The congress on the influence of neuroscience in the development and education of young children has been co-organised by UNESCO, Ensemble for Early Childhood Education (First Years First Priority French National Coordinator) and the Babilou Family Foundation in Marseille on 29 September 2022.
The aim of the event which brought together more than 600 people, was to eflect on new pedagogical methods within childcare facilities based on the progress made by neuroscience in recent years. Early Childhood Development (ECD) experts presented the findings of the recent neuroscience explorations on effective and quality ECD strategies and debated on:
- the contribution of neuroscience in developing social and emotional competencies and how to integrate socio-emotional skills in childcare and educational practices in preschool environments.
- how to reduce inequalities from the early years
- trainings for early childhood professionals
- children’s screen time
The exchanges between experts from different backgrounds have brought out practical solutions for parents and educators on many issues:
- Moderating the use of screens
- Providing more play activities and materials
- Strengthening the social image of early childhood professionals and supporting families
This event also served as a preparation for the World Conference on ECCE (WCECCE) which will be hosted in Tashkent (Uzbekistan) from 14 to 16 November and will focus on social and emotional competencies, language, cognitive & emotional development and psychosocial skills, multilingualism, and the exposure of young children to screens.
