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| LATEST PUBLICATIONS |
New ECM marks 20 years of the CRC
On November 20th it is 20 years since the signing of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The foundation's flagship journal, Early Childhood Matters, marks this anniversary with a new edition on the subject of Realising the rights of young children: progress and challenges, featuring articles discussing various aspects of the CRC and General Comment 7 on implementing child rights in early childhood. Download the pdf or order your free printed copy today.
19 November 2009
Equity and quality in Ethiopia, India and Peru
Equity and quality? Challenges for early childhood and primary education in Ethiopia, India and Peru is a Working Paper which forms part of the "Studies in Early Transitions" series. It is based on Young Lives, a 15-year longitudinal study of childhood poverty in diverse majority world contexts, and addresses the challenges of achieving equity and quality in early childhood programmes. Order your free printed copy or download the pdf.
16 November 2009
Lessons learned in Central America
The latest in our series of Online Outreach Papers, Strengthening the care environment for children in Central America, looks at five organisations in El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua. As the foundation withdraws from future funding in the region, this is a collective endeavour to capture knowledge and lessons learned in using support, care and education programmes to work among children, families, and communities. Download your pdf copy.
13 November 2009
Effective Early Childhood Programmes
Effective Early Childhood Programmes is the latest in the Early Childhood in Focus series, published in collaboration with the Open University, which provides accessible reviews of research and clear messages on policy issues. It outlines the case for early childhood programmes, summarises the evidence for their effectiveness, and considers the challenges in taking them to scale. Order your free printed copy or download the pdf.
30 October 2009
Realising respect for young children
In a new foundation Working Paper, Shanti George looks at the routine disrespect shown to young children in everyday life and examines case studies from Germany and Israel to show what respect for young children looks like in practice. Order your free printed copy or download the pdf.
1 September 2009
Alternatives to the market model in ECEC
A joint publication with Bertelsmann Stiftung, the latest in the foundation's Working Papers series challenges the hegemony of the market model in early childhood education and care, discussing "democratic experimentalism" as an alternative. Now available to order or download as a pdf.
27 August 2009
Promoting mutual respect and dignity in schools
How can cultures of violence in elementary schools be tackled by shifting school values towards mutual respect and dignity, rather than authoritarian approaches? Maintaining a respectful climate for young children in schools: no trumpet solo – let the orchestra play! (download pdf) looks at a foundation-funded programme implemented in Israel by Person to Person: Association for the Advancement of Human Dignity.
27 July 2009
Jewish-Arab schools in Israel: new pdf publication
Jewish-Arab schools in Israel: parents’ perspectives and children’s realities is the latest in the foundation's range of Online Outreach Papers. The 18-page paper - available to download as a pdf - presents the perceptions and experiences of parents and research by University in Jerusalem anthropologist Zvi Bekerman on the Hand in Hand Centre for Jewish-Arab Education in Israel.
20 July 2009
Early Childhood Matters on family stress
The new edition of Early Childhood Matters (order or download pdf) looks at family stress, asking how to deal with and diminish it and what factors contribute to children’s resilience and coping mechanisms. It includes an conceptual overview by Ted Wachs, an interview with Professor James Heckman, and insights from countries including Mexico, South Africa and Bulgaria.
24 June 2009
Annual Report for 2008
The foundation's latest Annual Report is now available for download (pdf), reviewing our activities in 2008. It includes an in-depth look at activities in Mexico, India and South Africa, and an executive summary in Spanish. UPDATE: printed copies are now available to order free of charge.
16 May 2009
Diversity and young children in Northern Ireland
A new foundation working paper looks at case studies from Northern Ireland to draw lessons on developing programmes to promote ethnic diversity in early childhood. The author, Paul Connolly, is a professor at Queen’s University Belfast and the founding Co-Director of the Joint Learning Initiative on Children and Ethnic Diversity. Download your free pdf copy now.
8 April 2009
Foundation publications on Search4Dev
The Bernard van Leer Foundation's publications are now available through Search4Dev, an online library for digital publications of Dutch organizations in the international development cooperation sector. Funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Search4Dev is a collaborative venture that aims to reduce the gap between science, policy and development practice.
