Üsküdar University Faculty of Health Sciences Head of Child Development Department Prof. Dr. Nurper Ülküer attended the International Congress titled “From Science to Policy” organized by the Early Childhood Development Civil Society Organizations Platform. Ülküer, making evaluations regarding early childhood development and ongoing studies, said: “Today, we are here with many valuable participants from various sectors and institutions who are dedicated to giving our children the best start. This situation gives us excitement and hope, but we know we are still at the beginning of the road. We hope that the outcomes here will serve as a roadmap for us.”
“Development is the most fundamental right of children”
Prof. Dr. Nurper Ülküer pointed out that programs supporting early childhood development will reduce the effects of poverty on children and families: “Scientific research conducted and published since the beginning of the 21st century has revealed and clearly stated that early childhood studies form the basis of human development. We named our first session ‘From Science to Policy’. We are aware that for governments, the investment with the lowest cost and highest return is the investment made in early childhood development. Among the social indicators of health prepared by the World Health Organization, it is emphasized that early childhood development is an equalizer in eliminating health inequalities. Early childhood development has entered the plans of the World Health Organization. Most importantly, development is the most fundamental right of children. However, we know that today, in many countries around the world and in Turkey, there are problems in accessing quality early childhood development. The group that should primarily benefit from the services provided are caregivers of disadvantaged young children. But this group cannot benefit from the service to the extent of their needs.” she said.
“Early childhood development is among the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals”
Referring to the importance of early childhood within the framework of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, Ülküer said: “Early childhood development appears as a global commitment because it is included in the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. We know that important studies on early childhood have been initiated in Turkey until 2023. This situation gives confidence and support to our work. Based on these reasons and international, global, and national developments, our platform's vision is for all children, within the life span from prenatal to 8 years of age, to be healthy, happy, confident, learning and continuously learning individuals who have reached their highest developmental potential, and for no child to be left behind. Our mission is to establish communication among civil society organizations with experience and work in this field supporting early childhood development, to share experiences, to prepare joint work through consultation and cooperation, to produce projects, and to ensure more investment in evidence-based services that will support early childhood development.”
“Whoever we shared our plan with, welcomed it with great enthusiasm”
Speaking about the ongoing work and plans, Ülküer elaborated on the process of the studies in this field by referring to the purpose of organizing the congress: “We plan to carry out studies to support children in making the best start in their lives. Regarding what our planned studies should be and how they should be shaped, we wanted to hold a meeting with the stakeholders and determine a roadmap – this is how the idea for this congress was born. We wanted to review the accessibility features of sectoral, inter-sectoral, and supra-sectoral service delivery models necessary to ensure all children have access to services such as good health, good nutrition, responsive care, early learning, and protection that will develop children and their families according to their characteristics and needs. Our aim in this congress is to seek answers to questions such as how this service will be financed, and what investment and governance models could be. Whoever we shared our plan with, welcomed us with great enthusiasm.” she stated.
“We hope the results will be a roadmap for us”
Ülküer pointed out that they formed the conceptual framework of the congress after extensive and multi-sectoral consultations; “Our ministers, international organizations, and NGOs had put considerable thought into this matter. We formed the conceptual framework of the congress after consultations and tried to shape our sessions around these questions. Today, we are working together with many participants here who believe in this topic and are concerned with providing the best start for our children. This congress will be one of the milestones of a long journey. We will create our roadmap with the results obtained today. Our ultimate goal is to support every child in becoming a healthy, happy, self-confident individual who learns and continues to learn, reaching their full developmental potential, ensuring no child is left behind.” she said.
Significant figures such as Saja Abdullah from UNICEF, Aigül Kuttumuratova and Joel E. Reyes from the World Health Organization attended the congress, which garnered significant interest from participants. The congress highlighted current and planned studies related to the topic of “Early Childhood Development.”