Early Childhood Education and Kindergarten for Syrian refugee children and vulnerable host community children in Jordan and Lebanon

• In Event: Highlighted Session: Problematizing Education for Vulnerable Children and Young Citizens: Cases from Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey

Proposal

Since the war erupted in Syria in 2011, the UNHCR has registered over 4.8 million refugees. An estimated 1.5 million refugees reside in Lebanon (nearly 1.1 million registered at UNHCR), from which an estimated half a million are school-aged children. According to UNHCR, nearly 126,000 are under the age of 6. In Jordan, the UNHCR registered 656,400 by 18 September 2016 with close to 8% under the age of 6. There are refugees who have not registered and, thus, real figures are greater than those recorded by the UNHCR. Coordinated efforts among international organizations, civil society and government agencies have tried to ensure that all refugee children have access to formal schooling. Despite close inter-agency coordination, unprecedented amounts of international donations and amendments in education policy, only a fraction of school-aged children have received provisions of education in formal and non-formal educational settings. Moreover, the majority of SRC in public schools “reported regular physical and verbal abuse” from teachers, principals, and peers and educational settings lacked the necessary resources, approaches and qualified personnel for supporting SRC children learn a trilingual curriculum (English, French, Arabic) and adapt to new schooling environments (Shuayb, Makouk, & Tutunji, 2014). According to the contemporary science of early childhood development (ECD), among the most vulnerable refugee children, however, are pre-school children under 6 years of age.

Contemporary theories of child development are led by neurodevelopmental science and the emerging importance of socio-emotional learning and executive functions. Children exposed to toxic stress either in the form of threat (such as domestic violence, sexual abuse) or deprivation (such as neglect or low or poor quality nutrition, social support, cognitive stimulation) can severely impair the neurological foundations of development for children and adults (Luby et al., 2013; Shonkoff & Gardner, 2012; Nelson, Fox & Zeanah, 2013). As in the case of this study, the vulnerable children are mostly war-related refugees and displaced who have witnessed armed conflict and violence, lost close family members like parents and siblings, journeyed through hostile territories to find refuge and lived in unstable and insecure shelters. In addition, children of refugee parents are born into environments where not all basic provisions like clean water and shelter from harsh weather are available and parents and family members suffer from war-related mental and physical illnesses. Refugee children are, therefore, extremely vulnerable to conditions that are detrimental to the brain architecture of cognitive, linguistic and socio-emotional development, namely neglect and toxic stress.

What constitutes an ideal intervention for different contexts and children is still being tested, evaluated and refined. What we do know is that (1) the earlier the intervention the better (Duncan and Murnane 2011; Siegler, 1991; Shonkoff & Phillips, 2001); (2) investing in caregivers, and particularly their relationship with their children, must be a priority for practitioners (NCSDC, 2012 & 2015; Luby et al., 2013); (3) the benefits of ECD programmes are particularly strong for children who are disadvantaged or vulnerable (Naudeau et al., 2011; Heckman 2008a; 2008b; Heckman & Masterov, 2007); and (4) efforts to improve ECD are an investment, not a cost, for society as a whole (World Bank Group, 2015; United Nations, 2016; WHO, 2007).

In this study, we examine initiatives and approaches to early childhood education (ECE) for Syrian refugee children under the age of six in Lebanon and Jordan. We first survey institutional frameworks (e.g. government policies, government agencies and civil society organizations) that have been established in each country to provide pre-school educational interventions for Syrian refugee and vulnerable host community children. Then, we gather qualitative information from semi-structured interviews with representatives from organizations (international, local, government). We also visit formal and non-formal ECE programs for Syrian refugee and vulnerable host community children and interview teachers, principals and social workers and observe activities in action.

The study is currently in process. Initial findings suggest that curricular aims of formal and non-formal ECE appear to mostly (1) ensure that children are in an educational setting away from harm and (2) fulfil a social and moral obligation to care rather than support children who have experienced stress, trauma and deprivation (local or refugees). Indications of practices that appear to support the selected vulnerable children include a reliance on parents to ensure continuity of the intervention at home and the success of sustainability by mobilizing volunteers in the community. A number of emerging concerns arise when approaches still appear to be dominantly academic [books in KG, timetable sorted by subjects (literacy/numeracy), concerns of not finishing the curriculum]; access to and quality of play appears to be compromised by a focus on learning literacy and numeracy; and extremely limited professionals with written and experiential qualifications in ECE.

Authors

• Bassel Akar, Notre Dame University - Louaize

• Muna Amr, University of Jordan

• Alexandra Chen, Harvard University