Abu Dhabi: Government-backed entity promoting holistic early childhood development, the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority (ECA) has launched the 3rd Series of Takween 2022, an initiative which aims to offer educational, recreational and physical activities for children, parents, early childhood practitioners and the community.
The Program which will run throughout the summer vacation, will conclude by the end of September.
The initiative is in line with the Authority’s efforts to promote the development and well-being of all young children, raise the public awareness of the importance of early childhood, and encourage community members to contribute to empowering young children.
TAKWEEN
Organized in collaboration with the Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT) and other partners in the private sector, the activities under Takween primarily focus on developing and improving children’s skills, physical and mental health.
In addition to emphasizing parent’s role in supporting their children’s development, the program also intends to introduce parents and practitioners to the key practices to ensure children receive the best care and education from the family and community.
The activities include publishing and distributing 6 short stories for kids entitled “Mira’s Stories”, as well as organizing reading sessions and interactive workshops led by the Emirati writer Basma Al Misbahi. The workshops aim to encourage children to read, develop their imagination, and improve their language skills. 30+ art, recreational and interactive workshops will be organized for children in July and August.
Launching Takween 2022 reflects ECA’s commitment to promoting optimal child development from pregnancy to eight years old. The Authority also seeks to promote a supportive environment for the development and well-being of young children, while offering parents and caregivers opportunities to engage and interact with their communities.
H.E. Eng. Thamer Rashid Al Qasimi, Executive Director of ECA’s Special Projects and Partnerships Sector remarked about the initiative.
CODING SESSIONS
Takween activities will feature organizing intensive training course entitled “Coding for Kids” in collaboration with Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT).
The course consists of two cohorts in two waves at Children’s Library in the Cultural Foundation and all branches of “Maktaba” across the emirate. The course helps improve creative thinking, problem-solving and other skills for kids, enabling them to understand and keep pace with future sciences. Takween also encourages children engagement by promoting other useful children-related activities across Abu Dhabi.
From her side, Ms. Sheikha Al Muhairi, Director of the Libraries Department at DCT, emphasized the DCT’s keenness on supporting all activities encouraging children to innovate in various areas, as they are the future leaders. Ms. Al Muhairi further emphasized the readiness of Maktaba’s branches across the emirate to host intensive training courses for children.
“We are working with our partners in the public and private sectors to promote the cognitive development and cultural awareness among young people. Through our fruitful partnership with ECA, we are looking forward to contributing to the success of Takween Program, as a way to promote child development and wellbeing,” Ms. Al Muhairi elaborated.
VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS
The program will also cover virtual workshops on early interventions. These workshops will focus on raising parents’ awareness of the critical nature of early identification of children with developmental delays, along with the educational, curative and preventive services needed for those children.
In addition to publishing several guides and leaflets addressing maternal and child-related topics, ECA will conduct specialized training for workers in sports facilities on child protection requirements.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
This series also features some community activities to underline the importance of early childhood. These include Time Well-Spent initiative that encourages family members to effectively spend mealtime with children without using mobile devices in Abu Dhabi’s cafes and restaurants.
Additionally, Takween will see organizing sessions within the Voice of Child Panel, a community initiative launched by ECA with the aim of establishing a panel representing some of the emirate’s parents and children. The panel targets capturing views of parents and children to ensure the voice of every child in Abu Dhabi is heard.
ECA urged parents and practitioners to visit Parents’ Platform to engage in the program and enrich their knowledge about child-related topics.
Believing that focusing on children’s early care and education is the best investment for the future, ECA’s efforts are focused on giving the emirate’s children the best care they need, as well as equipping them with the necessary skills to achieve comprehensive development.