East African Regional Conference on Early Childhood

Description

The Africa Early Childhood Network and partners hosted this conference in Dar es Salaam. Under the theme Investing in Early Childhood: Building Human Capital along the Life Course, the conference was open to multisectoral stakeholders interested in improving early childhood outcomes including:

• Policy Makers
• CSOs/FBOs/CBOs
• Grassroots Advocacy Organizations including Women and Youth Groups
• Academia
• Development Partner Organizations

The conference provided an opportunity for stakeholders to:

1. Take stock of the status of early childhood in the sub region.
2. Showcase innovative programs in the sub-region.
3. Foster dialogue that promotes knowledge exchange and learning.
4. Build consensus around key advocacy issues.

Presentation Formats

This was an in-person conference organized into different sessions to ensure wide and active participation and provide avenues for generating insights, to be taken up in conference recommendations, final communique and plans for action. The conference employed the following presentation formats:

• Plenary sessions where keynote presentations were made, along with panel sessions that spotlight country experiences.
• Oral paper presentations in thematic break-out parallel sessions.
• Round table discussions for smaller groups that allow for in-depth engagement.
• Learning sessions and side events to support capacity building and joint planning for various interest groups. This enabled groups to engage, network and build pathways for collaboration and partnerships that would take Early Childhood forward in the region.
• Exhibition of partner initiatives and sharing of materials and resources.

The Concept Note and High-level Agenda can be downloaded here.