The Third International Conference: Early Childhood Education and Care September 26-27, 2024

The Third International Conference on Early Childhood Education and Care in Georgia

The Ministry of Education, Science and Youth of Georgia, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, JICA and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in partnership with Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University will hold the third International Conference in Georgia on Early Childhood Education and Care – Inclusive Systems, Services and Practices for Every Child.

Conference Objectives

1. Facilitate academic discussion and knowledge sharing on quality, access, and inclusion in early childhood education and care.
2. Support the development of pre-service and in-service professional development.
3. Raise awareness among the wider public and policymakers about the importance of inclusive early childhood education.

The two-day conference will bring together professors, researchers, students, representatives of the Georgian government, members of parliament, representatives of federal and local government, members of the diplomatic corps in Georgia, representatives of UN agencies and international organizations, early childhood education specialists, and practitioners.

The working languages of the conference are Georgian and English. Georgian-English and English-Georgian simultaneous translation will be provided at the conference.

The Conference will take place on 26-27 September at Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University.

Submission of Abstracts, Presentations, and Articles

We invite participants to submit theoretical, empirical, or practice-based abstracts for early childhood education and care related topics for paper presentations for the following thematic strands:

1. Access: Equitable access to ECEC for all young children from 0-6 years of age with a concerted focus on the most marginalized and vulnerable groups:
   1. Policy and Governance
   2. Service Delivery
   3. M&E
2. Curriculum: Curriculum development, revision, implementation, and assessment to support inclusion in ECEC.
   1. Curriculum Development/Revision
   2. Curriculum Implementation
   3. Assessment
3. Professional Development: Pre-service and in-service training of ECEC professionals to prioritize reflective practices responsive to diversity in all its forms.
   1. Pre-service Training
   2. In-service Training
   3. Bilingual Education
4. Cross-sectoral Cooperation: Implementing cross-sectoral approaches and fostering coordination to provide integrated services for young children, parents, and caregivers across education, health, and social support systems.
   1. Establishing cross-sectoral and inclusive early childhood policies and coordination mechanisms
   2. Developing integrated services centered around the holistic needs of the child and family
   3. Encouraging collaboration and partnerships among educators, parents, caregivers, and community stakeholders
   4. Offering parenting support programs and promoting active Parent and Community Involvement

Abstracts

The deadline for submission of conference abstracts is May 31, 2024, 18:00 Georgian time.

Conference abstracts should address the conference thematic strands and shall include the following:

• Title of the abstract
• Keywords
• Abstract (main text)

Each author can submit a maximum of 2 abstracts.

Abstracts that will be accepted for submission to the conference will no longer be subject to change after the deadline for submission of abstracts.

The Scientific Committee of the Conference will review and select the abstracts to be presented at the conference and will contact their authors no later than June 30, 2024, 18:00 (Georgian time).

Please register here to send your abstracts.

Presentations

Authors of selected abstracts should prepare presentations in PowerPoint or other presentation program. Detailed instructions for submitting presentations will be provided to the authors of the selected abstracts.

The deadline for presenting the conference presentations is September 5, 2024, 18:00 (Georgian time). Conference presentations should be sent to the Conference Organizing Committee at the following e-mail: ecec@bsu.edu.ge. The title of the e-mail must indicate: “Presentation – Early Education and Care Conference”.

Articles (optional)

The deadline for submission of full papers for the conference is October 31, 2024, 18:00 (Georgian time). Final conference articles can be sent to the Conference Organizing Committee at the following email: ecec@bsu.edu.ge. The title of the e-mail must indicate: “Article – Early Childhood Education and Care Conference”.

Articles submitted to the conference will be published as conference proceedings.

Financial Support

Financial support is available for financing the costs of accommodation of selected authors of abstracts. Please note that only one author per abstract can receive the financial support.

Important Dates

May 31 – The deadline for submission of conference abstracts is May 31, 2024, 18:00 (Georgia time).

September 5 – The deadline for submission of the full presentation of abstracts selected for the conference is September 5, 2024, 18:00 (Georgia time).

October 31 – The deadline for submission of articles of abstracts selected for the conference is October 31, 2024, 18:00 (Georgia time).

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 4: Quality Education
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

The article discusses the importance of inclusive early childhood education and care, which aligns with SDG 4, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. It also addresses the issue of reducing inequalities by focusing on marginalized and vulnerable groups such as children with disabilities, children living in rural areas, ethnic minority children, and those facing economic hardship. Additionally, the article mentions partnerships between various stakeholders, including government agencies, UN agencies, international organizations, and early childhood education specialists.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 4.2: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care, and pre-primary education.
• Target 4.5: By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, and children in vulnerable situations.
• Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
• Target 17.16: Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology, and financial resources.

Based on the article’s content, the targets identified are related to ensuring access to quality early childhood development and education for all children, eliminating gender disparities in education, promoting inclusion of vulnerable groups, and fostering partnerships for sustainable development.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator 4.2.1: Proportion of children under 5 years of age who are developmentally on track in health, learning, and psychosocial well-being, by sex.
• Indicator 4.5.1: Parity indices (female/male, rural/urban, bottom/top wealth quintile, and others such as disability status, indigenous peoples and conflict-affected, as data become available) for all education indicators on this list that can be disaggregated.
• Indicator 10.2.1: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income, by age, sex, and persons with disabilities.
• Indicator 17.16.1: Number of countries reporting progress in multi-stakeholder development effectiveness monitoring frameworks that support the achievement of the sustainable development goals.

The article does not explicitly mention indicators, but the identified targets can be measured using these indicators. These indicators help track the proportion of children who are developmentally on track, measure gender disparities in education, assess income inequality among vulnerable groups, and monitor progress in multi-stakeholder partnerships.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Fuente: unicef.org

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