences and education to the possibility of pre-defining sequences of actions and reactions,

with universal prioritizations and sequencings, which can be legitimized as an ideal of individual

development to support social development – poses not only a major risk for the democratic claims of

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liberty, sustainability, and equity around fundamental rights, but also opens the door to manipulation

and tendentious power dynamics with respect to an education that claims to be scientific. Xx[not

entirely clear to me]

FOURTH NEUROMYTH

NEURONUTRIENTS THAT MAGIC CHEMISTRY OF SUPER-INTELLIGENCES

Nutritional inputs are one of the great determinants of development. Despite their importance,

the volume of research studies related to nutrition and neurodevelopment is comparatively small.

Within nutriological chemistry, the metabolic cycles and processes essential for cellular construction

and the biochemical bases for the synthesis of substances that are involved as chemical messengers in

inter-cellular communication are known (neurotransmitters, hormones, trophic and growth factors,

among others). Some of these molecules cannot be synthesized by the organism but must be provided

in the diet; they are recognized biochemically as essential molecules.

Based on the foregoing and moving more to the sphere of commerce and what’s in vogue

than to health nutrition policies, a series of chemical compounds have gained popularity such as the

fatty acids known as omega three, for which – not to dismiss their nutritional importance –

commercial campaigns have been put in place and their virtues, magnified, have been promoted, in

terms of their role in synaptogenesis (neuronal communicative development) and myelinization

(processes associated with the maturation of neuronal connections for electric transmission). With

the impact that this represents in communities, some of these products have been named as ultra-

specific nutrients for the nervous systems, or neuronutrients. Here once again the balance between the

scientific facts backed by research and conceptual speculation with vested interests should be subject

to social and political review, so as not to divert attention from what is priority and truly necessary,

such as broad access to balanced nutrition that supplies the requirements of a developing individual

and which in addition guarantees him or her the cultural enjoyment provided by being able to feed

oneself and feed one’s family.

CHAPTER OF CONVERGENCE:

THE TRANSITION OF THE CHILD TO SCHOOLING: A CONTEMPORARY

CHALLENGE FOR INTERPRETATION

The usefulness of involving students in schooling from an early age has been the subject of

heated debate since antiquity. In each decade of the 20th century, and under different predominant

models of development, proposals were made that ranged from anticipating the development of

intelligence and skills in reading, math, and music, fostering the formation of early and multifaceted

geniuses, to more reactive positions that sought to foster free and happy development in a supportive

family environment.

Research studies and papers from all positions, and with the most diverse interpretations,

defined the standards for developing the extremely technological educational patterns and claims of

societies made up of hyper-efficient and super-gifted individuals, to the classist-elitist approach

associated with the schools offering the apparently best and most scientific approaches to education.

Hence emerges the commercialization of ambitious models of human programming, purportedly

grounded in nascent neuroscientific knowledge.

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Our knowledge of the processes associated with the development of the brain, the possible

interpretations of what happens, at the cellular and molecular level, when we memorize, learn, think,

or simply sleep and dream, is at present one of the most prolific fields of science. The molecular

reductionism of the 20th century, in its delight of interpretation, became incorporated into all

behavioral scenarios, and what we call anecdotally the chemistry of behavior has been represented in

interpretational models of development, psychiatric diseases, emotions, love, and in general all the

mental processes that underlie our behavior. The strength of this approach, somehow limited, is in

facts of undeniable practical utility, which are the basis for a generalization: Molecules which, in the

form of drugs, radically turn an agitated and aggressive individual into someone accessible for

communication, or those that suddenly bring a halt to a convulsive crisis with dramatic

manifestations. Hence the leap to imagining pills for memory, love, or happiness is very easy, indeed

inevitable.

In the face of this important reductionism trend, schools are developed that interpret the dynamics of

the mind in the context of complexity; they understand cognition to be constituted by sets of

processes physiologically set in motion in time that recognize the human being as a changing

individual in changing contexts. It is here that the work of critical analysis and interpretation of texts

and the facts that support scientific knowledge, for purposes of transferring it to the schoolroom and

to education policy, demands a major effort on the part of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary

groups who take a position by regulating the risk of their inadequate use.

WHAT EDUCATION APPROPRIATES FROM THE NEUROSCIENCES TODAY

GENERAL ASPECTS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS BASED ON THE

GREY ZONES THAT CAN BE RECOGNIZED IN THE TRANSITION FROM

NEUROSCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE TO PEDAGOGY AND EDUCATION

The following are some of the relevant aspects of what was said at the symposium, drawn

from the papers and discussions on them, specifically related to the neurosciences, which has become

a key point of reference, in terms of scientific knowledge, and a fundamental pillar for the

development of education policies and strategies.

This part has been presented previously at the beginning of the report as the second chapter,

and is presented once again, as conclusions and recommendations, with this annex.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS:

IN THE CONTEXT OF THE SCIENCES

Socializing scientific knowledge in general and knowledge of the neurosciences in particular

is not only desirable, but has become, for modern society, a duty and a social right associated

with the right of access to information.

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This dissemination is associated with all the risks of deviant interpretation and application of

ethical and aesthetic precepts inherent to the human condition, and thus demand special

attention.

The conceptual diversity entailed in these interpretations, beyond the facts and scientific

inferences that can be characterized with levels of objectivity and universality, are revealed in

diverse social, political, and economic contexts with the multiplicity and complexity these

entail.

One result is the consolidation of a broad spectrum of globalized knowledge: from the most

rigorous to the popular, the latter allowing for inevitable fantasies and myths, which should

be recognized and assumed within this framework for the socialization of knowledge.

Neuroscientific knowledge should be applied to the classrooms and spaces of interaction for

education and human development, bearing in mind the foregoing premises of vulnerability.

It will regulate itself based on interdisciplinary social dynamics and collegial groups which,

as in this symposium, include educators, scientists, policy makers, political scientists,

sociologists, and the general public, advocating its critical and plural incorporation in early

childhood education.

The experiences in the OAS member countries represented, which included forums, courses,

symposia, and opportunities to debate in an effort to find common ground between education

and the neurosciences, have been very well received. More than snobbism, this highlights the

innovative thirst for education in all societies.

THE CONTEXT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

The issues inevitably linked to investment in education are generally issues our societies have

not yet been able to face head on. Essential inputs for the neurodevelopment of the individual

and the population at large, like access to food and health, continue to be insufficient and

worrisome.

The indicators for gauging access to these resources, despite apparent changes in terms of

expanded coverage in relation to early development, including intrauterine development,

need to be permanently reassessed and broken down into indicators that redefine poverty and

its impact on development in general and on neurodevelopment in particular.

In the context of intersectoral dynamics, it is fundamental to strengthen maternal-and-child

care programs as the basis for human development despite declining yet still-high mortality

rates.

The different strategies for diminishing maternal and infant mortality in recent decades have

given way to the survival of a new diversity of individuals. As an example of this new

human diversity we have very low birth-weight newborns, which on surviving have a high

risk of neurological morbidity.

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This new diversity demands calls for the implementation of education policies for early

childhood that transcend sectoral boundaries.

IN THE CONTEXT OF THE NEUROSCIENCES AND EDUCATION

The coming on the scene of the language of neurosciences in education and the re-

elaboration of the pre-existing languages reflects the inevitable socialization of

knowledge, and involves the challenge of grasping the historical ebb and flow of words

and things.

