Babies Won’t Wait:
Interventions Targeting Early Childhood Development

Date-Time: 29 September 2021 – 09:45
Place: Zoom
Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88181342408
Organized by: Boğaziçi University Center for Psychological Research and Services & Bebek95 Early Childhood Unit

Our event is open to everyone and participation is free.
Simultaneous translation will be provided.

We are excited to invite you to this international symposium that will showcase the pilot projects from Urban95 program in Istanbul, as part of the Bernard van Leer Foundation’s global Urban95 initiative.

A roundtable discussion will take place that brings all partners’ work together: Social service maps developed for partner municipalities of Beyoglu, Maltepe, Sarıyer and Sultanbeyli; Child-friendly arrangements in public spaces; Home visitation-based ‘Family Coaching’ intervention project to support parents’ caregiving capacity and infant development.

We hope that the symposium will inspire new ideas and initiate new collaborations between early childhood researchers, practitioners and social policy makers.

Program

09:45-10:00

INTRODUCTION & WELCOME

10:00-10:30

OPENING TALK

Cecilia VACA JONES, Bernard Van Leer Foundation, Netherlands

10:30-12:00

URBAN95: A Pilot Project in Istanbul
Home Visitation Program, Public Space Planning, Data-Based Decisions for Family Services

Speakers:
Istanbul95 District Municipality Mayors
Dr. Serra MÜDERRİSOĞLU, Boğaziçi University, Psychology Department
Dr. Feyza ÇORAPÇI, Boğaziçi University, Psychology Department
Dr. Bürge Elvan ERGİNLİ, Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation
Selva GÜRDOĞAN, Superpool

Moderator:
Assoc. Dr. Z. Hande SART, Boğaziçi University, Educational Sciences Department

12:00-12:15

BREAK

12:15-13:15

Early Childhood Interventions From Around the World

Speakers:
Dr. Christine POWELL, The University of the West Indies, Jamaica
Dr. Susan CHANG-LOPEZ, The University of the West Indies, Jamaica
Dr. Joanne SMITH, The University of the West Indies, Jamaica
Dr. Carmen Lourdes SEVILLA CARNERO, Cuna Mas Program, Peru
Katelin WILTON, International Rescue Committee, U.S.A
Ayat AL’AQRA, International Rescue Committee, Jordan

Moderators:
Andrea TORRES, Bernard Van Leer Foundation, Netherlands
Dr. Feyza ÇORAPÇI, Boğaziçi University, Psychology Department

13:15-13:30

CLOSING

Speakers

Cecilia Vaca Jones, Bernard van Leer Foundation, Executive Director

Cecilia has over 20 years of experience managing social development policies and programmes. Prior to becoming the Executive Director of the Bernard van Leer Foundation, she was the Minister of Social Development of Ecuador from 2013 to 2016. She championed policies to improve the conditions of children, women and indigenous communities, including a cross-sectoral policy for ECD. Cecilia has also worked for several civil society organizations, the Organisation of American States, UNDP and has been a university professor. She holds a Master’s degree in Social Policies for Sustainable Development from the University of Bologna, a BA in International Relations from the Pontifical Catholic University in Ecuador, and an executive Master’s degree in cities from the London School of Economics.

Dr. Serra Müderrisoğlu

Professor Serra Müderrisoğlu is a faculty member at Boğaziçi University in the Department of Psychology since 2000. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology Department at the University of Michigan. She obtained her Clinical Psychology master’s degree and doctoral degree at Boston University. Her research interest is on psychosocial development of children who live in difficult conditions. In regard to this, she developed various preventive implementation programs. Dr. Müderrisoğlu, who also specialized in transforming traumatic experiences, conducts psychotherapy sessions with adults.

Dr. Feyza Çorapçı

Professor Feyza Çorapçı is a faculty member at Boğaziçi University in the Department of Psychology since 2006. She received her MA and Ph.D. degrees in clinical psychology from Purdue University in the USA. Prof. Dr. Çorapçı’s research focuses on family experiences, parenting, and environmental factors that contribute to young children’s socio-emotional development. Another line of her research concerns preventive interventions to reduce poverty-related risk factors and improve disadvantaged children’s well-being.

Dr. Bürge Elvan Erginli

Bürge Elvan Erginli graduated from Istanbul Technical University, Department of City and Regional Planning in 2007. She completed the Regional Planning Master’s Program at the same university in 2010. In “Istanbul 1910-2010” exhibition opened in Santral Istanbul within the scope of the 2010 European Capital of Culture Istanbul project, Dr. Erginli worked in the field of Social and Economic Geography, curated by Murat Güvenç. In 2017, she completed her doctoral degree  on the local and independent social networks of immigrants at the Department of City and Regional Planning of Istanbul Technical University. She joined Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation in June 2015.

Selva Gürdoğan 

Graduated with honors from Southern California Institute of Architecture in 2003. After her employment at Office for Metropolitan Architecture, in 2006, Selva initiated Superpool, a research based design and architecture practice together with Gregers Tang Thomsen in Istanbul. Between 2013-2019, she co-directed Studio-X Istanbul, an urban laboratory of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. Since 2017 Superpool is a partner to the Urban95 program initiated by Bernard van Leer Foundation that looks for opportunities to improve cities for young children and their caregivers. Within this program Superpool has led the initiation of City and Children Studies Masters Program at Kadir Has University. Gürdoğan has been teaching at Architecture Association School of Architecture in London since 2019.

