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| LATEST PUBLICATIONS |
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

