LATEST NEWS
Working Together for Childhood
The Alliance for Childhood serves as a network that facilitates reflection and action by people with concerns about the care and education of children. It is not a conventional organisation, but an expression of a willingness to work together for the betterment of the experience of childhood. It exists in the shared work and spirit of cooperation whereby all partners can find mutual support. It is a collaborative approach that is created by commitment and by the activity itself.
Alliance for Childhood News
The Alliance for Childhood is continuing to thrive, despite a break in continuity with the website and our UK activities. Now we have moved to a new office in Forest Row, East Sussex and are building up activities in the local area. In April for example, Wendy Cook, author of Foodwise: Understanding What We Eat and How It Affects Us: The Story of Human Nutrition, gave a lecture on the subject of her book. Thanks to the help of Giovana Restino and Chris Grace, we have had a number of successful fund raising events.
The Alliance for Childhood European Network has been meeting regularly at the Euopean Parliament in Brussels with Members of the European Parliament and of the Network. Speakers in the last year included Dr Aric Sigman, Professor Dominique Haumont, Professor Luc Zimmermann, Silke Mader, Maria Kaisa Aula, Dr. Martine Delfos, Lea Pulkkinen, Jan van Gils & Jesper Juul. They all made a valuable contribution to our understanding of what factors go towards improving the quality of childhood. You can read their contributions in pdf format - see below.
Internationally, the Alliance for Childhood in Brazil is growing with great enthusiasm form parents all over the country. They are preparing to celebrate World Play Day with a whole week of play activities at 24 centres. We were privileged to have the help and support of Giovana de Sousa in getting our new initiatives of the ground.
In the US the Allaince for Childhhod has co-authored a new publication:
Facing the Screen Dilemma: Young Children, Technology and Early Education
with the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, and Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children’s Entertainment. See below for more details.
Facing the Screen Dilemma: Young Children, Technology and Early Education
Co-authored by the Alliance for Childhood, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and Teachers resisting Unhealthy Children's Entertainment
This guide is designed to help educators and parents make informed decisions about whether, why, how, and when to use screen technologies with young children. Just because products are marketed as “educational” doesn’t mean they are. How do we best support children’s growth, development, and learning in a world radically changed by technology?
A Facebook page has been set up devoted to discussing the ideas in Facing the Screen Dilemma.
Alliance for Childhood European Network
Improving the Quality of Childhood in Europe 2013 New!
This publication consists of talks given by a range of experts to the Working Group on the Quality of Childhood (QoC) at the European Parliament during 2011/2012.
Contributors include Michiel Matthes, Christopher Clouder, Dr Aric Sigman, Professor Dominique Haumont, Professor Luc Zimmermann, Silke Mader, Maria Kaisa Aula, Dr. Martine Delfos, Lea Pulkkinen, Jan van Gils & Jesper Juul. Edited by Belinda Heys, Michiel Matthes & Patrice Sullivan.
Available as pdf here