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This conference brought together early childhood development (ECD) practitioners, theorists, public and civic sector representatives, policymakers, educational and health institutions, philanthropic organisations - united by a shared commitment to positively impacting the lives of young children.
14 November 2024
Opero, Prague, CZ
The conference was held under the patronage of the First Lady of the Czech Republic, Eva Pavlová, who underscored the event’s significance through her assertion:
“Regardless of where they are born, young children have the right to optimal conditions for their full healthy development. In particular, the most vulnerable groups of children must be supported to give them a fair start in life. Quality early childhood care and support is the foundation for a successful future for all of us.”
Eva Pavlová
First Lady of the Czech Republic
Thanks to Czech Television, a recording of the Places to Grow Conference is available in Czech.
Hungarin version is here. English version is coming soon.
Studies show that high-quality Early Childhood Development (ECD) programs are among the most effective interventions, offering some of the highest documented returns for all. Early childhood experiences, especially in a child's first thousand days, are critical, shaping their health, education, income, and potential, and influencing the trajectory of their entire life and society as a whole. These experiences impact societal dimensions like inequality, populism, and democracy. Despite this importance, there is insufficient focus on ECD in Central Europe.
According to esteemed medical journal, The Lancet (2017), failing to support ECD can lead to substantial economic losses, such as reducing average adult income by about 25% and doubling a country’s healthcare costs, as well as severe effects on health systems, democracy, and climate change.
Places to Grow aims to improve systems of ECD services by involving various sectors (e.g., education, healthcare, government) and encouraging cooperation in Czechia, Hungary, and Slovakia. We aim to create an equitable and discrimination-free ECD future by focusing on efforts involving the public and civic sectors. This conference fostered these partnerships and highlighted the collaborative projects from our Joint Action Fund.
The conference was a joint effort led by Holis in close partnership with Porticus and the Places to Grow program partners. Our united goal is to foster a thriving ECD ecosystem that empowers every child to realise their full potential.
Hence, "Supporting Children, Transforming Tomorrow."
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James Cairns
Senior Director for Strategic Engagements and Organizational Learning, Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
James Cairns is Senior Director for Strategic Engagements and Organizational Learning at the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. He leads Center-wide efforts focused on understanding the early childhood ecosystem and the Center’s role in it, including developing strategic collaborations and partnerships, and leading efforts to understand and measure the impact of the Center’s work. He also continues to provide strategic guidance to the Center’s international portfolio and partnerships. Prior to joining the Center, James served as the Director of Programs at the World Conference of Religions for Peace, and as Director of the Advocacy and Action for Children Program. He holds master’s degrees in international relations and theology from Yale University and a bachelor’s degree in government from Harvard University.
Stano Daniel
Programme Manager, Porticus Vienna
Stano Daniel is an expert on social inclusion with primary focus on inclusive education and support in early childhood. As a programme manager at Porticus Vienna he focuses on education in Central and Eastern Europe. His preceding international experience includes networking of civil society organisations working with disadvantaged children at European level, research of human rights in education, migration, health, housing. Along with his job he also is a member of the board of directors of Trnava University and the Roma Education Fund.
Mihaela Ionescu
Program Director, ISSA
Mihaela Ionescu is the Program Director at ISSA. She is an early childhood education expert, holding a BA in Education Sciences, a master’s degree in management and school administration and a Doctorate in Education Sciences. In the past 30 years, she worked in many capacities: teacher; researcher; education policy developer – curricula, early childhood national strategies, quality national and international standards; trainer and manager of programs at local, national and international scale aiming to improve the quality of early childhood services. Her expertise covers: process quality and quality assurance, equity and inclusion, professional development and leadership in early childhood services and integrated early childhood services. Her work sits at the intersection between policy, research and practice, connecting country level with the regional and global, using evidence to influence the policies and improve the everyday practice in early childhood services. Lead author/editor of several publications focusing on quality, equity and integrated services. Most recently she led the development of the UNICEF-ISSA publication: Strengthening local governments' capacity to ensure quality, equitable and comprehensive services - Early Childhood Development toolbox for local governments to support young children and their families.
