Parents and caregivers have an important role to play in their children’s development. Their responsive caregiving and playful parenting set a critical trajectory for brain development in young children, which lays a solid foundation for healthy development and lifelong learning. It is therefore important to ensure that parents and caregivers receive the quality support they need to be able to engage in playful parenting with their young children.
On 19 July 2022, Aga Khan Foundation, Aga Khan University Institute for Human Development, ECDAN and UNICEF, with support from the LEGO Foundation, invite ECD practitioners to join them in a Technical Help Chat focused on supporting and building the capacity of parents and caregivers to engage in playful parenting, using existing packages such as Care for Child Development (CCD) developed by UNICEF and WHO. The Technical Help Chat will delve deeper into how to strengthen the knowledge and skills of parents and caregivers in different contexts and build upon previous webinars and technical help chats on this topic.
What is a Technical Help Chat?
A panel of experts from academia and implementing agencies will provide advice on how to solve real challenges (in this case challenges focused on playful parenting support to parents/caregivers) faced by participants in the Technical Help Chat. Unlike a webinar, the format of a technical help chat is entirely based on Q&A to allow for more time for discussion.
What topic will the Technical Help Chat focus on?
The Technical Help Chat will focus on strategies for supporting parents/caregivers and addressing their needs across contexts to provide optimal care to children through impactful models such as Care for Child Development (CCD). The Help Chat will address questions such as:
- What are the best strategies for supporting parents/caregivers of children with developmental delays and disabilities to recognize, interpret, and address the child’s needs including supporting their development?
- In what ways can we enhance positive caregiver-child interactions and caregiver engagement among vulnerable populations (e.g. families affected by violence, humanitarian crises etc.) in diverse contexts?
- How can we provide enabling environments for parents/caregivers to enhance their mental and emotional wellbeing with the aim of ensuring that children have a strong start in life?
- How can we facilitate support of other family members/caregivers to engage in playful parenting?
- How can parents/caregivers who are juggling multiple responsibilities be supported to engage in playful parenting and responsive caregiving?
How can the expert panel help me with my challenge related to supporting parents/caregivers during the Technical Help Chat?
You can submit the questions you want help with using the webinar registration form. We will review all the challenges and aggregate 5-6 challenges that cover a range of issues related to supporting parents/caregivers through playful parenting interventions.
How will I benefit from the Technical Help Chat?
Technical Help Chats are opportunities for practitioners to gather to share specific implementation questions or challenges they are experiencing and seek advice from a panel of experts and other practitioners on how to tackle these challenges. This Technical Help Chat will provide a space for practitioners to ask and discuss solutions to specific questions and challenges focused on how to support caregivers and families build supportive and nurturing environments for children.
