Join us for an inspiring webinar on early childhood education in times of social and political transitions 

The International Step by Step Association (ISSA) and Georgetown University’s Center for Child and Human Development, invite you to an inspiring webinar, featuring the co-authors of the new open-access book, Early Childhood Education in Social and Political Transitions, published by Bloomsbury Academic.

Structured as a moderated conversation, the webinar will explore how reimagining and investing in young children and fostering democratic values at all levels of early education systems can shape a brighter future. Hear insights about how to catalyze meaningful systemic change directly from experts engaged in the roll out of Open Society’s Step by Step Program and the establishment of ISSA and its vibrant network of national associations in the decades that followed the political transitions in Europe and Eurasia in the 1990s.

Why Attend? This is a unique opportunity to hear reflections from the authors about how to advance democratic values in early education during periods of social and political change. The webinar will also feature excerpts from interviews with program experts who introduced new practices to early childhood educators and who catalyzed a movement to promote social inclusion and equity in the earliest years. They will share the complexities and opportunities of collaborating with governments as well as the ways to apply lessons learned in today’s context. Whether you’re an educator, policymaker, or advocate, this webinar will provide insights that can inspire your own work.

Meet the Speakers:

• Phyllis Magrab, PhD (Moderator) is a well-known pediatric psychologist. She is Professor of Pediatrics and formerly directed Georgetown University’s Center for Child and Human Development (GUCCHD). She currently leads the Georgetown Collaborative for Research and Education to Advance Children’s Health (GC-REACH) and holds the position of UNESCO Chair.
• Martin Woodhead is emeritus professor of childhood studies at The Open University, UK. His international work includes projects with Save the Children, Council of Europe, OECD, Bernard van Leer Foundation, UNICEF, and UNESCO. He was special advisor to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in the preparation of General Comment 7: Implementing Child Rights in Early Childhood and associate research director of Young Lives, a longitudinal study of child poverty in Ethiopia, India, Peru, and Vietnam, based at University of Oxford. Between 2008 and 2015 he chaired the advisory board of Open Society’s Early Childhood Program.
• Sarah Klaus, EdD is Adjunct Assistant Professor at Georgetown University’s Center for Child and Human Development, USA, and is an independent advisor and consultant to foundations, international agencies and NGOs.  Formerly she directed the Early Childhood Program at the Open Society Foundations.  
• Jan Peeters, PhD is a Senior Researcher and Consultant, based in Belgium, working with  Ghent University’s VBJK Center and Fair Start Stories, the European Commission and UNICEF, including in Eastern European countries.  Formerly, he was a Senior Researcher in the Department of Social Pedagogy and Social Work at Ghent University, Belgium.
• Tatjana Vonta, PhD, now retired, was Senior Researcher and Head of the Step by Step Centre at the Educational Research Institute, an Associate Professor at the University of Primorska, Slovenia, and provided independent consultancy services to ISSA, Open Society Foundations and UNICEF. 

Don't miss this opportunity to learn from the individuals who shaped early childhood education through innovation and dedication. 

The book is available as an open-source resource and can be found here. 

Register now to join this inspiring and thought-provoking conversation!