Bangkok: ARNEC, the National Coalition for Holistic Integrative Early Childhood Development of Indonesia, and the Early Childhood Care and Development Council of the Philippines convened in Bangkok on May 6 to share key lessons learned from the MORECare4YoungChildren project. 

Supported by the UBS Optimus Foundation, the project was aimed at strengthening existing parenting and responsive caregiving programmes in Indonesia and the Philippines by improving government systems through evidence, parenting and caregiver support, and training professionals.

The session brought together partners from ARNEC’s Learning Group on Parenting and Responsive Caregiving to reflect on implementation experiences and highlight pathways for improving early childhood systems.

Opening the session, Dr. Sheldon Shaeffer, Chair of ARNEC’s Board of Directors, said, “I want to congratulate ARNEC and national partners, HI ECD Coalition and ECCD Council, on the successful implementation of the project and for sharing these lessons for the benefit of the ECD community in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.” 

Shaeffer also acknowledged that ARNEC not only worked on existing national parenting programs but also collaborated with government agencies and local governments in both Indonesia and the Philippines. This collaboration fostered national and local government cooperation required to enhance systems for parenting support.

Representatives from HI ECD Coalition shared how the project engaged with multiple levels of government (community, sub-national and national) and localised materials to strengthen the delivery of the BKB EMAS (anti-stunting among children below three through better parenting) module under the Government of Indonesia’s Ministry of Population and Family Development (BKKBN). They also highlighted how engaging local and faith-based leaders helped increase involvement of fathers in parenting workshops, where many gained skills in play, learning, and non-violent parenting. 

In the Philippines, ECCD Council shared that the project met challenges such as uneven levels of willingness and varying capacities of the local government units as it continued to improve the delivery of the Infant and Toddler Early Development (ITED) program. It also outlined early gains that were achieved as a result of project activities, such as inclusion of the ITED program implementation as one of the indicators in local government audit, while highlighting fit-for-context local government delivery for ensuring sustainability. 

The presentations were followed by the launch of a jointly developed knowledge product titled “Promoting System-Level Change in Parenting and Responsive Caregiving Programs in Indonesia and the Philippines: Learning through Collaboration.” This flip book synthesises the claims, evidence, and recommendations for enhancing local and national systems for parenting and caregiving in Indonesia and the Philippines. 

Explore the flip book here: https://heyzine.com/flip-book/da86095d1e.html