120 attended in Shanghai. They addressed the impact of optimal
development on children, families, the educational system, and
the economy and the options for promoting healthy child devel-
opment. The conference organizers included the Chinese Academy
of Preventive Medicine, Chinese Pediatrics Association, Ministry of
Health’s Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and
Department of Maternal and Child Health, the Medical School of
TongJi University of Shanghai, and Shanghai Municipal Early Edu-
cation Commission.In Jamaica
Policy Forum.A policy forum was held in Kingston, Jamaica, in
March 2006 to explore and examine the contribution of quality
early childhood programming to global priorities for develop-
ment—reduction of poverty, development of human capacity, and
social development. The forum was convened by the Community
Secretariat of the Caribbean Community and Common Market
(CARICOM), the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cul-
tural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Children’s Fund
(UNICEF), the Caribbean Support Initiative (CSI), and the Carib-
bean Development Bank (CDB). The participants included repre-
sentatives from ministries of finance, planning, and education;
chambers of commerce in the CARICOM region; civil society; and
business and private sector organizations.In Mexico
International Conference. An International Conference on Early
Childhood Education: Neurodevelopment, Gender, and Multicul-
turalism, was held in Monterey, Mexico, in May 2006. The confer-
ence was hosted by the state government of Nuevo Leon and its
Department of Education and Centros de Desarrollo Infantil [Cen-
ters of Child Development] (CENDI). More than 1,800 early child-
hood educators attended.World Culture Forum.Under the auspices of the state government
of Nuevo Leon, CENDI accepted an invitation from the World Cul-8 Mary Eming Young