AÇEV: Child development programs - Turkey
Introduction
Building a good future begins with early childhood. Children develop most rapidly in their earliest years and supportive environment is crucial in this period. The Mother Child Education Foundation (AÇEV) aims to support children in these most formative years to give them a right start to life.
Since its establishment in 1993, AÇEV’s mission has been to make a lasting contribution to society by supporting the development of children and their environments through education starting from early years.
Spanning early childhood, parenting, and adult literacy, AÇEV’s training programs target all stages of human development and all members of the family from early childhood to parenthood.
AÇEV’s programs have common goals of reducing disparities and addressing inequalities in various domains: preschool programs target equal opportunity, bridging the socioeconomic gap in school readiness and academic success by accessing disadvantaged children; and literacy and parent support programs address gender equality.
Video (Turkish, Eng subtitles) | Değişim Ailede Başlar (Change Begins in the Family) (4:30)
Supporting the family as the smallest building block of society became a unique emphasis for AÇEV to accomplish its mission. The video showcases a family in which members benefit from a multi program approach. The parents attend the Mother Support Program and the Father Support Program and the child benefits from AÇEV’s center based preschool education. Parents express increased self confidence, better parenting skills and family cohesion, while the child reports having better family relations.
Contributors:
Suna Hanoz-Penny serves as Expert Consultant to the ECPC. She is International Programs Director at the Mother Child Education Foundation (AÇEV).
Yasemin Sirali serves on the ECPC Executive Committee. She is Director of Ozyegin Social Investments, a network of institutions including the Mother Child Education Foundation (AÇEV), Husnu Ozyegin Foundation (HMOV), Iz Child Centers, and Ozyegin University based in Turkey
Ayla Göksel serves as Advisor to the ECPC. She is CEO of Özyeğin Social Investments, a network of non-profit organizations, including AÇEV (Mother-Child Education Foundation), Hüsnü M. Özyeğin Foundation and Iz Child and has over twenty years of experience in education programs, policy and infrastructure impacting 1.5 million people across Turkey with award winning programs implemented in 14 other countries.
The aim of this project was to develop a community-based, early childhood education model in rural Turkey. Its initial focus was on the lives of Anatolian (Turkish) village women. In three years, the Rural Education Women’s Support Program reached a total of 1,836 women in 24 villages. Twenty preschool classrooms were equipped and 1,098 children implemented the Child Education Program. To assess the impact of this community-based model, AÇEV performed an assessment comparing community-based models with control group villages, and held focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with mothers, community representatives, and teachers. This project, funded by the UBS Optimus Foundation, was the result of a collaboration between AÇEV and the Provincial Directorate of National Education.
With the support of the Bernard van Leer Foundation, AÇEV carried out the first comprehensive study of fatherhood in Turkey. This report, launched in June 2017, provides a landmark analysis of fatherhood and draws on evidence from more than 3,000 fathers. The goal is to better understand fathers in order to better support child development and involved fatherhood in Turkey.
This AÇEV program prepares six-year-old Syrian refugee children for the formal Turkish primary school system, in order for them to be developmentally prepared and culturally adapted. This intensive 10-week long preschool program was implemented in Istanbul (July – September 2016) in collaboration with the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of National Education and with the generous support of Siemens Turkey and Plan International.
To promote engaged fatherhood in the public eye, AÇEV launched the Fatherhood Moments photographic exhibition in June 2017—Turkish and Swedish portraits of engaged fathers. In partnership with the Swedish Consulate and inspired from the Swedish photographer Johan Bävman, the exhibition captures intimate portraits of fathers from Turkish homes to champion gender equality in child care.
Topics & initiatives
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