Getting to Know Your International Contacts-Part 2

The center on the Developing Child at Harvard University was founded in year 2006. The center believes that healthy child development is the foundations of our world's prosperity, firm communities and social justices. Their mission is to advance the vision by the use of science to enhance the development of young children. The Children's Institute has 3 main focused objectives.

1. To refrain public discourse about the early childhood period by educating high level decisions underlying science of learning, behavior, and health;

2. To support innovative, multidisciplinary research and demonstration projects in selected countries or regions to expand global understanding of how healthy development happens, how it can be derailed, and how to get it back on track;

3. To build leadership capacity in child development research policy among individuals and institutions in low- and middle-income countries in order to increase the number and influence of diverse perspectives that are contributing to the global movement on behalf of young children.

• Early Childhood Development

For this area, the goals is to educate the leadership of key international agencies about the importance of assessing quality in early childhood environments an programs, piloting assessments to measure child development outcomes in Zambia; expanding effective intervention to improve preschool quality in Chile.

• Child Mental Health

An urgent need to identify the scope of the problem within and across multiple countries. The workers of the Harvard faculty is developing an agenda in research, education, and public engagement to address the gaps in the delivery of services

• Children in Crisis and Conflict Situations

The main goal is to work alongside of other countries with a science based approach to assess and manage the well being of children who suffer from crisis's. The focus is on immediate circumstances and long-term adaptations.

The Global Children's Initiative website is a great resource t be aware of all the Harvard University is doing to help children and communities in different countries. Issues and trends are not only taking place is the U.S., but there are other countries who are suffering and need support from their fellow countries.