The new paradigms for interpreting neurological development processes and the

technological evidence based on different research methodologies in neurosciences, but

in particular on the studies of functional imaginology, allow us to recognize a nervous

system that is changing in the face of educational processes, helping to anticipate

deviations in the early processes of change linked to the construction of knowledge and

learning of the world around us.

Similarly they allow us to appropriate, recognize, and as a result seek to foster respect for

differences among individuals, not only between men and women (gender), but also those

associated with social, cultural, and ethno-anthropological contexts. Such recognition and

respect have led to the demand for educational models that take these differences into

account. We human beings learn and educate ourselves in and for diversity.

Extreme idealization, be it technical, progressive, scientific, utopian, or fundamentalist,

for designing and implementing educational processes in the first stages of life, finds its

limits in that which human knowledge has not been able to transform, and which is born

of its evolutional and historical essence, i.e. its diverse and unique social being, which

operates from the complexity of the individual. This has been called many things in the

symposium, but stands out as what’s natural.

The neurosciences have made it possible to recognize typologies in efforts to provide

attention that make it possible to interpret them not as mere filters of stimuli, but as

dynamics of prioritization in communicational interaction and in the interpretation and

construction of reality, as elements fundamental for educational change. The assertive

interpretation of such typologies of attention may favor educational interaction.

Working from the concepts of plasticity and communicational (synaptic) reorganization

of the nervous system, the neurosciences recognize human diversity as the endless

processes the human being can use to adapt to and transform his or her environment.

Educating and educating oneself is translated as this dynamic of transformation. It is

apparent that these processes take place as non-linear sets of interactions, with a

permanent trend to complexity, in which hierarchies are established, based not only on

the increased number of communicational contacts and cellular units, but also on their

selection and loss.

Research on the early organization of sensory and motor processes makes it possible to

recognize modifications in how the pathways of sensory processes are prioritized and

how the developing nervous system integrates its particular perceptions of the world, so

- 84 -

as, on that basis, to organize their acts, through movements. The early stages of life,

including intrauterine life, have been found to be those in which the capacity of our

system to transform in the face of changes in the environment is at its peak. These

periods, known as critical periods of development, involve the greatest capacity for

transformation of the human being for future learning, and demand special attention.

Early changes in tolerance for sensory stimuli, and inadequate perception as sensory

noise of those daily stimuli that do not make other individuals uncomfortable, are

examples of early forms of alteration that can be observed in early indicators of

neurological development that make it possible to anticipate changes that upset the

subsequent stages of the educational process. We learn, from the womb, and models of

social interaction transform us throughout our development.

The early stages of human neurodevelopment should be studied, as they relate to

pedagogic practices, with ever greater rigor, so as not to fall into inadequate

appropriation of scientific knowledge, consolidating neuromyths that may be exemplified

in an exaggerated emphasis on plasticity, or in the literal interpretation of approaches to

the imaginological localization of functions in specific places of the brain, or the over- or

under-valuing of the capacities for educational transformation of the individual.

Thinking of an education based on scientific evidence poses a methodological issue that

must be carefully considered, and it presents, from the outset, two major conceptual

challenges. The first has to do with the very construction of the levels of evidence, based

on science, as one of the paradigms of truth. The second is ensuring flexibility of the

model so as to adapt it to different contexts, in terms of the heterogeneous and

multicultural nature of the social world.

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Gardner H.: La Educación de la mente y el conocimiento de las disciplinas. Ed. Paidos Ibérica, 2000.

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- 87 -

ANNEX III

INTER-AMERICAN SYMPOSIUM

UNDERSTANDING THE STATE OF THE ART IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

AND CARE: THE FIRST THREE YEARS OF LIFE

Part of the Project “Policies and Strategies for a successful transition to socialization and school”

May 14 – 18, 2007 Organization of American States

1889 F Street NW., Rubén Dario Meeting Room, 8th floor

Washington DC, U.S.A

AGENDA

Monday May 14, 2007

8:00 - 9:00 Registration, delivery of informative documents

9:00 - 9:30 Welcoming remarks:

Ambassador Alfonso Quiñonez, Executive Secretary, Executive

Secretariat for Integral Development (SEDI/OAS).

Ms. Victorina Espinola de Ruiz Diaz, Minister of the National

Secretariat for Children and Adolescents, Paraguay

9:30 – 10:00 Orientation session: Mrs. Lenore Yaffee Garcia, Director, Department of

Education and Culture, and Mrs. Gaby Fujimoto, Senior Specialist in Education,

OAS, Project Coordinators.

10:00 – 10:15 BREAK

10:15 --12:30

Panel: Development of Integrated Policies for Children during the First

Three Years of Life

International experts, including high-level representatives of governments in the

region, will examine the state of the art in policy development and

implementation from multiple perspectives:

- 88 -

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Social Development and Education, Ms. María Estela Ortiz, Executive

Vice-President, Junta Nacional de Jardines Infantiles (JUNJI) Chile.

Women, Family and Infancy: Ms. Wynne Young, Deputy Minister,

Saskatchewan, Canada.

Intersectoral Collaboration: Good Start, Grow Smart, Mrs. Norma

Sánchez Garza, Senior Advisor in Early Childhood Education, U.S.

Department of Education, USA.

Public Policies: Mrs. Nurper Ulkuer, Senior Advisor, ECD

Unit/PDDO, UNICEF.

Dialogue

Moderator: Ms. Lenore Yaffee Garcia, Director, Department of Education and

Culture, OAS

12:30 -- 14:00

LUNCH

14:00 - 16:30

Panel: Theoretical Framework - arguments, conditions, and foundations

for the care and education of children from birth to age three:

New developments in the neurosciences and successful early

interventions in the first three years of life. Mr. Stuart G. Shanker, the

Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIAR). Canada.

Multidisciplinary foundations for a pertinent and relevant education

during the first three years of life – contributions from regional

curricula, Ms. Maria Victoria Peralta, Director International Institute of

Early Education, Chile.

Application of new findings in the neurosciences to early education, Mr.

Jairo Zuluaga, Researcher, National University of Colombia.

Human capital formation to strengthen economic growth. Ms. Emiliana

Vegas, Senior Economics Specialist, World Bank.

Dialogue

Moderator: Ms. Sofialeticia Morales, Senior Adviser Millennium Development

Goals and Education and Health Team Leader, Pan-American Health

Organization.(PAHO)

16:30 – 16:45 BREAK

16:45 – 17:30 Children at Risk: The Situation, Ms. Mary E. Young, Lead Early Child

Development Specialist in the Human Development Network. World Bank

- 89 -

Theme: Regional Experiences in developing policies that support integrated services, through country

presentations.

9:00 - 10:30

First Sub-regional Panel Presentation: Andean Countries: Intersectoral

policies, financing of integrated services, services for rural, indigenous

populations, incentives to expand coverage:

Experiences of collaboration between the public and private sectors

“Colombia por la primera infancia” (Colombia for early childhood).

Ms. Juana Inés Díaz Tafur, Vice Minister of Preschool, Basic and

Secondary Education, Ministry of Education. Colombia.

Wawa Wasi Experience, Ms. Amparo Muguruza, Nacional Director,

Wawa Wasi. Perú.

Dialogue

Moderador: Mr. Francisco Huerta Montalvo, Executive Secretary, Convenio

Andres Bello (CAB). Colombia.

