CDRF Holds Seminar on Design of Group Activities for Early Parenting Centers

On June 25, 2023, the China Development Research Foundation (CDRF) held a seminar on design of group activities for early parenting centers. Experts and scholars from renowned universities, research institutions and enterprises attended the seminar.

Qiao Zhengyang, Deputy Secretary General of CDRF, gave introduction on the work carried out by the foundation and the Child Development Research Institute, as well on going work of China REACH and the foundation’s considerations on early parenting centers.

Qiao Zhengyang said that the foundation has been dedicated to child development in China, and has been conducting social programs and longitudinal studies to provide a basis for national and local policymaking. China REACH project aims to fill in the gap in early parenting for children aged 0-3 years in less developed areas of China. The foundation collaborates with Nobel Laureate Professor James Heckman and his team at the University of Chicago to conduct research in the field of early childhood development, and the research results were published in leading international journals. The project is being gradually iterated and extended, not only in rural areas, but also in cities, expanding services by deploying early parenting centers. The foundation will continue to optimize programs, enrich the content of interventions, taking consideration of the individuality of children, to better meet the demands of parents and families. Qiao Zhengyang stressed that early childhood intervention is of great significance, we need to take into account the regional and cultural differences, stay up to date in early childhood development theories, maintain vision on core goals, and gradually form a standardized system of early childhood intervention, so as to be able to promote the program on a larger scale.

Cai Jianhua, senior advisor at the China Development Research Foundation's Child Development Research Institute, presented scenarios for the application of group activities in early parenting centers. He emphasized that as a supplement to the home visiting program, the new exploration will give more attention to cost control, motor skills development, use of music in developing rhythm and cultural skills, and the impact of group activities in supporting the development of social-emotional skills. He also introduced the composition of the 100 group activities.

The experts at the meeting discussed the design of the group activities, and expressed that the program is professionally and systematically designed, and that the activities are generally designed in accordance with the developmental rules of infants and toddlers, and are fun and can bring help in promoting children's physical and mental health, perseverance, confidence, motivation, social skills, emotional management and cognitive abilities. At the same time, the experts also made suggestions on the practicality and extendibility of the program.