Agata D’Addato
Head of Programmes, Eurochild
Agata is Head of Programmes at Eurochild, a membership network of organisations and individuals working WITH and FOR children throughout Europe. She leads Eurochild’s strategic planning of funded-partnerships and programmes. She manages relationships to strengthen the sustainability and impact of Eurochild programmes and campaigns, including the First Years, First Priority, a Europe-wide campaign on early childhood development.
Before joining Eurochild in 2008, Agata, who holds a PhD in Demography, worked as a researcher in various universities and well-renowned research institutes across Europe in the fields of demographic change and family policies.
Before joining Eurochild in 2008, Agata, who holds a PhD in Demography, worked as a researcher in various universities and well-renowned research institutes across Europe in the fields of demographic change and family policies.
Markus Janzen
Country Manager for Central and Eastern Europe, Porticus
Markus Janzen is the Country Manager for Central and Eastern Europe at Porticus. He has more than 15 years of experience working in the philanthropic sector in CEE and across Europe, with a focus on civil society, democracy, education and wellbeing. He is a bridge builder and convener, serving on the Steering Committee for Konektor, Phileas thematic network on Central and Eastern Europe.
Shoshana Chovan
Policy Officer, Cesta von
Shoshana Chovan is a Policy officer at Cesta von. She is a psychologist and a researcher, with her main focus being Early childhood development in marginalised Roma communities.
Charmaine Bonello
Resident Academic Senior Lecturer, University of Malta
Charmaine Bonello is a Resident Academic Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood and Primary education at the University of Malta. Since 1997, she has worked in and studied early and primary education. She finished her doctoral and master's degrees in early childhood education at the University of Sheffield in the UK. Her current research interests in Early Childhood Education and Care are Emergent Curriculum, Children’s Rights, Early Literacy, Postcolonial Education, and Quality Interactions. She is also the co-founder and Vice President of the Early Childhood Development Association of Malta (ECDAM), a member of the Board of Administrators of the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society, and the co-founder of the Early Childhood and Primary Education (ECPE) Research Group, University of Malta. ECDAM is a member of the Eurochild network. In addition to being the author of the Routledge book "Boys, Early Literacy, and Children's Rights in a Postcolonial Context" (Bonello, 2022), she is the co-editor of the international refereed journal Postcolonial Directions in Education.
Lucie Plešková
Early Childhood Development Specialist at UNICEF
Lucie leads UNICEF’s early childhood development (ECD) and education programmes focused on supporting equitable access to quality ECD services and inclusive education for refugees and other vulnerable children, including Roma and children with disabilities, from early childhood to adolescence.
In the Czech Republic, UNICEF has been working in close partnership with the Government and national institutions to support the delivery of the refugee response, including targeted humanitarian services, policy and systems strengthening, as well as enhancement of national and local capacities.
Lucie received a MA in Psychology with a focus on child and family psychology and therapy. She has more than 20 years of experience working with vulnerable children and their families within the educational, social and health sectors, ranging from providing direct services to working in non-governmental, international or philanthropic organizations.
In the Czech Republic, UNICEF has been working in close partnership with the Government and national institutions to support the delivery of the refugee response, including targeted humanitarian services, policy and systems strengthening, as well as enhancement of national and local capacities.
Lucie received a MA in Psychology with a focus on child and family psychology and therapy. She has more than 20 years of experience working with vulnerable children and their families within the educational, social and health sectors, ranging from providing direct services to working in non-governmental, international or philanthropic organizations.
