Quality Early Childhood Education
UNICEF promotes projects and supports programs that contribute to strengthening capacities of educational agents and representatives from educational institutions
- Español
- English
Challenges
Early childhood care and education programmes in Cuba offer enrolment coverage to 697,422 children who represent 95.9 per cent of the population aged 0 to 5. Enrolment in day care centres through the institutional modality amounts to 19.5 per cent and to 14 per cent in pre-school. For most young children (the remaining 66.4 per cent), the option of participating in early childhood education programs is offered via the non-institutional modality “Educate your Child” program.
According to the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (Cuba. MICS, 2014), these programs registered an attendance rate of 76 per cent among children aged 3 to 5. This component responds to an unmet demand for child care via the institutional modality and the need to improve the quality of institutional and non-institutional services for early childhood development. Likewise, it seeks to increase the knowledge of families and caregivers to promote positive parenting attitudes and guidelines as well as responsible parenting behaviour of families, especially among fathers. According to the 2014 MICS, only 18 per cent of fathers to children between 36 and 59 months participate in their children’s educational activities.
Strategies
In order to advance the access of children and adolescents to quality and inclusive education services, UNICEF promotes projects and supports programs that contribute to strengthening the capacities of educational agents and schools representatives. In addition, UNICEF promotes advocacy and knowledge management through the production of supporting materials for educational agents and families.
By 2024, 95 per cent of children between 36 and 59 months are expected to attend early childhood educational programs.
Other fundamental objectives are raising awareness and training educational and health professionals, as well as personnel from other key sectors, on the importance of the active and responsible participation of fathers and early childhood positive parenting guidelines, though Communication for Development (C4D) strategies.