10:30 – 10:45 BREAK

10:45 – 12:30

Second Sub-regional Panel Presentation: Central America and Dominican

Republic: Attention to diversity through integrated and multisectoral programs:

Policies on Professional Development: Programs for indigenous, rural

areas. Ms. Ana Isabel Cerdas, ECD National Director, Ministry of

Education. Costa Rica.

Take my Hand, experience with parents, Reina Gladis Menjivar,

Coordinator for El Salvador, Organization of Ibero-American States.

Competitive Grants for the Development of Educational Innovations,

Guadalupe Valdez, State Secretary of Education, Dominican Republic.

Dialogue

Moderator: Mr. Francisco Quiazua, Early Childhood Development Network

Coordinador, Canada.

12:30 - 14:00 LUNCH

14:00 - 15:30 Third Sub-regional Panel: Caribbean countries: Professional development

and policy coordination:

Progress on governance and financing for intersectoral coordination,

government and private sector coordination. Ms. Maureen Samms-

Vaughan, Chairman, Commission on Early Childhood Development,

Jamaica

ECD Experiences in Barbados. Mrs. Catherine Blackman, Ministry of

Education. Barbados.

The ECD Educational Policies. Zita Wrigth, ECCE Specialist, Ministry

of Education, Health and Social Development, Trinidad and Tobago.

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Dialogue

Moderador: Ms. Aimee Verdisco, Specialist in Education, Department of

Sustainable Development, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)

15:30 – 15:45 BREAK

15:45 – 17:15 Fourth Sub-regional Panel: Merco Sur: Implementation of Early Childhood

policies; mass media programs; non formal programs.

Implementation of ECD National Policies. Ms. Stella Lagos Oliveira,

Ministry of Education, Brazil.

Experiences and results of dissemination and communication

programs/campaigns. Curriculum Design 0-3 years old. Ms. Pilar

Petingi, responsible for Early Childhood Development, Ministry of

Education, and Ana Estalla of Uruguay.

Results of Action with Children from Zero to Three. Ms. Victorina

Espinola de Ruiz Diaz, Minister of the National Secretariat for

Children and Adolescents, Paraguay

Experiences in Formal and Non formal Attention to Children Ages Zero

to Three, Ms. Loreto Amunátegui, INTEGRA, Chile.

Dialogue

Moderator: Ms. Reina Gladys Menjívar, Coordinator for El Salvador,

Organization of Ibero-American States.(OEI)

17:15 -- 17:45 Presentation of the 2007 Education for All Global Monitoring Report: Strong

Foundations, Mr. Ivan Castro, Regional Education Officer UNESCO,

OREALC, Santiago, Chile

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Theme: Site Visits and Presentations on promising services and programs.

9:00 - 12:30 Site visits, programs for zero to three years. Each participant will complete an

observation form to contribute to a subsequent consolidated report, including

observations on the visits.

12:30 – 1:30 LUNCH

13:30 - 14:00

Site Visits Debriefing

- 91 -

14:00 – 15:30

Presentation of promising local, regional and national programs, including those

of private and civil society institutions:

Disenfranchised children, multicultural education, Dean Cristol, The

Ohio State University, Lima, Ohio USA.

The Reggio Emilia Approach for Children birth to Three, Rebecca

Kantor-Martin and Michele Sanderson, The Ohio State University,

Columbus, Ohio,

Educating the Child’s Character and Values: the foremost aim for Early

Childhood Education. Ms. Elvira Sanchez., AMEI, Madrid, Spain.

Dialogue

Moderator: Erika Dunkelberg, Children Youth Unit, Human Development

Network, World Bank.

15:30 – 15:45

BREAK

15:45 – 17:45

Presentation of promising local, regional and national programs, including those

of private and civil society institutions (continued…):

A View of the Children of the Peruvian Amazon, Mrs. Regina

Moromizato, Catholic University of Peru

Pre-natal Program, CENDI, Mrs. Alba Anaya Rodriguez, Academic

Director CENDIs, Monterrey, Mexico.

The Creative Curriculum System: A Proven Approach to Comprehensive

Early Childhood Education. Ms. Jessica Malkin and Vilma Williams,

Teaching Strategies, Washington, DC. USA.

The Abecedarian Project: Implications for Programs in the First Three

Years of Life, Joseph Sparling, FPG Child Development Institute,

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (USA).

Dialogue

Moderator: Gaby Fujimoto, Senior Education Specialist, Department of

Education and Culture, Organization of American States (OAS).

- 92 -

Thursday May 17, 2007

Theme: Regional Experiences in developing policies that support integrated services, through country

presentations.

9:00 – 10:30 Fifth Subregional Panel: North America: Large-Scale and National

programs.

National “Early Head Start” Program – coordination between

government and private sector, financing of services for children birth

to three. Mr. Frank Fuentes, Jr., Deputy Director, Administration for

Children and Families, Office of Head Start, Department of Health and

Human Services (HHS), USA.

The Encyclopedia of Early Childhood Development and the Electronic

Bulletin, Mr. Francisco Quiazua, Centre of Excellence for Early

Childhood Development (CEECD), Montreal, Canada.

Dialogue

Moderator: Mrs. Sian Williams, UNICEF Official, Jamaica

10:30 - 10:45 BREAK

10:45 - 11:45 Proposal for the evaluation design of the OAS project “Policies and Strategies

for a successful transition to school and socialization”. Theoretical framework,

recommendations for further work at the country level. Prioritization of actions,

selection of areas, indicators and instruments to measure the actions proposed in

the work groups.

Ms. Ofelia Reveco, Director of Research from the International Institute of

Early Education. Chile

Dialogue

Moderator: Mr. Juan Sanchez Muliterno, AMEI

11:45 – 17:00 Work groups by sub-regions: Andean, Merco Sur, Central America, North

America, and Caribbean. Each group will select a rapporteur

Coordination: Ms. Margarita Gutierrez Talamas, Prospectiva Educativa,

México.

Work Group Moderators: Ms. Erika Dunkelberg, World Bank; Ms. Sara

Victoria Alvarado, Colombia; Ana María Stalla, Uruguay; Ms. Rosa Valera,

Dominican Republic; Regina Moromizato, Perú, Ms. Sian Williams, UNICEF

Jamaica

- 93 -

Friday, May 18, 2007

Theme: Dialogue based on results of work groups with participation from the delegates of government

and civil society. The rapporteurs will present their conclusions and propose future actions within the

framework of the OAS “Policies and Strategies” project, directed at meeting national and international

(EFA, MDG) goals. Presentations will be organized by sub-regions. Representatives from the

international and non governmental organizations will respond to the working group proposals and

respond on how they could facilitate the process. Conclusions from the Symposium. Future actions

supported by the project. Project evaluation.

9:00 - 10:30

Panel: Caribbean and North America: Results of Work Group

Discussions. Representatives from the international organizations and non

governmental organizations will comment and respond to the working group

proposals as presented by the rapporteurs and how they could facilitate future

actions at the country or regional levels.

OAS, Lenore Yaffee García

UNICEF, Lola Ramocan, Jamaica

CAB, Francisco Huerta Montalvo

World Bank, Erika Dunkelberg

IDB, Juan Carlos Navarro

WAECEI, Juan Sánchez Muliterno

OMEP42/

, Selma Simonstein

PAHO, Sofialeticia Morales

OEI, Reina Gladis Menjívar

Moderator: Mrs. Maria Victoria Peralta, IIEI, Chile.