Maria Herczog
Economist and a sociologist
Maria is an economist and a sociologist with over 35 years of experience in teaching at university courses and in vocational training courses. She has been playing an important role in the child protection reforms of Hungary and other transition countries in Central and Eastern Europe during the last almost three decades in different capacities, as a temporary scientific advisor of UNICEF, WHO, Council of Europe, national governments, and the EU. She has been also active in the building of the civil society in the CEE region, becoming the first Eastern European member of the executive board of IFSW for 6 years, later a board member of IFCO for two years. She was elected to the UNCRC Committee in 2006 and reelected in 2010, where she was the rapporteur of the Committee for the last 2 years. A founding member of Eurochild on behalf of the Family, Child, Youth Association operating in Hungary with her different leadership roles since 1993. She has been working as an elected member of the Management Board since 2009, and as president at Eurochild since 2010.
Annamaria Cosatti
Programme Manager, The Human Safety Net
Annamaria Cosatti is the Programme Manager of the For Families Programme at The Human Safety Net, the flagship community initiative of the Generali Group. The Programme, aimed at supporting parents living in vulnerable circumstances, currently involves 57 NGOs in 24 Countries.
Annamaria comes to The Human Safety Net with 10 years of experience in Save the Children Italy’s national programmes, where she was Head of ECD Unit. She has been part of the Save the Children International Early Learning Working Group, The Transatlantic Forum on inclusive Early Years and many working groups on ECD at the national level.
Annamaria comes to The Human Safety Net with 10 years of experience in Save the Children Italy’s national programmes, where she was Head of ECD Unit. She has been part of the Save the Children International Early Learning Working Group, The Transatlantic Forum on inclusive Early Years and many working groups on ECD at the national level.
Kateřina Sirotková
Director, Czech Platform for Early Care
Kateřina has a degree in social work and social policy from Charles University, Prague, Czechia. A great life experience for her was a year of studies at the Université Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium as well as a one-year internship in the European umbrella organisation EASPD, which brings together social service providers. Her professional experience is both direct with families in their natural environment and in residential services. She has three sons, and it is her own parenting experience that has gradually led her to the topic of early care - since 2019 under the umbrella of the OSF Foundation and, after its independence, directly under the Czech Platform for Early Care - Platforma pro včasnou péči.
Daniel Prokop
Founder and Director of PAQ Research
Daniel Prokop is a quantitative sociologist and founder of PAQ Research, a think-tank focused on researching educational inequality and social mobility and designing evidence-based reforms of education, social and tax policies. Daniel is a co-author of Strategy for the Education Policy 2030+ and member of the National Economic Advisory Bureau of the Czech Government. In 2020, he published Blind Spots (Slepé skvrny), a bestselling book addressing current social and educational issues. In the past, Daniel worked for the MEDIAN agency, where he implemented numerous innovations to Czech elections and other quantitative surveys.
Lieve De Bosscher
Director Childcare Services, City of Ghent (Belgium)
Lieve is the director of the Childcare Services in the city of Ghent, Belgium.
The City of Ghent has extensive expertise in implementing a social policy with respect to accessibility of ECEC for vulnerable children. It was mentioned as one of the four inspiring cases in the feasibility report on the Child Guarantee. It also has substantial expertise in implementing systemic quality, pedagogical coaching and continuous professional development.
The organisation of the city services can be characterised by its role as a large scale provider of early childhood services for children aged 0 to 3, the facilitation and support of ECEC accessibility for vulnerable families and children in ECEC and its experience in developing a cross sectoral network approach and integrated city policy for ECEC, welfare and (mental) healthcare services.
Over the last years, Lieve added internationalisation to the service, e.g. via Eurocities, as leading member in the Working Group Children, an active member in the ISSA network with the ISSA Conference in Ghent (2017), collaboration with UNICEF and participation in the European Commission Working Group on ECEC on workforce policy and social inclusion (2018-2020). Lieve has a BA in History and MA Comparative Cultural Sciences. Lieve formerly worked in grassroots organisations for children and families in deprivation and exclusion in a municipal setting, with a focus on recent migration and ethnic minorities.
Over the last years, Lieve added internationalisation to the service, e.g. via Eurocities, as leading member in the Working Group Children, an active member in the ISSA network with the ISSA Conference in Ghent (2017), collaboration with UNICEF and participation in the European Commission Working Group on ECEC on workforce policy and social inclusion (2018-2020). Lieve has a BA in History and MA Comparative Cultural Sciences. Lieve formerly worked in grassroots organisations for children and families in deprivation and exclusion in a municipal setting, with a focus on recent migration and ethnic minorities.
