Global Children’s Initiative

After exploring the Harvard University’s “Global Children’s Initiative” website, I learned a lot about the ways this center helps and supports young children and families international. In Canada, the Alberta Family Wellness Initiative supports research about the early development of the brain and the interactions of lifelong physical and mental health. Working closely with policy makers, researchers and, educators, they can better predict the outcomes and effects on the brain. Overall, the AFWI was created to bridge the gaps between that we know scientifically about the brain and what we do in policy and practice. To close the gaps, it is important to understand how change occurs in the world.

Another insight that I gained was from viewing the Saving Brains website. This partnership works on finding ways to improve children living in poverty. While, helping protect the brain development within the first 1,000 days of a child’s life. Working closely with EC professionals, innovation systems and, learning communities, the program can collective impact the program. This is done thought taking the following actions of; articulating a common theory action based on scientific knowledge, developing shared metrics and evaluation frameworks, fostering and ongoing learning community to accelerate innovation through sharing lessons, encouraging policy translation through cross-sectional leadership development.

In 2016, I also learned that Harvard partnered with Latin America to launch two innovation clusters, one in Mexico and in Brazil. Both innovations provided strategies to help children and families facing adversity. In Mexico, several projects were established, such as the Wellness in Your Pregnancy workshop, the Very Cool Dads coaching sessions and, the Time to Play home visiting program.

It is interesting to learn how many professionals around the world, work together to address issues as it relates to their very own community.

Reference

Working Globally - Center on the Developing Child. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://developingchild.harvard.edu/about/what-we-do/global-work/