by Dr. Jo Bell Whitlatch, EEF Secretary
September 2024
Evergreen Education Foundation (EEF) is funding The Community Parenting and Play Center Project. The main project objectives are to support the early childhood development of children 1-6 years of age, who live in rural areas. EEF is dedicated to improving access to learning opportunities of high quality for children and young adults in rural and low-income areas in China. Historically, EEF has funded projects focused primarily on middle and high school students. EEF is delighted to fund a project, which is based on current research and has great potential as a model for improving the long-term prospects for the youngest children in rural China.
Results from many studies in the last decade* indicate that the most effective action to reduce inequality is to invest in programs that target the youngest children, who are growing up without the basic nutrition and interactions with parents and other caregivers that promote the development of cognitive and social skills. The Project will establish 2 Parenting and Play Centers in 2 villages in Tengchong City, Yunnan Province, China; recruit and train an instructor for each Center, provide a wide range of toys and books to provide a place for parents and caregivers to interact with children and for education activities, such as reading books to children; and promote the development of early childhood education through Center activities and home visits. Project activities also include training of parents and other caregivers assessments of children, and 4 semi-annual progress reports covering such topics as activities and training, challenges and solutions, community impact, and lessons learned. At least 60 children and their families will participate in the project. Planet Aid (a US-based NGO) will administer and monitor the Project through its partner, Humana People to People’s representative office in Yunnan, which is responsible for implementing, monitoring, evaluating, and advocating this project.
*see “Behind Before They Start” (pp.126-152) in Scott Rozelle & Natalie Hell’s Invisible China. University of Chicago Press (2020); Research Report on Early Childhood Development in China2019. Beijing Sanyi Charity Foundation (2020).