Colombian Government Advocates for Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in Education to Promote Wellbeing and Social Justice
Executive Summary
The Colombian government believes that education goes beyond numeracy and literacy. It must provide children with social and emotional learning (SEL) to promote mental health, wellbeing, and social justice. Discriminatory mindsets are the root cause of human rights violations and injustices across boundaries. Inequality has long-lasting consequences for individuals and communities.Post-pandemic, mental health challenges, especially for vulnerable children, are crucial. Our education and health systems must address this need. To tackle these urgent problems, SEL for wellbeing and social justice must be taught in classrooms. Think Equal is a socio-emotional education programme for Early Childhood that promotes prosocial behaviors and reduces antisocial behaviors. It includes lesson plans, resources, and narrative picture books. Implementation involves simple activities conducted three times a week for 30 weeks.Despite COVID-19 limitations, adaptations were made for remote learning, such as audio-stories and infographics. The programme was implemented in 180 care and education units, benefiting over 1,600 children. Fundación Escuela Nueva played a key role, supported by the IADB and evaluated by Innovations for Poverty Action.
Implementation
Coalition of Implementers and Collaborators: Think Equal (Knowledge Partner), Fundación Escuela Nueva (“FEN”: Implementation Partner), Inter-American Development Bank (“IADB” Organizational and Funding Partner), Innovation for Poverty Action (“IPA”, Evaluation Partner), Instituto Colombiano de Bienstar Familiar (ICBF) Actions executed by FEN to adapt and implement the programme in Colombia: Reviewed language in printed materials; Adapted Think Equal´s strategies to develop the programme; Delivered printed materials and stationery kits to Hogares Comunitarios de Bienestar Familiar and directly to children aged 3-5; Produced weekly digital content via WhatsApp: (Audio stories, Support audio files with instructions for pedagogical activities, Infographics to complement the instructional audio files); Organized and developed 12 virtual group training workshops for Community Mothers; Shared digital content with teachers and families on a weekly basis; Conducted 4 follow-up and monitoring calls to each Community Mother; Held 12 meetings and 12 focus groups with Community Mothers to share experiences and feedback
Stakeholders and partners involved
Direct beneficiaries: Madres Communitarias (´Community mothers´ in HCBs), Children aged 3-5 served by Community mothers
Indirect beneficiaries: Caregivers and families of the children programme and policy details: Total of 180 public and community-based care and education units (HCBs) implemented the Think Equal programme.
Over 1,600 children from 9 diverse cities in Colombia benefited from the programme. The programme was implemented in 5 departments: Antioquia (Bello, Copacabana, Itagüi, and Medellín), Bolivar (Cartagena), Córdoba (Montería and Cereté), Magdalena (Santa Marta), and Sucre (Sincelejo). Community Mothers in this ECCE service modality serve as teachers for children living nearby, whose ages can range from 1 to 5 years old. The Think Equal programme was adapted to the Colombian context and called Educar en Equidad by the Fundación Escuela Nueva Volvamos a la Gente (FEN) through an agreement with the Inter-American Development Bank. An independent evaluation of the programme was conducted by Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)
Impact
Feedback from Community Mothers: Children learned to manage and identify emotions; Children incorporated language that acknowledges emotions; Children showed empathy towards their families and peers; Community Mothers highly appreciate the Educar en Equidad programme.
Results from IPA Evaluation: Children in the treatment group showed higher self-awareness, prosocial behaviors, and cognitive development compared to the control group; Treated teachers reported improved mental wellbeing compared to the control group; Illiterate mothers learned to read through the programme, resulting in increased literacy for both children and mothers.
Future Implementation: 60% of teachers expressed eagerness to continue implementing the programme in 2022, even without follow-up from pedagogical advisors, in an in-person environment.
Innovations
The Role of Institutional Support, Family Engagement, and Strong Teams for Child Development Programmes
Impact on families: Families with children who received the programme are more willing to read and play with their children. Weekly activities via WhatsApp and audio stories incentivized spending time together and discussing emotions, breathing exercises, and more. Positive impact on learning environments and connectedness at home and within ECCE community units.
Institutional support: Authorities must invite participation, facilitate programme launches, and engage teachers and families with books and concrete activities to ensure success and sustainability.
Importance of a strong team:A strong team of key stakeholders is an important factor for success.
Constraints
Level of engagement among teachers: Not all teachers had the same level of engagement with the programme. To tackle this, Indicators and descriptions of implementation levels were developed for pedagogical advisors to use during monitoring calls. These indicators helped establish specific steps to engage teachers with low implementation levels. Close collaboration with local authorities to motivate and support teachers who were falling behind or lacked satisfactory commitment or engagement.
Investing in Comprehensive Socio-Emotional Learning Initiatives not only Enhances Children´s Development but also Empowers Caregivers and Strengthens Family Dynamics
The positive experience with the Think Equal programme was evident as Community Mothers rated their experience with the programme very highly, averaging a score of 9.66 out of 10. According to the Community Mothers, they observed significant improvements in children´s verbal skills, ability to listen, emotional management, social behavior, respect, conflict resolution, and coping skills. The programme also had a positive impact on the socio-emotional learning of the Community Mothers themselves, enhancing their teaching skills and their ability to listen to children. The programme´s use of essential tools like books, audio stories, and infographics proved to be helpful in its implementation. Furthermore, the programme had the added benefit of strengthening family bonds, with children even teaching their parents about socio-emotional management. Practical factors such as internet signal and telephone support played a role in the programme´s implementation, and it is important to consider the learning curve when planning the programme´s timeframe.