Early Childhood Matters is now online! Read, discuss and share individual articles on a new dedicated website.
Community violence: The new edition of Early Childhood Matters, on the subject of Community violence and young children: making space for hope, looks at the effects on young children of growing up in a violent community, and explores interventions from around the world which are offering practical solutions.
Healthy environments: The latest in the Early Childhood in Focus series of briefing notes, co-published with the Open University, shows the importance of physical environment as intimately linked to the process of growth and development of skills and identity of the child.
The Bernard van Leer Foundation is an international grantmaking foundation based in The Hague.
Our mission is to improve opportunities for children up to age 8 who are growing up in socially and economically difficult circumstances. We see this both as a valuable end in itself and as a long-term means to promoting more cohesive, considerate and creative societies with equal opportunities and rights for all.
Latest news from the Bernard van Leer Foundation
Flanders childcare access law changes
17-12-2008
The government of Flanders has changed the access criteria for childcare, to favour more vulnerable families. Michel Vandenbroeck, of the University of Ghent and foundation partner VBJK, believes foundation-funded activities have contributed significantly to the climate which brought this change about.
New online resource: East Africa
08-12-2008
The East Africa Clearing House on Childrens Rights and Welfare is now online, sharing research on children's matters in the region. The Bernard van Leer Foundation is among numerous partners who have collaborated with UNESCO's Nairobi Education Office to bring this resource into existence.
ECM on a sense of belonging
01-12-2008
Featuring the contributions of academics and practitioners from around the world, the latest edition of the foundation's biannual journal, Early Childhood Matters, addresses the challenge of enhancing a sense of belonging in the early years
Democratic Education in a New Europe
27-11-2008
Foundation partner ANE invites your engagement in a conference to be held in Berlin next March 2-3, entitled Democratic Education in a New Europe – Challenges for Parents and Families. Read more about the conference here, and see also the minutes (pdf) of a networking meeting held last month involving various European organisations to lay the groundwork both for the conference and for a future network addressing the same topic.
Sharing experiences in the Dutch childcare system
27-11-2008
The latest in our Practice and Reflections series shares experiences of the Parents and Diversity project, funded by the foundation and run by Bureau MUTANT, which looked at the Dutch childcare system in the context of cultural change. Order or download your free copy of Making the road as we go: Parents and professionals as partners managing diversity in early childhood education.
Building resilience with teachers
24-11-2008
Download the presentation notes (pdf) of a talk entitled "Building resilience with teachers", given by Naomi Baum of foundation partner the Israel Centre for the Treatment of Psychotrauma to the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies conference earlier this month.
Democratic citizenship in Utrecht school
20-11-2008
Read the latest news (in Dutch) about democratic citizenship education at the Basisschool in Utrecht through the foundation project Democratisch Burgerschap bij Jonge Kinderen.
BLMJ features in Hararetz magazine
20-11-2008
"The future of mankind has its roots in the past, and only through understanding our history can we work together to create a better future for the generations to come": read a feature article (pdf) on foundation partner the Bible Lands Museum of Jerusalem, published recently in Essence magazine by Israel's Haaretz newspaper.
Early childhood development in sub-Saharan Africa
20-11-2008
In our latest working paper, Alan Pence and Bame Nsamenang make A case for early childhood development in sub-Saharan Africa by critiquing the western-dominated international image of the child.
Enrichment centre in Israeli press
17-11-2008
Israel's English-language Hamodia newspaper featured this look at the Learning Enrichment Centre recently opened by our partner Mercaz Beth Jabob.