10:30 – 10:45 BREAK

10:45 – 12:30 Panel: Central America, Andean Countries and Merco Sur: Results of

Work Group Discussions (continued…)

OAS, Gaby Fujimoto

UNICEF, Lola Ramocan, Jamaica

CAB, Francisco Huerta Montalvo

World Bank, Erika Dunkelberg,

IDB, Aimee Verdisco

WAECE, Juan Sánchez Muliterno

OMEP43/

, Selma Simonstein

PAHO, Sofialeticia Morales

OEI, Reina Gladis Menjívar

Moderator: Ms. Sara Victoria Alvarado, CINDE, Colombia.

12:30 - 14:00 Presentation of the Second Symposium on Transition and Monitoring and

Evaluation of Early Childhood Policies. Mrs. Gaby Fujimoto, OAS

42. Organización Mundial de Educación Preescolar

43. Organización Mundial de Educación Preescolar

- 94 -

Conclusion of the Symposium and plans for the future

Lenore Yaffee García, DEC/OAS

Gaby Fujimoto, DEC/OAS

Sara Victoria Alvarado, Colombia

Margarita Gutiérrez Talamás, Prospectiva Educativa, México

Erika Dunkelberg, World Bank

Rosa Valera, Dominican Republic

Regina Moromizato, Perú

Sian Williams, UNICEF, Jamaica

Ana María Stalla, Uruguay

The Symposium "Understanding the state of the art in early childhood education and care: the first

three years of life" will be transmitted live through our website.

http://www.oas.org/OASpage/Live/OASlive_spa.asp

http://www.oas.org/OASpage/Live

- 95 -

ANNEX IV

INTER-AMERICAN SYMPOSIUM UNDERSTANDING THE STATE OF THE ART IN

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND CARE:

THE FIRST THREE YEARS OF LIFE

May 14-18, 2007

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

TEXTUAL

ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA

D. Earla Musgrave-Esdaille

Education Officer

Early Childhood Education

Belle Vue State, P.O Box 2731

St. John’s, Antigua

barney@candw.ag

Tel: (268) 463 4769 (home)

(268) 462 4959/ 462 4569

Cleo Hampson

Public Health Nurse

Ministry of Health

New Winthorpes Village

St. John’s, Antigua

Hampson_ccm@hotmail.com

BARBADOS

Catherine Blackman

Education Officer

Early Childhood Education

cvdownrich@hotmail.com

cblackman@mes.gov.bb

98 Heywoods Park,

St Peters, Barbados, WI

Fax: (246) 436-2411

BELIZE

Margaret R. Williams

Early Childhood Education Coordinator

5541 Leslie Street

Belize City, Belize

margembz@yahoo.com

Tel: (501) 223 1184

Fax: (501) 223 1778

Anita Zetina

Chief Executive Officer

Ministry of Human Development

Faber’s Road Extensión

Belize City, Belize

anitazetina@hotmail.com

Tel: (501) 822 2246

Fax: (501) 822 3175

- 96 -

BRASIL

Stela Maris Lagos Oliveira

Cordinadora General de Educación Infantil

Ministério de Educação e do Desporto

Brasilia, Brasil

StelaOliveira@mec.gov.br

Fax (55-61) 410-9233

CANADA

Wynne Young

Deputy Minister

Department of Learning

Saskatchewan, Canadá

2220 College Avenue

Regina, SK, S4P, 4V9, Canada

wyoung@sasked.gov.sk.ca

Tel. 306 787 2471

Fax 306 787 1300

Patricia Hauck

Manager, Alberta Children and Youth

Initiatives

Alberta Education

44 Capital Boulevard, 10044-108 Street.

Edmonton, AB, T5J 5E6, Canada

Pat.Hauck@gov.ab.ca

Tel. 780 644 2285

Fax 780 644 2284

COLOMBIA

Juana Inés Díaz Tafur

Viceministro de Educación Preescolar,

Básica y Media

Ministerio de Educación Nacional

judiaz@mineducacion.gov.co

Tel: 2222-800 ext 2002 y 3830714

Diagonal 38, # 39-14

Bogotá, Colombia

Jairo Zuluaga

Consultor

Universidad Nacional de Colombia

Bogotá, Colombia

Zuluaga_jairo@hotmail.com

Tel: 571 316 5466

Cel: 57 316 269-5105

Fax: 571 316 5308 / 571 316 5000 Extensiones

15148 o 15125

Carlos del Castillo

Gerente, Proyecto Primera Infancia

Ministerio de Educación Nacional

Diagonal 38, # 39-14

Bogotá, Colombia

ccastillo@mineducacion.gov.co

Tel: (57-1) 221-2880 ó 2222831 ext 2102

Fax: (57-1) 315-6710

Martha Suárez Jiménez

Consultora, CINDE

Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Niñez y

Junevntud Alianza

Cra. 17A # 4-56, La Francia

Manizales, Colombia

biodiversa@yahoo.com

marthasu99@hotmail.com

Tel: (57-6) 889-3161

- 97 -

Rocío Gómez

Asesora de Primera Infancia

Dirección General del

Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar

(ICBF)

Av. Cra. 68 # 64C-75

Bogotá, Colombia

alba.velasquez@icbf.gov.co

Tel: 437 7630 Ext. 1192 -1193

COSTA RICA

Ana Isabel Cerdas González

Directora Nacional de Educación Preescolar

Ministerio de Educación

San José, Costa Rica

San José, Costa Rica

anaicego@hotmail.com

acerdas@mep.go.cr

Tel. (506) 221 2802

Fax ( 506) 221 4152 Ext. 249

CHILE

Maria Estela Ortiz

Vicepresidenta Ejecutiva

Junta Nacional de Jardines Infantiles (JUNJI)

Santiago, Chile

Marchand Pereira 726

Providencia

Santiago, Chile

http://www.junji.cl

eortiz@junji.cl

Loreto Amunátegui Barros

Directora Ejecutiva de INTEGRA

Fundación Educacional para el Desarrollo

Integral del Menor

Santiago, Chile

Presidencia de la República, Alonso Ovalle 1180,

lamunategui@integra.cl

Tel: 707 5202

Fax: 707 5210

Grimaldina Epi Araya Rojas

Especialista de JUNJI

Santiago, Chile

Alameda # 5307

Santiago, Chile

http://www.junji.cl

garaya@junji.cl

Tel: (56-2) 654 -5005

Anatonia Cepeda Antoine

Especialista de JUNJI

Santiago, Chile

Diego Rojas # 753

acepeda@junji.cl

Tel: (56-2) 654-5005

Natalia Angélica Duarte Araya

Especialista de JUNJI

Santiago, Chile

Guillermo Blest-Gana # 1903

nduarte@junji.cl

Tel: (56-2) 654-5005

Belia Jazmín Toro Campos

Especialista de JUNJI

Santiago, Chile

Los Tulipanes # 2158

btoro@junji.cl

Tel: (56-2) 555-3346

- 98 -

ECUADOR

Martha Rivadeneira Naranjo

Directora de Educación Inicial

Ministerio de Educación

Quito, Ecuador

Av. Republica E7-143 y Diego de Almagro Edif.

