Early Childhood Development and Mental Health in the Philippines

by VANESSA GOEH In November, policymakers, non-governmental organisations, and private sector participants convened for the Multi-sectoral Symposium on Early Childhood Development (ECD), as part of National Children’s Month in the Philippines. Organised by the Philippine Early Childhood Care and Development Council in collaboration with the Asia Philanthropy Circle (APC) and its members in the Philippines, the symposium enabled participants to learn about best-in-class models and interventions in ECD and how they promote mental health for children, as well as how multi-sectoral partnerships can mobilise community resources in implementing sustainable ECD programmes within the community. Keynote Speaker Risa Hontiveros, who heads…

The LEGO Foundation Announces Awardees for Global Challenge

by Vanessa Goeh The LEGO Foundation, in collaboration with Lever for Change, recently announced its five winners for the Build a World of Play Challenge, an open call grant competition for DKK 900 million (USD 117 million) seeking bold solutions promoting the well-being of children, their caregivers, and their communities, using culturally relevant and sustainable approaches. The social challenge seeks to address the early childhood crises aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to create a global movement to prioritise early childhood development (ECD). Ten finalists were earlier chosen from a pool of 627 applicants from 86 countries. Their…

Revisiting Early Childhood Education and Philanthropy in the Philippines

by Stacey Choe APC finally returned to Manila and caught up with our Filipino members and friends in November 2022. The last trip APC made before the pandemic brought about a global lockdown was actually to Manila in March 2020. How the world has changed since then! We can still recall flying out of the city just as the borders closed. In hindsight, going back this time round was somewhat of a bittersweet affair. Our last trip in 2020 was supposed to be in witness of the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Department of Social Work…

What We’re Reading: Re-envisioning Early Childhood Policy and Practice

The Harvard Center’ on the Developing Child‘s most recent report introduces “ECD 2.0″, which adds three new concepts to the present understanding of Early Childhood Development.   BY VANESSA GOEH Many APC members are supporting Early Childhood Development (ECD) initiatives to improve outcomes in the region—such as the APC Regional ECD Research, which looks at different ECD policies and programmes across Indonesia, Philippines, and China, or the 1000 Days Fund, which looks at addressing stunting in Indonesia. Thus, it is necessary to keep abreast with the most recent developments in the ECD field. We recently came across the Harvard Center on the Developing’s…

Regional Early Childhood Research kicks off

The study will map the current ECD landscape in Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, and China towards providing recommendations to improve outcomes in the region.  BY THERESA CUA Early Childhood Development (ECD) is a challenge faced by many countries in Asia—with local priorities, challenges, and models varying across the region. Outcomes vary. APC is coordinating a Regional ECD Research, which recently kicked off in March. The research will map the current ECD landscape for children aged 0-6 in Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, and China. In particular, the research will examine parenting and early learning programmes and policies, identify common measurement tools to…