During an applied workshop for the Khalifa International Award for Early Learning:
Khalifa Award for Education: The UAE is a forerunner in early childhood care.
Cairo Arafat: Emphasizing child protection and achieving their well-being.
Abu Dhabi: Wednesday, January 18, 2023
The General Secretariat of the Khalifa Award for Education confirmed that early childhood care tops the priorities of the national agenda of the United Arab Emirates. The UAE provided a unique model caring for this category by creating a stimulative environment leading to healthy growth in various social, educational, health, and cultural aspects. Additionally, enacting laws and legislation were supported to enable this category to establish a roadmap to enhance its role in serving the country nowadays and in the future.
The General Secretariat of the Award organized a workshop at its headquarters in Abu Dhabi to introduce The Khalifa International Award for Early Learning field. The workshop title is: “Creating a Harmonious and Integrated Platform of ECD Standards for Care and Development Providers.” The workshop guest speaker was Dr. Cairo Arafat, a principal advisor in the private projects sector at the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority.
Dr. Cairo Arafat first highlighted the significant effect of developing a unified and integrated framework of early childhood development standards for caregivers and parents. That includes a suitable set of principles and guidelines to ensure the proper growth and development of children in early childhood and empower workers in the early childhood sector with the necessary knowledge and expertise to promote the development of children. She emphasized the importance of child protection’s impact on young children’s long-term growth and well-being.
Dr. Arafat then presented an overview of the stages of physical, cognitive, and social development of children in early childhood and stressed developing a vision for creating a unified set of principles, standards, and guidelines. This vision would ensure the proper development of children in the kindergarten stage. Dr. Arafat further discussed the vitality of developing a suitable set of regulations and procedures in achieving many essential advantages, such as increased coordination and effectiveness concerning child care and she elaborated on related practices to promote their development, emphasizing the importance of parental involvement in care and education activities and best practices that focus on family and cultural aspects.
The workshop included a Q&A segment where participants debated the best scientific and applied practices in early childhood care, discovering their talents and refining their personalities to keep pace with the future.