Presidente – 7mo. Piso

Quito, Ecuador

dneinicial@ecutel.net

Telefax: (593-2) 223 0821 ó 222 3207

Patricia Ashton

Directora de Cooperación Nacional e

Internacional

Ministerio de Educación

Quito, Ecuador

Buenos Aires 136 y 10 de Agosto, Edif. Merino

BHU, 5to. Piso, Quito

Tel: (593-2) 223 5225 / 255 1146

Fax (593-2) 250 3537

sucashton@hotmail.com

ESTADOS UNIDOS

Frank Fuentes Jr.

Deputy Director

Office of Head Start

US Department of Health and Human

Services

8205 Hedge Apple Way

Gaithersburg, MD, 20879

Frank.fuentes@acf.hhs.gov

Tel: (202)205 8347

Norma Garza

Senior Advisor for Early Childhood

Education

US Department of Education

400 Maryland Ave, SW

Washington DC 20202

norma.garza@ed.gov

Tel: 202-205-1656

Fax: 202-205-0303

David Silverman

Foreign Affairs Officer

U.S. Department of State

Washington, D.C.

SilvermanDA@state.gov

Melissa Kopolow

Alternate Representative

U.S. Permanent Mission to the OAS

U.S. Department of State

Washington, D.C.

KopolowMJ@state.gov

202-647-9915

Rebecca Kantor

Director of the School of Teaching and

Learning

The Ohio State University at Lima

333 Arps Hall, 1945 N. High Street

Columbus, OH, 43210

Kantor-martin.1@osu.edu

Tel: (614) 292 1257

Fax: (614) 292 7695

Barbara Seidl

Associate Professor

The Ohio State University

333 Arps Hall, 1945 N. High Street

Columbus, OH, 43210

Seidl.5@osu.edu

Tel: ( 614) 397 7703

- 99 -

Dean Cristol

Academic Coordinator of Educational

Programs

The Ohio State University at Lima

4240 Campus drive

Lima Ohio, 45804

Cristol.2@osu.edu

Tel: (419) 995 8274

Fax: (419) 995 8094

Jessica Malkin

Government & International Program

Coordinator

Teaching Strategies

Washington, D.C.

