A National Alliance—A National Policy
To promote development of a national policy for early childhood, an
alliance of public–private, intersectoral, and international representa-
tives has been formed. Their objective is to acknowledge, review, and
evaluate early child assistance programs in Colombia. The work plan
focuses on:
- Acquiring knowledge about completed or ongoing studies and
research projects - Systematizing significant local experiences
- Developing an early childhood development index
- Cooperating with local authorities to improve the living condi-
tions of children ages 0–6 years - Characterizing and defining the types of training needed to pro-
vide early childhood care - Exchanging knowledge and experiences through forums and
regular meetings of reflection - Designing a model for follow-up and evaluation of policy.
Specific ECD Challenges
Colombia faces many specific challenges to improve early childhood
for all young children and, especially, for those who are most vulner-
able. The list of challenges includes the imperatives noted below.
Parenting.Promote parenting based on love and respect. Strengthen
efforts with, and support to, families, especially the most vulnerable
ones.
Responsibility.Establish criteria for the shared participation and co-
responsibility of families, society, and government for children’s, es-
pecially young children’s, growth and development—a public issue
for which all are responsible.
Articulation of Issues.Articulate ECD issues with municipalities’ eco-
nomic, social, political, and cultural policies and with national and
international agreements and objectives.
Colombia: Challenges in Country-level Monitoring 151