International Organizations: Educational and Social Policies, Challenges and Achievements

Abstract

This paper describes briefly the programs of the following International Organizations: UNESCO, UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, WORLD BANK, UNITED NATIONS POPULATION FUND, and UNICEF, concerning early childhood care and education, especially for children whose development is at risk due to poverty, poor health, disabilities or emergency situations. In 1990, the above multilateral Institutions organized the world Conference on “Education for All” and remain the key international stakeholders in this campaign, which involves child’s protection as a significant concern in early childhood and beyond. There is also a concise report in the INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR ECONOMIC COOPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT (OECD) programs in children’s education from Early Childhood to primary school which is considered a big step for all children. These International Organizations were selected among the others, due to their unique mission to provide a setting where governments can compare policy experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practice and coordinate domestic and international policies in this domain. This note is an effort to examine trends in equity access to good quality programs according to social needs of young children and their families, outlines goals, effectiveness, challenges and achievements of these policies and attempts to throw a glance to a review of early childhood across different countries, with a focus on children’s development. Moreover, the work includes a brief analysis on children’s education and care of marginalized groups in order to achieve equal opportunities in social inclusion and attempts to contribute to the reduction of the rates of children which stay out of school. The “child” is being socially developed through appropriate schematic perceptions and values linked to social environments. In this respect, this study affirms that expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education from international perspective, wider social problems could be deflected.