As part of the Play to Learn initiative, with funding from the LEGO foundation, BRAC and Sesame Workshop designed a 6-month fathers’ engagement component to be added to an existing parenting intervention for mothers. The program was developed for fathers of children aged 0-3 in the Rohingya camps and surrounding host communities in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, and focuses on mental health, responsive caregiving, and engagement with family. As part of an impact evaluation of the intervention1, we at Global TIES, New York University, developed an instrument to measure the quality of the intervention delivery.

This brief discusses the importance of measuring quality, the process of developing and implementing this quality instrument, and the preliminary analysis of data collected using it. In addition to informing the impact evaluation, a broader goal of this work is to contribute to the emerging knowledge on measuring program quality and fidelity, particularly in low and middle income countries (LMIC) and emergency contexts, and better understand “how” and “why” parenting programs in these contexts do or do not work.

This study is a causal impact evaluation of Watch, Play, Learn (WPL), a program by Sesame Workshop that consists of videos that aim to bring playful early learning opportunities to children, especially those affected by conflict and crisis, via mobile phones. This study focused on the effects of WPL math and social-emotional skills content delivered to Venezuelan migrants and Colombian children living in communities in Colombia where families and children face challenges in accessing essential services, including early education. Implementation was led by the Colombia office of Innovations for Poverty Action.

This study is a causal impact evaluation of Watch, Play, Learn (WPL), a program by Sesame Workshop that consists of videos that aim to bring playful early learning opportunities to children, especially those affected by conflict and crisis, via mobile phones. This study focused on the effects of WPL math and social-emotional skills content delivered to Venezuelan migrants and Colombian children living in communities in Colombia where families and children face challenges in accessing essential services, including early education. Implementation was led by the Colombia office of Innovations for Poverty Action.

This study, led by Global TIES for Children at New York University in collaboration with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) research team, is an implementation study of a new intervention co-designed by the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Jordan, the IRC, and Sesame Workshop. This intervention seeks to increase families’ access to early childhood development (ECD) information and activities through the expansion of MoH midwife training beyond physical health and nutrition to other aspects of ECD, such as managing child behavioral challenges and supporting early learning,

and the incorporation of such additional content into well-child visits for children ages 0 to 5 years old.

In this insightful brief, we delve into the transformative power of the Core Practice approach—a beacon of hope for educators working in challenging environments. The Core Practice framework introduces evidence-based, high-impact teaching techniques that promise not only to enhance student learning outcomes but also to provide a practical, coherent, and adaptable solution for teacher professional development.

NORRAG has brought together 48 authors from academia, humanitarian agencies, and think tanks to produce 27 papers that showcase current evidence and offer policy directions to prioritise and protect the work and well being of refugee teachers everywhere.

In this brief, Global TIES researchers evaluate the effects of Ahlan Simsim, a television show co-produced by Sesame Workshop and Jordan Pioneers that has been viewed by more than 23 million children across the MENA region, including 57% of displaced Syrians across Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq.

In this brief, Global TIES researchers explore outcomes from the first evaluation of a remote early childhood education (ECE) program for families affected by conflict and crisis and the second of the effect of short-term (shorter than 3 months) ECE programming.

In this brief, Global TIES researchers evaluate a phone-delivered version of a parenting program in the Middle East and the first randomized-controlled evaluation of an audio-only parenting program.

الوصف: في هذا الملخص، قام باحثو مركز جلوبال تايز (Global TIES) بتقييم برنامج تربوي قائم عبر الهاتف لتنمية الطفولة المبكرة في الشرق الأوسط، وهو أول تقييم عشوائي محكم لمثل هذه البرامج في المنطقة. على الرغم من أهمية هذه البرامج خاصة في سياقات الأزمات والظروف الإنسانية التي تعرقل تنفيذ البرامج حضورياً إلا أن المعلومات حول آثار برامج تنمية الطفولة المبكرة المقدمة عن بُعد تعتبر قليلة. في عام 2020، قامت اللجنة الدولية للإغاثة بتكييف برنامج التربية الذي يتم تقديمه حضوريًا على شكل زيارات منزلية ليتم تقديمه عن بُعد عبر مكالمات هاتفية صوتية فقط، مما أتاح فرصة فريدة لتقييم برنامج تربوي مقدم عن بعد. البرنامج الحضوري الأصلي الذي تم تعديله يُدعى "Reach up and Learn-RUL" وقد قدمته اللجنة الدولية للإغاثة من عام 2016 حتى بداية عام 2020 في أجزاء من الأردن، واستهدف كلًا من المربين الأردنيين والسوريين. تم إجراء التعديلات لتقديمه عن بُعد كاستجابة للجائحة وكجزء من مبادرة "أهلاً سمسم" بالتعاون مع "ورشة سمسم".

الوصف: في هذا الملخص، يعرض الباحثون في مركز جلوبال تايز (Global TIES) نتائج تقيّم أثر برنامج أهلًا سمسم، وهو برنامج تلفزيوني قامت بإنتاجه ورشة عمل سمسم ومؤسسة جوردن بيونيرز (Jordan Pioneers TV Production)، والذي جذبت حلقاته أنظار أكثر من 23 مليون طفل في منطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال إفريقيا، بما في ذلك W من النازحين السوريين في الأردن ولبنان والعراق. تعد هذه الدراسة من أولى الدراسات التي من شأنها تقييم الأثر السببي لبرنامج إعلامي 1) تم تصميمه لبلدان الشرق الأوسط المتأثرة بالنزاع السوري وأزمة اللاجئين و 2) يركز على التطور العاطفي لدى الأطفال في المرحلة التمهيدية. وجدت الدراسة تأثيرات إيجابية على الأطفال فيما يتعلق ب: ١) معرفة برنامج أهلا سمسم وشخصياته ٢) التعرّف العاطفي المعبرّ (القدرة على تحديد العواطف المصورة بشكل صحيح) ٣) القدرة على تحديد عواطف الآخرين في سيناريوهات اجتماعية محددة ٤) ذكر استراتيجية التنفس كطريقة إدارة العواطف القوية وهي إحدى استراتيجيات تنظيم العواطف الست التي يركز عليها منهج "أهلًا سمسم".