21 January 2009
ECM on a sense of belonging
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. Order your free copy or download the pdf.
1 December 2008
Sharing experiences in the Dutch childcare system
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 your free copy of Making the road as we go: Parents and professionals as partners managing diversity in early childhood education or download the pdf.
27 November 2008
Early childhood development in sub-Saharan Africa
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. Now available for order or download (pdf).
20 November 2008
Valuing the learning: a bibliography on social inclusion and respect for diversity
The latest in our web-only series of Online Outreach Papers is Valuing the learning: An annotated bibliography of the resources and publications of the Bernard van Leer Foundation and its partners in the area of Social Inclusion and Respect for Diversity (2002–2008). Download your pdf copy today.
13 October 2008
Costing early childhood programmes
It is increasingly well accepted that early childhood programmes bring benefits - but how to be precise in estimating the costs? In the latest in our web-only series of Online Outreach Papers, Robert G. Myers shows how official figures can fail to account for costs incurred by resource-poor parents. Download the pdf now.
29 September 2008
Language acquisition in daycare settings
Focusing especially on children from immigrant families and those with a low socio-economic status, the foundation's latest working paper addresses theories on language development and asks what research tells us about the effect of pre-schoolers’ social environment. Order your free copy or download the pdf.
3 September 2008
Can we really help create a better world?
Now available for download (pdf) is the fourth in our web-only series of Online Outreach Papers. The social agenda and early childhood care and education: Can we really help create a better world? looks at the changing economic and cultural context of early childhood and identifies imperatives for policy and leadership.
26 August 2008
No small issue: Children and families
The latest in our series of Online Outreach Papers is the text of Linda Richter's plenary presentation at the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City on 6 August 2008, which argues that children and families have been severely neglected in our responses to HIV and AIDS. Download your copy now (pdf).
19 August 2008
National action plans for vulnerable children in sub-Saharan Africa
As experts gather for the XVII International AIDS conference in Mexico City, our latest working paper reviews national action plans of sub-Saharan African countries and asks "where are the youngest children?" Download the pdf or order your free printed copy.
7 August 2008
Annual Report for 2007
The Bernard van Leer Foundation's Annual Report for 2007 is now available, featuring an in-depth look at public policy advocacy activities and new updates on the effectiveness of selected previous grantmaking. You can order your free printed copy, or download the pdf (1.8mb).
2 August 2008
A review of early childhood transitions research
The latest in the foundation's working paper series, Early childhood transitions research: A review of concepts, theory, and practice by Pia Vogler, Gina Crivello and Martin Woodhead is now available for you to order a free copy or download the pdf.
17 June 2008
ECM on the question of quality
The latest edition of the foundation's journal, Early Childhood Matters, tackles the complex topic of what constitutes quality in early childhood programmes and how such programmes can lay the foundations for quality primary education. Order your free printed copy or download the pdf.
1 June 2008
Early childhood in the Caribbean
Early childhood in the Caribbean, a new working paper (download pdf) based on research by Christine Barrow, looks at the development and socialisation of children under 5 years of age in two Caribbean countries, Trinidad and Tobago and Dominica.
21 May 2008
New ECiF on Developing Positive Identities
A new edition of Early Childhood in Focus, a collaboration between the Foundation and the Open University, surveys the theory and evidence surrounding what makes for positive identity and how it can be affected by diversity, adversity and discrimination. Order your free printed copy of Developing Positive Identities: Young Children and Diversity or download the pdf.
22 April 2008
A model for costing ECCE expansion
Now available: a new working paper, entitled Expanding early childhood care and education: How much does it cost? Authors Jan van Ravens and Carlos Aggio propose a methodology to estimate the costs of early childhood care and education at macro-level, and apply it to the Arab States. Order your free printed copy or download the pdf.
UPDATE: Download the Excel document referenced in the text.
31 March 2008
First two Online Outreach Papers now available
The first two papers in a new web-based series of publications are now available. The Online Outreach Papers series will allow the foundation flexibility to publish more niche and/or time-limited papers without the expense associated with printing and distribution. Read more.
24 January 2008
Involving young children in design
The latest in our series of working papers is now available to download and order. Early childhood spaces: Involving young children and practitioners in the design process discusses how under-6s can be involved in designing spaces for early childhood provision.
