Call for Papers for the First International Conference: Early Childhood Education and Care

June 2-3, 2022 Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University, Batumi, Georgia

01 February 2022
Children playing in kindergarten
UNICEF/Geo-2019/Robakidze
  1. Background

The Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara and the United Nations Children's Fund(UNICEF) in partnership with Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University will hold the First International Conference in Georgia on Quality Early Childhood Education and Care: Challenges, Approaches, New Perspectives in the Context of Local and International Practices.

The aim of the conference is to facilitate academic discussion and knowledge sharing on quality, access, and inclusion in early childhood education and care; Additionally, the conference aims to support the professional development of practitioners in the field and raise the awareness of the wider public and policy-makers about the importance of early childhood education.

The two-day conference will bring together professors, researchers, and students, representatives of the Georgian government, members of parliament, representatives of non-governmental organizations, members of the diplomatic corps in Georgia, representatives of UN agencies and international organizations, representatives of local government, and practitioners from preschool educational institutions.

The working languages of the conference are Georgian and English. Georgian-English and English-Georgian simultaneous translation will be provided at the conference.

 

  1. Thematic strands of the Conference

 

1. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on early childhood education and care

2. Contemporary challenges, innovative and alternative approaches to early childhood education

3. Play and learning

4. Child rights in the context of early childhood education

5. Professional competencies, pre-service training, professional development opportunities and challenges in the field of early childhood education and care

6. Research with young children

7. Regulations, national standards in the field of early childhood education

8. Culture and society

9. Parental engagement and support for positive parenting

10. Inclusive practice, early intervention, opportunities for multidisciplinary cooperation in the context of early childhood education

11. Governance, policy and financing of early childhood education

 

  1. Submission of abstracts, full papers and presentations

We invite participants to submit theoretical, empirical, or practice-based abstracts for early childhood education and care issues for paper or poster presentations.

 

a) Abstracts

Conference abstracts should address the conference thematic strands and be prepared in accordance with the following requirements:

  • The volume of the abstract should not exceed 300 words and should be presented in a Word file; Compatible fonts - Sylfaen, Calibri; Font size -11 (Title font size  – 12); Line spacing - 1.5. Please do not use thematic pictures / graphs / tables in abstracts. They can be presented in presentations and full papers.
  • Abstracts should contain the following information:

- Full name of the author (s),

- Author's job details: Position (s), Department / Faculty, Organization / University, City, Country,

- Author's contact information: phone number and email,

- Thematic direction of the conference, which the presented abstract corresponds to (see paragraph 2),

-  Indication of a paper or poster presentation,

- Indication for on-line or on-site participation (encouraged on-site participation, attendance and presentation)

- Abstract title,

- Keywords,

- Abstract (main text).

  • Each author can submit a maximum of 2 abstracts.
  • Abstracts that will be accepted for submission to the conference will no longer be subject to change after the deadline for submission of abstracts.

The deadline for submission of conference abstracts is March 10, 2022, 18:00 (Georgian time). Conference abstracts should be sent to the Conference Organizing Committee at the following e-mail: nalelishvili@unicef.org ; The title of the e-mail must indicate: "Abstract - Early Childhood Education and Care Conference".

The Scientific Committee of the Conference will review and select the abstracts to be presented at the conference and will contact their authors no later than March 31, 2022, 18:00 (Georgian time).

 

b) Full Papers

  • The authors of the selected abstracts to be presented at the conference must submit full papers with a maximum of 10 pages in a Word file; Compatible fonts - Sylfaen, Calibri; Font size - 11 (title font size – 12); Line spacing - 1.5. Thematic pictures / graphs / tables can be used to better illustrate the issue. Detailed instructions for submitting full papers will be provided to the authors of the selected abstracts.
  • Papers submitted to the conference will be published as conference proceedings.

The deadline for submission of full papers for the conference is April 28, 2022, 18:00 (Georgian time). Final conference papers should be sent to the Conference Organizing Committee at the following email: nalelishvili@unicef.org ; The title of the e-mail must indicate: "Paper – Early Childhood Education and Care Conference".

 

c) Presentations

  • Authors of selected abstracts should prepare presentations in PowerPoint or other presentation program. Detailed instructions for submitting presentations will be provided to the authors of the selected abstracts.

The deadline for presenting the conference presentations is May 16, 2022, 18:00 (Georgian time). Conference presentations should be sent to the Conference Organizing Committee at the following e-mail: nalelishvili@unicef.org ; The title of the e-mail must indicate: "Presentation - Early Education and Care Conference".

 

  1. Financial support

The conference organizers will finance the costs of participating in the conference of selected authors of abstracts from other regions (accommodation / meals).

 

For additional information, contact Nino Alelishvili at nalelishvili@unicef.org  

We believe that the conference will be an important space for participants to actively engage in discussions about realities, challenges and opportunities in the national, regional and international contexts.

You are cordially invited to join us and we look forward to meeting you in Batumi!

 

Media contacts

Maya Kurtsikidze
Communication Specialist, Head of Communication Section
UNICEF Georgia

About UNICEF

UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.

For more information about UNICEF and its work for children, visit www.unicef.org/georgia/

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