الوصف: في هذا الملخص، يعرض الباحثون في مركز جلوبال تايز (Global TIES) نتائج أول تقييم لبرنامج تعلم مبكر مقدم عن بُعد في المناطق التي يصعب الوصول إليها في لبنان. هذه الدراسة هي الأولى من نوعها من حيث تقييم أثر برنامج للتعلم المبكر عن بُعد على الأسر المتضررة من النزاعات والأزمات وهي الثانية من نوعها في تقييم أثر مثل هذه البرامج قصيرة المدى (أقل من 3 أشهر). قامت الدراسة بتقييم أثر برنامج التعلم المبكر عن بُعد RELP وهو برنامج تمّ تقديمه لمدة 11 أسبوعًا بشكل منفرد و بالاقتران مع برنامج عائلات أهلًا سمسم ASF الذي يدعم أساليب تربية الأطفال. وفقًا لنتائج الدراسة، أدى التدخلان RELP و RELP+ASF الى تأثيرات إيجابية كبيرة على المهارات القرائية الناشئة، والمهارات الحسابية الناشئة، وتطور الطفل بشكل عام، وعلى لعب الأطفال أيضًا، في حين ظهرت تأثيرات إيجابية كبيرة على المهارات الاجتماعية/العاطفية والمهارات الحركية على المجموعة الّتي تلقّت RELP منفردًا. تبيّن أن حجم تأثيرات RELP على نمو وتطور الطفل هو ضمن نطاق التأثيرات التي ظهرت في التقييمات الحضورية في دور الحضانة في أنحاء العالم، مما يشير إلى أنه من الممكن استخدام البرنامج كبديل قابل للتطبيق لدعم الأطفال في المناطق التي يكون فيها التعليم الحضوري غير ممكن.

In this brief, Global TIES researchers demonstrate the utility of rapid ethnography to understand the socialization context of Rohingya children living in Cox’s Bazar Camps, where factors such as economic instability, natural disasters, and the Covid-19 pandemic have continued to change the individual- and family-level environment for Rohingya communities. Results from rapid ethnographic data in conjunction with in-depth parent interviews highlight several key elements contributing to the socialization of young Rohingya refugee children, including: 1) supervision and care of children often extending beyond biological parents and immediate family; 2) agents of socialization and learning extending beyond biological parents and immediate family; 3) parents considering spaces near or around their homes to be unsafe, while children’s behavior indicate otherwise; 4) learning “pockets” or humanitarian play labs (HPLs) within household clusters providing unique opportunities for children to learn and play; and 5) HPL children having access to artifacts for socialization beyond improvised objects from the immediate surroundings.

Image credit:

Margaret Weir

@margotd1 via Unsplash.

In this brief, NYU Global TIES for Children researchers describe a rapid iterative process of cultural, linguistic, and contextual adaptation and extension of child assessment tools for Rohingya Children in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. It includes three specific examples showcasing the rigorous, culturally responsive, equity-based approach to adaptation. This report also highlights some of the most critical findings from using this extended IDELA, known as IDELA-E, in our pilot study. Results suggest that IDELA-E is responsive to the environment in which the Rohingya children grow up and can capture their learning and development gains across multiple domains. Assessment using IDELA-E shows the age-based developmental progression of Rohingya children across these five domains: fine and gross motor, emergent literacy, emergent numeracy, socio-emotional, and executive function development. Overall, this brief highlights a rigorous process of cultural and contextual adaptation of tools for assessing children in a low-resourced context in the global south.

In this brief, the fourth in our series, Global TIES researchers show that through analyses of instruments measuring caregivers' perceptions of refugee camp environment, caregiver mental health, and children's social-emotional development, there are reasons for optimism in using these particular scales with the Rohingya community in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Results suggest that the measures examined show generally strong internal reliability and can be successfully adapted for use in this context and they were associated with each other in meaningful ways. In addition to highlighting promising results, this brief also provides a snapshot of the steps involved in selecting, adapting, and testing these scales to examine their suitability and prepare them for large-scale use.

This brief is prepared to provide recommendations on promising and practical approaches to support education during the acute crises period in Ukraine and to mitigate the impacts of the Russian invasion on children’s learning and wellbeing. It is primarily designed to support multilateral and bilateral organizations, as well as other actors and stakeholders, to identify priorities and approaches to support education for children affected by the Ukraine crisis. In this brief, we provide:

1. An overview of the conditions of education for Ukrainian children thus far

2. Options and priorities for supporting the children affected by the Russian Invasion, both (a) for the children remaining in Ukraine and (b) for the Ukrainian refugee children in neighboring host countries.

3. State of evidence and implications of future responses and research

In this third brief in our series, we outline the process and strategies used as we piloted multiple data collection tools that were being considered for use in several large-scale research studies with the Rohingya in Cox's Bazar. This brief aims to provide context and a path forward for future researchers to deliver quality research in this, and other, complex research environments with the ultimate goal of informing the types, design, and delivery of services to support families and foster resilience in these contexts for generations to come.

The second brief in our series aims to capture the point of view of young Rohingya children in order to provide context to how they may be mediating between their world of origin and the host society through play. Our data show that Rohingya children demonstrate a tremendous amount of spontaneous and creative activity in their everyday lives, despite the many challenges in the Cox's Bazar camps. This brief provides fresh perspectives into the remarkable resilience and creativity these young children possess.