Early Childhood Development (ECD)

The theme of this year’s CIES conference “Reimagining Education” gives ECD-SIG members a golden opportunity to think imaginatively, creatively, and critically about ECD. There are several tensions or issues in the field that could be addressed as well as areas where we can re-imagine ECD. Discussion might include and focus on the following:
- how ECD policies are taken up in specific contexts and transformed effectively to local
   circumstances; 
- the prevailing theoretical perspectives in ECD;
- the contribution of anthropological and other disciplinary perspectives in ECD;
- the role of visual and other arts in ECD programs.

As in previous years, and in addition to presentations from scholars involved in recent research on ECD-related topics, the papers will be grouped in several panels. The panel themes may include development interventions (policy, programs, evaluation) at the macro, mid and micro levels: the macro level stemming from the shared world of international development partners, local and international NGOs and government agencies; the mid level exploring similar issues within particular nations or communities, and the micro level looking at what is happening on the ground, in ECD centers and classrooms. Further to this we might give some collective thought to how the micro, mid and macro levels can better inform each other in the interest of reimagining policies and programs that have the highest impact and benefit for young children.

CIES 2010 http://cies2010.msu.edu/