CDRF Center for Child Development Attends Early Childhood Education Forum in Yunnan

The First Yunnan International Forum on Sustainable Rural Early Childhood Education, co-organized by Yunnan Provincial Department of Education and the World Bank, took place in Kunming on January 11 and 12, 2017. Designed to “focus on rural education, advance educational equity, strengthen academic research, promote demonstration and innovation, and share experience", the Forum brought together about 200 delegates from academic institutions, social organizations and international organizations across the globe, and consisted of five sessions at which the attendees conducted academic exchanges and shared experience about how to expand the coverage of preschool education in rural areas, improve the quality of preschool education and strengthen the application of evaluation tools.

Du Zhixin, Executive Director of CDRF Center for Child Development, led a delegation to the Forum. In his speech titled Early Childhood Ability Index: Measurement of Inequality in Early Childhood Development, he introduced a comparative study on preprimary children in Pudong New Area of Shanghai and Xundian County of Yunnan, pointing out that multiple factors lead to gaps in child development in different regions. The team of the Kindergarten Program in Mountain Villages program introduced the implementation of the program and the progress in advancing early childhood education in poor and remote rural areas.