5151 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Suite 300,

Washington DC, 20016

jessicam@teachingstrategies.com

Tel (202)362 7543

Fax (202) 364 7273

Vilma M. Williams

Director of Training Services

Council for Professional Recognition

Teaching Strategies

vilmaw@cdacouncil.org

Tel. (202) 265 9090

Joseph Sparling, PhD

FRG Child Development Institute

University of North Carolina

Abecedarian Project Developer

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

sparling@unc.edu

(919) 929-1017

Adrian Cerezo

Interno, Yale University

UNICEF

Adrian.cerezo@yale.edu

Jean Simpson

Head Start Bureau, Education Program

Specialist & OMEP Regional representative

Jean.simpson@acf.hhs.gov

Ruth Uhlmann

Early Childhood Specialist

3902 Jocelyn St. NW

Washington, DC 20015

Ruhlmann90@verizon.net

Tel: (202) 363 3177

Helen Jeannie Hetzler

GTA

Ohio State University

158 Ramceyer Hall

Columbus, OH 43216

hetzler.5@osu.edu

Pilar Fort

Zero to Three

2000 M Street, NW suite 200

Washington, DC 20036

pfort@zerotothree.org

Rafael Nevarez

US Department of Education

Tel: (202) 205 0704

Rafael.nevarez@ed.gov

- 100 -

GRENADA

Ivy Harris

Early Childhood Education Supervisor

Ministry of Education

St. George’s, Grenada, WI

ivybh@hotmail.com

Tel: (473) 440 2737 ext. 7200

Tel: (473) 440 4468

JAMAICA

Maureen Samms-Vaughan

Chairman, Early Childhood Commission

Shops 45-46 Kingston Mall 8-10 Ocean

Boulevard, Kingston, Jamaica, WI

msamms@cwjamaica.com

Tel: (876) 922 9296-7 or 948 9405

Fax: (976) 922 9295

MÉXICO

Margarita L. Gutiérrez Talamás

Directora General de l a Sociedad para el

Desarrollo Educativo: Prospectiva

P.O. Box 33 Sucursal E

Saltillo, Coahuila

CP 25250, México

margaritagutierreztalamas@hotmail.com

prospectivamx@hotmail.com

Telefax: [52] (844 416 8070

Fax: (52 55) 5521 5732

Alba Anaya

Centros de Desarrollo Infantil Tierra y

Libertad

Rubén Jaramillo y Ave. San Martín

Colonia Tierra y Libertad

Monterrey, Nuevo León, México. DF

cendidg@prodigy.org

Telefax: (52 81) 83 73 10 23

Bernardo Aguilar

Director de Calidad, Centros de Desarrollo

Infantil Tierra y Libertad

Monterrey, México

Rubén Jaramillo y Ave. San Martín

Colonia Tierra y Libertad

Monterrey, Nuevo León, México

Bernard99@email.com

cendidg@hotmail.com

Tel: (52 8) 373 0602

Fax: (52 8) 373 1023

NICARAGUA

María Dolores Estrada

Save the Children

Managua, Nicaragua

maria.estrada@savechildrennoruega.org.ni

- 101 -

PARAGUAY

Victorina Espínola de Ruíz Díaz

Ministra Secretaria Ejecutiva

Secretaría Nacional de la Niñez y la

Adolescencia

Asunción, Paraguay

Brasil Nº 3369 – Asunción

victorinasnna@yahoo.com

Graciela Rojas

Directora, Dirección de Educación Inicial

Dirección General de Educación Inicial y

Escolar Básica

Ministerio de Educación y Cultura

Asunción, Paraguay

Humaitá 357 entre Chile y Alberdi 1er. Piso

Asunción, Paraguay

vicedu@mec.gov.py

PERU

Amparo Muguruza

Directora Ejecutiva

Programa Nacional Wawa Wasi

Ministerio de la Mujer y Desarrollo Social

Av. San Martín 685

Pueblo Libre

Lima, Perú

amuguruza@wawawasi.mimdes.gob.pe

Tel: 462 3599

Fax: 261 2400 Anexo 230

REPÚBLICA DOMINICANA

Carmen Sánchez

Directora General de Educación Inicial

Secretaría de Estado de Educación

Santo Domingo, República Dominicana

Calle Peña Batle

Sector Villa Juana

Santo Domingo, República Dominicana

csanchezramos@verizon.net.do

cel. 1-809-350-6966

Guadalupe Valdez San Pedro

Coordinadora Fondos Concursables para el

Desarrollo de Innovaciones Educativas

Secretaría de Estado de Educación

Santo Domingo, República Dominicana

Máximo Gómez No. 19, esquina Bolívar

Santo Domingo

fondosconcursablessee@gmail.com

guvaldez@see.gov.do

Tel: (809)682 7113

Clara Baez

Coordinadora del Proyecto de educación

Inicial OCI

Secretaría de Estado de Educación

Santo Domingo, República Dominicana

Máximo Gómez No. 2, esquina Bolívar

Santo Domingo

clarablp@yahhoo.com

- 102 -

Rosa Ariza Valera

Directora General

Instituto Nacional de Educación Inicial

Manzana F No. 18-B Residencial el Cachón

Km, Ocho y medio, carretera Mella

rosaarisadevalera@yahoo.com

rosa_valera_ariza@hotmail.com

Tel: 483 0215, 483 1068

Fax: 483 1068

SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS

Warner-Otto Rosalind

Resource Teacher

Early Childhood Unit

Ministry of Education

Lower Bourkes Project

roseather@hotmail.com

Tel: (869) 465-2369 / 465 3931

Cel: (869) 663 1859

TRINIDAD Y TOBAGO

Zita Wright

ECCE Specialist

Ministry of Education

zitawright@walla.com

ecce@tstt.net.tt

Marilyn Procope-Beckles

Project Manager

School Health Programme

Ministry of Health

marybec@myself.com

Shareeda Narsiah

Ag. Senior Planning Officer

Ministry of Social Development

69 Independence Square

Port of Spain

narsiahs@msd.gov.tt

Tel: (868) 625 9227

Fax: (868) 627 9879

URUGUAY

Pilar Petingi

Encargada del área de Primera Infancia

Dirección de Educación

Ministerio de Educación y Cultura

Luis A. de Herrera # 2868

Montevideo, Uruguay

ppetingi@gmail.com

petingi@mec.gub.uy

Tel: (598-2) 917 0748

Telefax: (598-2) 915 6004

Ana María Stalla

Inspectora de Educación Inicial

Consejo Nacional de Administración de la

Educación

Alberto Zum # 1608

Montevideo, Uruguay

ana_stalla@hotmail.com

Tel: (598-2) 619-8118

- 103 -

ORGANISMOS E INSTITUCIONES INTERNACIONALES

BANCO MUNDIAL

Mary Eming Young

Children Youth Unit

Human Development Network

1776 G Street, NW

Washington DC, 20433, USA

Myoung3@worldbank.org

Erika Dunkelberg

Consultant, Children Youth Unit, Human

Development Network 1776 G Street, NW,

Washington DC, 20433, USA

edunkelberg@worldbank.org

Tel: (202) 473 6733

Fax: (202) 522- 7112

Emiliana Vegas

Senior Education Economist

Latin America and the Caribbean Region

Human Development Department

The World Bank

1818 H Street, NW, MSN 17-700

Washington DC, 20433, USA

evegas@worldbank.org

Tel. (202) 458 9836

Fax (202) 522 0050

BERNARD VAN LEER FOUNDATION

Luiz Bazilio

Consultor CECIP

Centro de Creación de Imagen Popular

Río de Janeiro, Brasil

Largo de Sao Francisco de Paula

34/4to. Andar 20051-070

Río de Janeiro.

bazilio@uninet.com.br

(5521) 2509 3812 y 8124 3219

Regina Moromizato

Docente Investigadora

y Coordinadora de Programa de Niños de la

Amazonía

Universidad Católica

Avenida Universitaria 1801

San Miguel, Lima, Perú.

rmorom@pucp.edu.pe

Rosa Mendoza

Escuela para el Desarrollo

Lima, Perú

Miguel Soto Valle 247

Magdalena, Lima, Perú

ruth@escuela.org.pe

Tel: 2645836-2644858

UNICEF

Nurper Ulkuer, Ph.D

Senior Advisor

ECD Unit/PDDO

UNICEF New York

UNICEF House

3 UN Plaza, Room 1088.

New York, NY, 10017

nulkuer@unicef.org

Tel: (212) 303 7955

Fax: (212) 824 6470

- 104 -

Claudine Hammen de Eersteling

Project Officer of Health and Nutrition

UNICEF Suriname

Heerenstraat 17

Paramaribo, Suriname

cphammen@yahoo.com

chammen@unicef.org

Tel: 597-425-148

Fax: 597-424-488

Sian Williams

Early Childhood Specialist

UNICEF

8th Floor Pan Caribbean Building

60 KNutsford Boulevard

Kingston 5, Jamaica

sgwilliams@unicef.org

Tel:+1(876)926-7584

Fax: +1(876) 929-8084

Judith Alpuche

Early Childhood Development and Education

Officer

UNICEF

5 Lily St.

Belmopan, Belize

jalpuche@unicef.org

Tel: (501) 223 3609

Fax: (501) 223 3891

Lola Ramocan

Early CHildhood Development Officer

UNICEF

Jamaica

lramocan@unicef.org

60 Knustford Boulevard, 8th Floor,

Kingston 5, Jamaica

Telephone: 926-7584

BANCO INTERAMERICANO DE DESARROLLO (BID)

Juan Carlos Navarro

Jefe de Educación

Departamento de Desarrollo Sostenible

Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo

1300 New York Ave., NW

Washington DC 20577, USA

juancn@iadb.org

Aimee Verdisco

Especialista en Educación

Departamento de Desarrollo Sostenible

Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo

1300 New York Ave., NW

Washington DC 20577, USA

aimeev@iadb.org

Tel: (202) 623 1752

UNESCO

Iván Castro

Oficial UNESCO/OREALC

Santiago, Chile

rblanco@unesco.cl

Fax: 56 2 655 1046

- 105 -

ORGANIZACION DE ESTADOS IBEROAMERICANOS (OEI)

Reina Gladis Menjívar

Coordinadora de El Salvador

Organización de Estados Iberoamericanos para

la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura (OEI)

San Salvador, El Salvador

reinagladis@oei.org.sv

CONVENIO ANDRES BELLO (CAB)

Francisco Huerta Montalvo

Secretario Ejecutivo

Convenio Andrés Bello (CAB)

cmescobar@cab.int.co

fhuerta@cab.int.co

Ave 13 No. 85-60

Bogotá, COlombia

Claudia Escobar (contacto) Bogotá Colombia

Tel: (57 1) 530 1638

Fax: (571) 610 0139

Olga Turbay

Asesora

Convenio Andrés Bello (CAB)

Bogotá, Colombia

Bogotá Colombia

Olturbay@cab.int.co

Tel: (571) 644 9292 ext 187

Cel: 313 348 3042

CENTRO DE INVESTIGACIÓN Y DESARROLLO (CINDE)

Sara Victoria Alvarado

Directora del Doctorado de Manizales

CINDE

Carrera 23C No. 64-23, Manizales, Colombia

doctoradocinde@um.umanizales.edu.co

ospialva@epm.net.co

Telefax: (57 6)885 9589 ó 881 2527

FPG CHILD DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE

Joseph Sparling

The Abecedarian Project

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

sparling@unc.edu

Tel: (919) 929 1017

ASOCIACION MUNDIAL DE EDUCADORES INFANTILES (AMEI)

Juan Sánchez Muliterno

Presidente

Asociación Mundial de Educadores Infantiles

AMEI

Averroes, 3 Madrid

jsm@waece.org

Tel: (34 91) 501 8754

Fax: (34 91) 501 8756

Elvira Sánchez Igual

Directora de Comunicaciones

AMEI

Averíes, 3-28007 Madrid

comunicacion@waece.org

Tel: (34-91) 501-8754

- 106 -

CANADIAN INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED RESEARCH (CIAR)

Stuart Shanker

President

Council for Early Child Development

Toronto, Canada

401 Richmond St. West, Suite 277

Toronto, ON, M5V3A8

sshanker@councilecd.ca

sshanker@founders.net

Tel: (416) 894-1332

Fax: (416) 593 9093 / 971-6169

CENTER OF EXCELENCE FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT (CEECD)