21 January 2008
ECM on the care environment
The latest edition of the foundation's biannual journal, Early Childhood Matters, is now available. After previous editions on the foundation's other issue areas, this is devoted to strengthening the young child's care environment. Order or download (pdf, 1.9mb) your free copy.
29 November 2007
Early Childhood in Focus: Transitions
The second issue of Early Childhood in Focus, entitled Early Childhood and Primary Education: Transitions in the lives of young children, deals with the global challenges of education for all. Download the pdf (2.5mb) or order your free copy. A collaboration between the foundation and the Open University, ECiF sets out clear messages from academic research to inform rights-based policy advocacy on behalf of young children.
3 October 2007
Early Childhood in Brazil
The latest in the foundation's series of working papers looks at the situation of young children in South America's largest economy. Early Childhood in Brazil: General overview and current issues (download pdf - order printed copy) identifies examples of good practice and discusses the obstacles in taking them to scale.
21 September 2007
ECiF: First issue in new publication series
The foundation is pleased to announce the first issue in a new series of publications, Early Childhood in Focus (ECiF), a collaboration with The Open University. This issue, entitled Attachment Relationships: Quality of care for young children deals with attachment theory and research. You can order your free copy or download the pdf. Read more about ECiF here.
3 August 2007
Annual Report now available
The foundation's latest annual report, covering 2006, is now available to be ordered or downloaded. It features an essay on the foundation's two key advocacy messages for the issue area Successful transitions. Text versions of the main articles are available here.
20 July 2007
Bringing politics into the nursery
"Bringing politics into the nursery: Early childhood education as a democratic practice" is the latest working paper from the foundation. You can order your free copy or download the pdf. Author Peter Moss argues that institutions providing early childhood care and education can become forums for democratic political practice.
18 June 2007
ECM on inclusion and diversity
The latest issue of the foundation's biannual journal, Early Childhood Matters, is now available to order in printed format or to download as a pdf. Entitled "Promoting social inclusion and respect for diversity in the early years", it takes an in-depth look at the issues involved in this newly-defined programme area, one of three programme areas which are now guiding the foundation's work.
11 June 2007
Outcomes of good practice in transition processes
The second background paper funded by the foundation for UNESCO’s Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2007 is now available as a Working Paper, free to order or download (pdf). Hilary Fabian and Aline-Wendy Dunlop assess the literature about good practices in transitions to primary school, and draw lessons about ways of forging links between primary schools, children’s home environments and early childhood programmes.
24 May 2007
Is everybody ready? Working Paper on transitions
The latest in our series of working papers is now available to order or download (pdf, 940kb). "Is everybody ready? Readiness, transition and continuity: Reflections and moving forward" considers ways to tackle early drop-out and under-achievement at school through improving transitions from both home and early childhood programmes, and how schools can improve provision for 6-8 year olds.
16 April 2007
Respect for diversity: An international overview
In the latest in the foundation's Working Papers series, Professor Glenda M MacNaughton of the University of Melbourne looks at ways of thinking about young children’s respect for diversity — cultural and racial, developmental, gender diversity and socio-economic — and maps out five schools of thought. Order your free copy or download the pdf (1.15mb).
6 December 2006
ECM on transitions in the early years
The latest edition of the foundation's biannual journal, Early Childhood Matters, is available to order in printed form or to download (pdf, 1.6mb). Timed to coincide with the EFA Global Monitoring Report on early childhood, this 68-page edition is entitled Transitions in the early years: A learning opportunity.
8 November 2006
Update, 23 November: Spanish language version now available.
Young children, HIV/AIDS and gender
Attitudes towards gender that are inculcated in early childhood can play a significant role in creating adult behaviours that lead to the spread of HIV/AIDS. This new working paper, Young children, HIV/AIDS and gender: A summary review (available to order or download - pdf, 1.2mb), explores how to use the early years to lay the foundations for HIV/AIDS prevention.
2 October 2006
Annual report now available
The Bernard van Leer Foundation's latest annual report is now available to order or download (pdf, 1.5mb). It contains overviews of the foundation's grantmaking and financial report for 2005, together with a theme essay on "respect for diversity". Text versions of the report's main articles are also available.