Marek Pour
Researcher and evaluator, Schola Empirica
Marek Pour has contributed to several methodologies in education and social work. His work ranges from evaluating the Czech implementation of the KiVa anti-bullying program to developing social work methodology aimed at enhancing parenting competencies in socioeconomically disadvantaged families. Currently, Marek is part of an evaluation team assessing the impact of a community-based Early Childhood Development program targeting marginalised communities in Slovakia. During the conference, Marek and his colleagues from Cesta von will present their evaluation findings and discuss potential future directions.
Martina Svekusova
MD Paediatrician, ECD/ECI Consultant, Early Childhood Intervention Center Košice, NPO
A certified paediatrician, Martina held clinical and teaching positions at the P.J.Šafárik University School of Medicine in Košice. Since 2016 she has actively participated in the development of ECI services in Slovakia, with a special focus on children with developmental disabilities. Her professional experience in this field includes direct work with the families in their natural environments, counselling and lecturing on the topics of developmental paediatrics and ECI. She is a member of the Intersectoral Expert Advisory Group at the Ministry of Social Affairs, focusing on intersectoral cooperation and coordination of ECD/ECI services and the implementation of evidence-based, family-centred practices.
Thomas Moser
Professor, National Centre for Learning Environment and Behavioural Research, University of Stavanger
Thomas Moser is a full professor of early childhood education and care at the National Centre for Learning Environment and Behavioural Research at the University of Stavanger, Norway. His current research focuses on kindergarten's quality and effects, inclusion, children's well-being, development and learning in ECEC and play- and learning environments. Thomas is (and was) involved in several national and international research projects in the field of ECEC and was a member of several government-appointed committees in Norway. He is a member of the management team of the National Centre for Research in Early Education and Care (FILIORUM) at the University of Stavanger, funded by the Research Council of Norway.
Miroslav Klempar
Community Organiser, Awen Amenca
A community organiser in the Czech Republic. Worked as an educational adviser for Roma students in the United Kingdom in years 2004 - 2014, and works as a community organiser and consultant in research and advocacy projects in Ostrava regarding segregation of Roma children in education in the Czech Republic since. Member of The Coordination Committee of the Early Childhood Platform, educational advisor for the Council of Europe in the INSCHOOL project and founder of Awen Amenca z.s. Awen Amenca is organising the Roma community with regards to equal access of Romani children to quality education. Its grassroots campaigning work led to reducing segregation in Ostrava, and its desegregation effort led to several good practices used as an example for desegregation processes in the Czech Republic. Awen Amenca is also a member of the Platform for Early Childhood Education, and Miroslav is a board member of this platform.
Adriana Drugová
Programme Manager, Carpathian Foundation Slovakia
She studied her Bachelor's degree at the University of Economics in Bratislava and then her Master's degree at Aarhus University in Denmark. After returning from Denmark, she joined the Teach programme and taught children from the marginalised Roma community in Huncovce for 2 years. Then she started working as an Omama mentor for Cesta von. The training in Teach and Cesta von - and the field work itself enabled her to understand the current situation of Roma in Slovakia and also its causes in the past. All this led her to work at the Carpathian Foundation, where she manages the Roma Community Development Programme. In addition, she trains for the Hrdinovia internetu programme, which educates educators on digital safety and citizenship in primary schools. She also mentors the coordinator of the educational club Budúcnosť inak.
Éva Deák
Executive Director, Partners Hungary Foundation
Éva has decades of experience in education, from the civil sector to the for-profit sector. She translates innovative methodologies to the domestic context, with proven and adaptable tools to increase effectiveness. She is passionate about child-centred education: already at the beginning of her career, she experienced how to create programs in which children develop, feel good, have an inspiring environment, and have varied activities. Since then, she has been working so that students can study in happier schools: the Step by Step program is an excellent example of this. She is proud to lead a professional community that takes an active role in the domestic introduction of new, innovative methods in the fields of conflict management, democracy development and education.