Francisco Quiazúa

Coordinador

Centro de Excelencia para el Desarrollo de la

Primera Infancia

Montréal, Québec

3050, boul. Edouard Montpetit B-203, Montreal,

Québec, H3C 3J7

Francisco.quiazua@umontreal.ca

Tel: (514) 343 6111 Poste 2504

Fax: (514) 343 6962

INSTITUTO INTERNACIONAL DE EDUCACION INFANTIL (IIDEI)

María Victoria Peralta

Directora del Instituto Internacional de

Educación Infantil

Universidad Central de Chile

Santa Isabel 1278

oficina 403 Parque Almagro

Santiago

mvperaltac@ucentral.cl

iidei@ucentral.cl

(IIDEI) Ucentral

Tel: (562) 582 67 29 – 38

Fax: (56 2) 582 6734

Ofelia Reveco

Consultora

Coordinadora de Investigaciones del Instituto

Internacional de Educación Infantil

Universidad Central de Chile

Santa Isabel 1278 Parque Almagro

Santiago, Chile

orevecov@ucentral.cl ofeliareveco@hotmail.com

Tel: (56 2) 582 67 28 – 38

Fax: )56 2) 582 6734

OMEP

Selma Simonstein

Presidenta Mundial OMEP. Universidad

Central de Chile

Santa Isabel 1278 Parque Almagro, Santiago, Chile

ssimonstein@ucentral.cl

Tel: (56 2) 582 6732

Fax: (56 2) 582 6734

Wilhelmina Burress

Specialist

OMEP

P.O. Box 1696

Bowie, MD 20717

Wdb11@juno.com

Tel: (301) 249 6461

- 107 -

CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY (CARICOM) SECRETARIAT

Patricia A. McPherson

Senior Project Officer – Education

CARICOM Secretariat

Turkeyen, Georgetown

Guyana

pmcpherson@caricom.org

Tel: (592) 222-0001 ext 2702

ORGANIZACIÓN PANAMERICANA DE LA SALUD (OPS)

Sofíaleticia Morales

Asesora Regional

Metas del Milenio

525, 23rd Street, N.W.

Washington, DC

Tel: (202) 974 3106

moraless@paho.org

108

ANNEX V

INTER-AMERICAN SYMPOSIUM

UNDERSTANDING THE STATE OF THE ART IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

AND CARE: THE FIRST THREE YEARS OF LIFE

Part of the Project “Policies and Strategies for a successful transition to socialization and school”

May 14 – 18, 2007 Organization of American States

1889 F Street NW., Rubén Dario Meeting Room, 8th floor

Washington DC, U.S.A

The following questionnaire was distributed on May 18, 2007, with the objective to obtain

opinions and recommendations from participants of the Symposium. Respondents include one

delegate from CARICIOM and 26 delegates from 14 countries, out of 23 countries that attended the

Symposium: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic,

Grenada, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, United Sate, and Uruguay.

There were 4 anonymous questionnaires from 4 countries.

1. Did the symposium reach your expectations? Please explain why?

100 % of the responses indicated that the symposium met participant expectations.

Participants gained a global vision of early childhood education, an understanding

of other countries’ policy, programs, and strategy for 0-3 years at a local, regional,

and international level.

At the same time, individuals were able to reflect on their own individual countries’

position. High quality presenters were available.

The symposium provided an atmosphere for networking and a lot of information in

regard to the promotion of an integrated early childhood approach.

One participant noted their appreciation of site visits offered.

The symposium provided energy and motivation to continue fighting for the right of

education for children ages 0 to 3 years to become a reality.

There was a request for more Caribbean involvement in the symposium

2. Do you think what you heard/analyzed will influence your future work/ projects? If so,

in what way? Please explain

100 % of responses indicated information heard/analyzed in the symposium will

influence future work/projects/programs.

ANALYSIS OF THE RESULTS OF

EVALUATION OF THE SYMPOSIUM

- 109 -

50 % of responses indicated that information gained will influence the development

of guidelines, policies, standards, programs, plans of action, and research

incorporating themes of parenting, curriculum, advocacy, women, families, infancy,

national early literacy development and Centers of Excellence.

20% of participants gained a focus on collaboration with other agencies and

government entities.

One participant gained a focus on the relationship between health and early childhood

education.

Another participant mentioned that they will urge policy makers to pay more

attention to children ages 0-3 years when the initial focus was on children of 5 years.

Research and data collection need to be strengthened in the area of early childhood

education and infancy.

A couple participants commented that a focal point gained at the symposium was

creating a successful transition.

3. Which of the topics presented you will say is most relevant to your work? Why?

90% of responses indicated that material presented was very relevant to participants’

work.

25% of responses indicated that presentations with themes of policy regarding education

of children 0-3 years, infancy, transition, strategies of development and evaluation, and

programming including non-formal were very significant to their work.

Nearly 20% of participants made reference to the significance of neuroscience

development. Three participants commented on the importance of theoretical

framework in regard to care and education of children 0-3 years. The sharing of

individual country experiences, prenatal care and nutrition in respect to early childhood

development and education were also commented on. One participant referred to the

importance of the organized transition of early childhood education.

Additional themes relevant to participant work included research, “intersectoriality;”

centers of excellence namely the Wawa Wasi project; assessment, evaluation, and

teacher training.

4. Which topics/themes do you consider most relevant/valuable?

Please rate them as follows: 1 extremely valuable, 2-important, 3-contributes to the

experience but is not vital, 4 not relevant/valuable. If you wish to make additional

comments about the content, please include them in the space provided below each

question

Panel: Development of Integrated Policies for Children during the First Three Years

of Life.

Extremely valuable 21

Important 3

Informative but not vital 1

Comments: Presentation by Nurper Ulker was very valuable

Panel: Theoretical Framework - arguments, conditions, and foundations for the care

and education of children from birth to age three:

Extremely valuable 20

Important 4

Informative but not vital 2

One respondent stated, “We know this already, many participants do too”

- 110 -

Children at Risk: the Situation

Extremely valuable 15

Important 7

Informative but not vital 3

Helped guide policy

First Sub-regional Panel Presentation: Andean Countries: Intersectoral policies,

financing of integrated services, services for rural, indigenous populations, incentives

to expand coverage:

Extremely valuable 9

Important 11

Informative but not vital 5

Provided global perspective

Second Sub-regional Panel Presentation: Central America and Dominican Republic:

Attention to diversity through integrated and multisectoral programs:

Extremely valuable 9

Important 13

Informative but not vital 1

Not relevant or valuable 1

Third Sub-regional Panel: Caribbean countries: Professional development and policy

coordination:

Extremely valuable 15

Important 7

Informative but not vital 3

Fourth Sub-regional Panel: Merco Sur: Implementation of Early Childhood policies;

mass media programs; non formal programs.

Extremely valuable 7

Important 15

Informative but not vital 2

Presentation of the 2007 Education for All Global Monitoring Report: Strong

Foundations, Mr. Ivan Castro, Regional Education Officer UNESCO, OREALC,

Santiago, Chile

Extremely valuable 18

Important 5

Informative but not vital 1

Theme: Site Visits and Presentations on promising services and programs.

Extremely valuable 13

Important 5

Informative but not vital 2

-A north American environment does not truly represent the environment of many.

-The quality of a center depends more on the quality of the link then the infrastructure.

