ABU DHABI (WAM)
ECD Measure, a leading US-based international organisation specialising in early childhood care and development, said that winning the Khalifa Award for Education in its 19th cycle, under the Khalifa International Award for Early Learning, marks a significant milestone in the organisation’s journey to enhance the quality of early learning environments through targeted educational initiatives for young children.
The organisation praised the UAE for its leading efforts to support and empower young children through an integrated framework of legislation, policies and national strategies that promote their healthy and social development, provide them with quality education, and create opportunities to identify and nurture their talents for the future.
Humaid Al Houti, Secretary-General of the Khalifa Award for Education, said that ECD Measure’s recognition reflects the Award’s mission, objectives and international standing.
He noted that, through the Khalifa International Award for Early Learning, the Award seeks to create a positive and lasting impact on early childhood care and development around the world. This approach also reflects the Award’s commitment to highlighting leading international practices developed by scientific centres and specialised institutions working to advance early childhood development.
Rebecca Mojgani, Vice President of ECD Measure, said that the Award has become a leading global platform for showcasing creative practices and innovative solutions in early childhood development.
She explained that ECD Measure adopts a distinctive approach to early learning centred on the quality of everyday interactions between educators and children within a comprehensive learning environment that fosters creativity, innovation and the discovery of talent during the early years.
Mojgani noted that many early childhood care and education systems continue to face a gap between national quality standards and everyday classroom practice.
To address this challenge, ECD Measure developed the Brief Early Childhood Quality Inventory (BEQI): Together in Practice (TIP) System, designed to transform quality measurement into a continuous improvement approach that directly supports educators in strengthening their practices.
The system combines quality measurement with practical support for educators, using observation data to provide strengths-based feedback, encourage goal-setting and deliver ongoing, light-touch professional development. ECD Measure describes BEQI: Together in Practice as a technology-enabled system designed to help educators translate quality standards into improvements in everyday classroom practice.
Mojgani explained that ECD Measure has successfully implemented BEQI in more than 20 countries, with rigorous scientific evaluations demonstrating the effectiveness of the approach. ECD Measure confirmed that BEQI has been used across a range of early childhood settings worldwide, including family childcare programmes, preschool classrooms and community-based early childhood programmes.
She added that randomised controlled trials conducted in Kenya and the United States found that educators who received individualised feedback and motivational messages implemented significantly more quality practices over a period of three to four months, with results demonstrating moderate to large effect sizes.
Mojgani noted that these results approach the levels of impact achieved by coaching and professional development models that require substantially greater resources.
The system is also characterised by its low cost, flexibility and scalability, as it relies on readily available technologies and requires limited training.
These advantages make the system practical for integration into existing government quality assurance systems and professional development programmes, strengthening its sustainability and enabling its impact to be expanded at scale.