Photo essay

How UNICEF-Supported Program Helped Tarek Blossom

Family and Early Childhood Services Center: a place for learning and growth for both parents and children

Hala Abu Khatwa & Dalia Younis
Family and Early Childhood Services Center: a place for learning and growth for both parents and children
UNICEF/Egypt 2023/Karim Soliman
11 December 2023

The children's early years are considered a critical developmental phase in terms of learning. During this time, their brains develop rapidly, shaping and building the foundation of their future.

In partnership with the Ministry of Social Solidarity, UNICEF developed and piloted an early childhood development center called the Family and Early Childhood Services Center (FECSC). This center delivers a package of services for both children and their parents, where they can find educational, psychological, and parental counseling services, as well as entertainment to practice learning through play. In addition the center provides community awareness to parents through hybrid means  – both online and in-person – to attend to the needs of busy, working parents. UNICEF conducted a training of trainers (ToTs) to the centers’ managers, facilitators, and nannies to ensure the quality and sustainability of services as well as training for other professionals to conduct early detection of disabilities in children

Family and Early Childhood Services Center: a place for learning and growth for both parents and children
UNICEF/Egypt 2023/Karim Soliman One of the several services that the centre provides is a well-established, affordable nursery. Tarek, a four-year-old Syrian child, lives in Egypt with his mother, who, a few years ago, enrolled him in a nursery inside one of the FECSC centres located in 6th of October City, Giza. This centre is well-known for its multi-cultural environment. Recently, Tarek and his mother participated in an engaging activity within the educational kitchen program in which Tarek and his mother, along with other mothers, cooked healthy meals with recipes from their homeland.
Family and Early Childhood Services Center: a place for learning and growth for both parents and children
UNICEF/Egypt 2023/Karim Soliman UNICEF with MoSS works on the quality accreditation of these centers to ensure its continuity as well as established a new legislation in the law that can help others operate similar centers. After Tarek’s center received quality accreditation, Tarek and dozens of other children from Egypt, Syria and Sudan receive a compelling educational curriculum tailored to their critical age stage. The nursery also provides flexible hours for working mothers and a safe environment for toddlers and young children of all nationalities.
Family and Early Childhood Services Center: a place for learning and growth for both parents and children
UNICEF/Egypt 2023/Karim Soliman Tarek learns several new topics at the center, such as the names of vegetables and fruits and their nutritional benefits. Tarek is very proud of his native homeland Syria and his host country Egypt. He expressed this while telling us the names of vegetables and fruits, and referring to a tomato as “Tamatem” (Egyptian dialect) or “Banadoura” ( Syrian dialect).
Family and Early Childhood Services Center: a place for learning and growth for both parents and children
UNICEF/Egypt 2023/Karim Soliman As of 2023, there are three centers in Sixth of October City, Obour City and Alexandria that serve children from age one day to six years old. To upscale this pilot model, UNICEF is guiding the centers to train their surrounding nurseries with the same training that the centers received. This is to ensure that the level of services that children receive in the community remains high and equal to reach all children’s potential.

This project is supported by PROSPECTS programme – a partnership between the Embassy of the Netherlands in Egypt, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), International Labour Organization (ILO), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and UNICEF.

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