Ivanka Shalapatova
Senior Social Policy Expert
Ms Ivanka Shalapatova is a versatile and results-oriented professional with a PhD in Early Childhood Development (ECD) and a passion for driving positive social change through strategic leadership and collaborative action. She has extensive experience as a social policy leader within the non-governmental sector and state and regional administration executive bodies to benefit children and families. She has been working in the social sector for almost 27 years. She has international experience in hands-on technical support for the design and execution of direct social and integrated services, including social protection, child protection, alternative care, and ECD (including early intervention, early childhood education and care and parenting programmes). She is a skilled researcher competent in collecting and exploring complex data and uncovering meaningful insights to inform strategic decision-making. Ms. Shalapatova has been awarded nationally and internationally for her contribution to children’s rights and is considered a visionary and passionate catalyst for positive change.
Milan Zbořil
Coordinator for Community Planning of Social Services, Banská Bystrica Self-Governing Region
Since 1992, he has worked with non-governmental organisations, progressing from environmental issues to supporting refugees, integrating asylum seekers, and focusing on community development and community planning. He has extensive international experience as a humanitarian worker and program manager for the National Democratic Institute, where he served in Moldova and Myanmar, leading projects supporting democratic processes. In Belarus, he managed a pre-election program for civil society. His work emphasises the role of civil society in conflict resolution and transformational activities, highlighting its crucial importance for the stabilisation and development of society.
Maxim Dedushkov
Founder and Director, Holis and Project Lead, Places to Grow
Maxim is the Founder and Director of Holis, an agency dedicated to driving social change by offering strategic guidance, fostering meaningful connections, and creating sustainable environments where innovation and serendipity thrive. He is also a Project Lead at Places to Grow and Partner at Liminal, a new, global network of creative, strategic, technical and entrepreneurial people from widely different backgrounds.
He is interested in decision making, communities, organisations, design, technology, art and business. His research field that brings all of these together is Collaborative Intelligence Design. Maxim is a Visiting Lecturer at RCA where he delivers interdisciplinary workshops on this topic. He prefers to work on socially and environmentally just projects.
James Cairns
Senior Director for Strategic Engagements and Organizational Learning, Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
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Ivanka Shalapatova
Senior Social Policy Expert
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Thomas Moser
Professor, National Centre for Learning Environment and Behavioural Research, University of Stavanger
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Lieve De Bosscher
Director Childcare Services, City of Ghent (Belgium)
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Daniel Prokop
Founder and Director of PAQ Research
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Mihaela Ionescu
Program Director, ISSA
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Lucie Plešková
Early Childhood Development Specialist at UNICEF
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Markus Janzen
Country Manager for Central and Eastern Europe, Porticus
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Annamaria Cosatti
Programme Manager, The Human Safety Net
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Charmaine Bonello
Resident Academic Senior Lecturer, University of Malta
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Stano Daniel
Programme Manager, Porticus Vienna
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Martina Svekusova
MD Paediatrician, ECD/ECI Consultant, Early Childhood Intervention Center Košice, NPO
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Maria Herczog
Economist and a sociologist
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Miroslav Klempar
Community Organiser, Awen Amenca
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Agata D’Addato
Head of Programmes, Eurochild
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Kateřina Sirotková
Director, Czech Platform for Early Care
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Éva Deák
Executive Director, Partners Hungary Foundation
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Adriana Druguvá
Programme Manager, Carpathian Foundation Slovakia
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Marek Pour
Researcher and evaluator, Schola Empirica
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Shoshana Chovan
Policy Officer, Cesta von
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Milan Zbořil
Coordinator for Community Planning of Social Services, Banská Bystrica Self-Governing Region
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Maxim Dedushkov
Founder and Director, Holis and Project Lead, Places to Grow
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Christina Ermilio
christina@weareholis.org