Dr. Christine Powell

Christine Powell, PhD was a Senior Lecturer in the Epidemiology Research Unit at The Caribbean Institute for Health Research (CAIHR). Her research activities focused on the effects of nutrition and the environmental conditions on the growth and intellectual development of young children; early childhood development interventions and nutrition of school aged children. Dr Powell continues to contribute to CAIHR’s Child Development research programmes especially in implementation research in child development interventions in developing countries.

Dr. Susan Chang-Lopez 

Susan Chang-Lopez is a Senior Lecturer in the Epidemiology Research Unit  at the Caribbean Institute for Health Research (CAIHR) and a member of the Child Development Group. Dr Chang-Lopez has a BSc in Psychology from the University of Toronto, Canada and a MPhil (Psychology) and PhD (Nutrition) from the University of the West Indies, Mona. Her research activities are focussed on the impact of low-cost psychosocial interventions on the cognitive, academic and behavioural development of at-risk children. Dr. Chang-Lopez has extensive experience in the adaptation of psychometric tests and other instruments in Jamaica and other developing countries. She has trained health care providers and lay persons from around the world in delivery of cost effective early childhood stimulation techniques.

Dr. Joanne Smith

Dr. Joanne Smith is a Lecturer of the Epidemiology Research Unit of the Caribbean Institute of Health Research (CAIHR). She is a member of the Child Development Research Group. Dr. Smith is a qualified and registered Nutritionist. She received her BSc. in Human Ecology with a minor in Psychology from the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine. She pursued a MSc. and Doctor of Philosophy in Nutrition at the Tropical Metabolism Research Unit of the University of the West Indies. Dr. Joanne Smith has been involved in research projects that have focused on the holistic development of children.

Dr. Carmen Lourdes Sevilla Carnero 

Carmen Lourdes Sevilla Carnero, psychologist with more than 20 years of experience in public management in social and public health issues such as child and adolescent mental health, gender disability, and vulnerable populations. She currently works as Executive Director of the National Cuna Mas Program of the Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion. She has a postgraduate degree and specialization in design, monitoring and evaluation of social programs, public management modernization, planning and result-based budgeting. She has been Manager of Prevention and Rehabilitation of Drug Use of the National Commission, Coordinator of the Resource Center for Special Basic Education Resources of the Ministry of Education, Executive Director of the National Program against Family and Sexual Violence, and Director of the Unit for the Protection of Children and Adolescents of the INABIF in the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations.

Ayat AL Aqra

Ayat AL Aqra is the Technical Early Childhood Development Manager for the Ahlan Simsim program in Jordan, a partnership between the International Rescue Committee and Sesame Workshop.  She is responsible for delivering technical support, capacity building content development for ECD programs targeting children and caregivers for IRC and partners. She led the contextualization, training and implementation of Reach Up and Learn in Jordan as well as adapting the curriculum—  with a particular focus on caregiver and facilitator wellbeing — to be delivered remotely during the COVID 19 pandemic. She is supporting an upcoming impact evaluation of the Reach Up and Learn on caregivers and children during COVID-19. She has worked with IRC for over 5 years.

Katelin Wilton 

As Senior Specialist (Early Childhood Development) at the International Rescue Committee, Katelin Wilton works on content development and technical support, with a particular focus on early childhood development programs targeting caregivers of young children. Previously, Katelin worked for the International Rescue Committee as Interim Education coordinator in Turkey as Grants Program Coordinator in Tanzania where she managed the Healing Families parenting program.

Moderators

Assoc. Prof. Z. Hande Sart

Associate Professor Z. Hande Sart is a faculty member at Boğaziçi University in the Educational Sciences department since 2004. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychological Counseling and Guidance and Psychology (Double Major) at Boğaziçi University. She obtained her MA degree in Clinical Psychology from Boğaziçi University. Her research focused on math learning difficulty and neuropsychological deficits in children with epilepsy. Dr. Sart completed her doctoral degree in Applied Developmental Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. She investigated stability and change in behavioral problems during preschool years. Her current research interests are on behavioral problems in children, neuro-developmental diversities, children and disability rights, and inclusive psychological counseling.

Andrea Torres

Andrea has over 20 years of experience managing and implementing social public policies and programmes and over 10 years of experience in the early childhood development field. She holds a Masters degree in Public Policy and Management from the University of Chile, and a Master of Arts in International Child Studies from Kings College London. Before joining theBernard van Leer Foundation, she was the National Coordinator of Chile Crece Contigo (“Chile grows with you”), the comprehensive protection system for early childhood development, at the Ministry of Social Development from 2010 to 2012 and 2014 to 2018. She led a team in charge of implementing 12 national-level programmes, designing tools for local management and acting as the technical counterpart for the Ministries of Education, Health and Justice and private implementing partners. She has also worked for the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank, providing technical assistance to various Latin American countries in early childhood development.

Dr. Feyza Çorapçı

Professor Feyza Çorapçı is a faculty member at Boğaziçi University in the Department of Psychology since 2006. She received her MA and Ph.D. degrees in clinical psychology from Purdue University in the USA. Prof. Dr. Çorapçı’s research focuses on family experiences, parenting, and environmental factors that contribute to young children’s socio-emotional development. Another line of her research concerns preventive interventions to reduce poverty-related risk factors and improve disadvantaged children’s well-being.