Presentation of promising local, regional and national programs, including those of

private and civil society institutions:

Extremely valuable 9

Important 12

- 111 -

Informative but not vital 1

Not relevant, or valuable 1

Fifth Subregional Panel: North America: Large-Scale and National programs.

Extremely valuable 7

Important 11

Informative but not vital 5

Proposal for the evaluation design of the OAS project “Policies and Strategies for a

successful transition to school and socialization”. Theoretical framework,

recommendations for further work at the country level. Prioritization of actions,

selection of areas, indicators and instruments to measure the actions proposed in the

work groups.

Extremely valuable 14

Important 6

Informative but not vital 3

Work groups by sub-regions: Andean, Merco Sur, Central America, North America,

and Caribbean.

Extremely valuable 17

Important 3

Informative but not vital 1

Helped to enrich country action plan

Theme: Dialogue based on results of work groups with participation from the

delegates of government and civil society.

Extremely valuable 15

Important 4

Informative but not vital 1

Conclusions from the Symposium. Future actions supported by the project. Project

evaluation.

Extremely valuable 15

Important 4

Informative but not vital 1

Opportunity for exchange of experiences amongst colleagues from other countries in

the region

Extremely valuable 17

Important 5

Informative but not vital 2

All of the above, as it is an integral process where the value is a result from the sum of

the parts

Extremely valuable 12

Important 3

Informative but not vital 1

Very little addressed 0-3 years other than in context of getting them ‘ready’ for

kindergarten/school

- 112 -

Any other aspects of the symposium (in terms of content) that is not included in the

above list and you consider important. Please indicate which one(s)

5. Will you say the symposioum was valuable? If so, please explain why?

95% of responses indicated the symposium was valuable.

Participants gained a better understanding of strengths and areas of improvement in

Early Childhood Care and Education. The symposium provided structure to focus

on children 0-3 years learning about experiences from neighboring countries and

build a valuable knowledge base.

A vision for the future of early childhood education including valuable networks

was created.

The language difference was a challenge when trying to focus on a presenter during

their presentation.

The symposium provided an arena for participants to reflect, analyze, and

evaluatethe individual realities of their countries. The symposium provided the

possibility to reaffirm concepts, relearn theory and practice.

6. Do you have suggestions to further improve/ enhance events such as this one which

encourages dialogue and exchange of experiences amongst countries in the region?

Please include them in the space below.

The introduction should include the number of countries in attendance, a brief

introduction of each country including representatives in attendance. Please include

presentation of speaker in package on the day of the presentation in the language of the

participant so one can follow the presentation. There should be a forum for countries to

express their reality for 10 to 15 minutes. During the panel presentations, the presenters

need a time frame for the presentation and questions and answers (1-2 minutes). Please

provide more time for discussions by means of work tables by region or similar

countries.

Four participants requested a translation of presentations in English and Spanish. The

oral translation was great.

The availability of materials translated in multiple languages will improve equality and

remove the feeling of being left out or marginalized. Please consider the languages of

Dutch, Portuguese, and French within the region.

A sub regional conference or meeting should be created due to a difference in

languages.

Please consider in country visits to particular regions or work exchange programs for

a number of weeks.

Offer more symposiums such as this one including an evaluation program of each

country/region and the exchange of material.

Obtain feedback from the participants in the audience and post on the website.

7. Do you know other topics/themes and/or programs that should be the focus of

symposiums such as this one? If so, could you please indicate which ones

Strategy to assist with inter-sectoral /inter ministerial collaboration for child services

ages 0-3 years; parental and community involvement. Dialog with decision makers and

social movements.Policy for the formation of teachers/educators of infancy. Transitions,

governability.

Budgeting, data, systems, research, programming. Compensating professionals in early

childhood development.

- 113 -

Children’s rights; Violence and the social response; and Feminization of early childhood

development.

Characteristics of the child 0-3 years from the social cultural perspective; Development

of 0-3 years impact on later education, first infancy, early literacy, Numeracy

development.

8. General comments

● What do you think is the appropriate numbers of delegates and countries that should

attend this kind of activities?

The majority of respondents suggested that 2 or 3 representatives from each country and

from different sectors would be optimal.

● Do you think the selection of participants should be based: (a) on a scholarship-basis (b)

appointed by the Directors of ECD (c) a mixed process

The majority of responses favored a mixed process for the selection of participants.

● Do you think the themes/content of the Symposium was appropriate? Would you add

something else? 65% suggested adding panels about family, research, parent teacher associations, social

services and analysis of strategies for decision making.

● Do you think the regional presentations and the materials (interpretation/ materials

distributed) appropriate for the meeting?

45% of respondents concerned that only Spanish offered at times. Other responses included

the need to display materials used. Too many presentations, and time provided for dialogue

not sufficient when taking into account language differences

● Was the group work and general discussion productive (for your own professional

development and your work at the country level?

85% of participants found the group work, discussion, and reflection very productive.

Additional comments included a request for more time. The group work provided direction

in scientific content and policy. There was a request for focal point person to attend from

education departments. Please provide alternatives to coffee in terms of refreshments

offered at symposium.

● Was the duration and the timing assigned for the panels sufficient/appropriate?. More days for symposium, less presentations, and more time for dialogue. More interactive

workshops.

9. Logistics

Please rate the logistics/coordination on a scale from 1 to 4 where 1- excellent, 2- good,

3-regular, 4-very poor

● Participants selection process Excellent 14

Good 5

Regular 2

Very poor

● Process to obtain general information and tickets

Excellent 10

Good 5

Regular 5

Very poor 1

- 114 -

● Logistics during the event

Excellent 11

Good 4

Regular 7

Very poor 2

Comments and recommendations you may want to share.

There was an initial lack of integration between Latin American and the Caribbean,

which improved greatly throughout the symposium.

There needs to be more gatherings such as this if we are truly interested in the LAC

becoming a region.

2 participants noticed an exclusion of delegates from Caribbean. 4 participants

requested more consideration for English speakers.

No organized secretariat was present at symposium. Course forms should be separate

from regular form. Need to improve organization of symposium regarding seating

arrangements.

Please include “recreation time-1/2 day to see culture of territory.” Please provide

refreshments such as tea or juice for non-coffee drinkers.

Thank you and congratulations on the efforts, strength, and professionalism of the

organizations involved in the symposium.

● Other comments or suggestions regarding the logistic:

2 participants remarked that Caribbean issues were marginalized. A request was made for

more involvement from Caribbean in the symposium. One participant was unsure if the

symposium was the correct forum for “Commercial Program/Curriculum” to present

Pedagogical/Policy Processes.

An introduction of participants would have been helpful. Please provide power point

beforehand in order for participants to take notes during the presentation. Present

information in English and Spanish simultaneously, it is difficult to listen to the translation

and write at the same time.

Thank you for the marvelous conceptual organization and logistics of the event and best

wishes to Gaby Fujimoto and organizers at OAS. The symposium was a great forum to share

best practices, challenges, and create fellowship among the Caribbean and Latin America.

Any other comments or suggestions you wish to add about the logistics of this type of

events.

The transportation from the hotel tot eh meeting was very much appreciated. The distance

between the hotel and the event was unsatisfactory. Please provide better seating

arrangements for plenary meetings. The power point presentations in Spanish should be

translated so that English speakers do no feel marginalized.

OAS, Washington, June 11th, 2007

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