5 September 2006
Violence against young children: A painful issue
The latest edition of Early Childhood Matters - Violence against young children: A painful issue - is now available to order or download (pdf). This 52-page edition of our biannual journal features interviews and articles covering such issues as corporal punishment, child abuse and violence in schools. Like all the foundation's publications, it is available free of charge.
18 August 2006
Update, 29 August: Spanish language version now available.
Young children and HIV/AIDS: New downloads
The Bernard van Leer Foundation is proud to make available three new publications on the subject of young children affected by HIV/AIDS, timed to coincide with the build-up to the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto in August 2006.
HIV/AIDS, young children and the Bernard van Leer Foundation is an A3 leaflet giving an overview of the foundation's involvement with young children affected by HIV/AIDS. It outlines how we aim to work with others as a funder, convener and facilitator to bring together knowledge, policy and practice.
Where The Heart Is: Meeting the psychosocial needs of young children in the context of HIV/AIDS is a paper by Linda Richter, Geoff Foster and Lorraine Sherr, the result of a series of workshops on psychosocial issues. The authors discuss the issues surrounding psychosocial care and support for children made vulnerable by the HIV/AIDS pandemic and make recommendations for future policy priorities and programming directions.
Call To Action - Toronto 2006 summarises the main messages of Where The Heart Is in a five-point action plan, issued by the Coalition on Children Affected by AIDS (CCABA) for Toronto 2006. The Call to Action is published here in the form of postcards which can be sent to decision-makers.
12 July 2006
Implementing child rights in early childhood
In collaboration with UNICEF and the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, BvLF is proud to present A Guide to General Comment 7: Implementing Child Rights in Early Childhood, a comprehensive and practical guide to the issues involved in implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child when it comes to young children. Read more
26 April 2006
Children without parental care
A new issue of the Bernard van Leer Foundation's journal, Early Childhood Matters, is now available. Guest-edited by Nigel Cantwell, this edition of ECM looks at the issue of children without parental care, with articles from Canada, Cambodia, Thailand, Guatemala, Tunisia and South Africa.
3 March 2006
Working Paper: Globalisation and privatisation
Our latest working paper is now available to order or download. In Globalisation and privatisation: The impact on childcare policy and practice, Michel Vandenbroeck of Ghent University looks at how our views about children, parents and public services have changed as a result of globalisation and privatisation in the last two decades, both globally and with particular reference to the example of Belgium.
18 January 2006
Early Childhood Matters on post-emergency situations
The latest issue of the foundation's flagship journal, Early Childhood Matters, deals with responses to young children in post-emergency situations. It is a joint publication with the International Catholic Child Bureau. The Spanish language version, Espacio para la Infancia, is also available.
7 November 2005
Spanish translations of two Effectiveness Initiative books
Historias que vivimos, historias que aprendimos, the Spanish translation of Stories We Have Lived, Stories We Have Learned, is now published, along with Pequeñas ideas que funcionan, the Spanish translation of Small Ideas That Work.
1 November 2005
KORDP's work in words and photos
To celebrate the presentation of the Oscar van Leer Award to Kenya Orphans Rural Development Project (KORDP), the foundation has published a 54-page booklet which is free to order or download (pdf, 2.1mb). It describes in text and photos how KORDP's community-based work, supported by the foundation, improves the lives of HIV/AIDS orphans and vulnerable children in rural communities in western Kenya.
24 October 2005
Annual Report 2004
The Bernard van Leer Foundation's Annual Report 2004 can now be ordered or downloaded (pdf, 112 pages, 2.9mb). Alternatively, click here for direct links to text versions of the major articles.
21 September 2001
HIV/AIDS sub-series working paper: The way the money goes
The fourth in a sub-series of Working Papers dedicated to young children and HIV/AIDS, The way the money goes (Working Paper 37) examines how HIV/AIDS funding decisions are made and identifies strategies for advocating a greater flow of funds towards young children.
21 July 2005
Working paper: Can you hear me?
Number 36 in the foundation's Working Papers series, Can you hear me? The right of young children to participate in decisions affecting them, makes the case for children’s participation and discusses how it can be put into practice and measured.
1 July 2005
