GLOBAL CHILDREN’S INITIATIVE

 One insight I gained from exploring the Harvard University website was how the “Center on the Developing Child” has launched the “Global Children’s Initiative” as the centerpiece of its global child health and development agenda. Drawing on lessons from work done in the United States, the “Global Children’s Initiative” is implementing research globally. The organization is going to focus on three objectives to assist children in the early years of life; early child development, child mental health, and children in crisis and conflict situations. This project will be guided by a designated faculty.

The Zambian Early Childhood Project is a collaborative effort between many organizations to measure the effects of an ongoing anti-malaria initiative on children’s development in Zambia. The project assesses children’s physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive development before and throughout their schooling careers—the first assessment tool of its kind in Zambia. The data collected will assist in identifying key interventions in the area of child development.

The Frontiers of Innovation supports the healthy development of young children with specific focus on disadvantaged children and families. The FOI initiative’s aim is to combine scientific insights, practical experience, and creative risk-taking to generate new policies and practices. The three major work streams of the FOI group include; Idea Groups, Innovation by Design States and Innovation by Design Sites. They will create a collaborative network to cross-fertilize their ongoing initiatives to achieve greater impact for the early childhood field.

The Harvard Website has an abundance of valuable resources on their website. The Center strives to present information, especially scientific information, in a way that is accessible to a wide variety of readers.

References:
 http://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/