Since mid-2022, a minimum of 103 million people, of which 36.5 million are children, have been forcibly displaced because of conflict, violence, or persecution. 1 in 6 children have spent their early years surrounded by war and instability, and about 48% of all forcibly displaced children are not in school (Kirollos et al., 2018; United, n.d.-b). The majority of these people live in refugee camps and will stay in displacement for years, often without access to any education (Ensuring, 2021).

Understanding the need to provide access to education, some organizations have found their way into refugee camps. One of those organizations is PILAglobal. PILA is one of the few non-profit organizations focused specifically on providing early childhood education (ECE) to young children and families in refugee camps where there is zero access to education (PILAglobal, n.d.).

Why Early Childhood Education in Refugee Camps?

Many refugee children experience profound physical and emotional traumas from the conflicts they left behind and from daily life in refugee camps. They’re immensely vulnerable and are exposed to all risks ranging from sexual exploitation to forced recruitment and beyond (United Nations Children, 2017). Younger refugee children face additional challenges as the physical deprivation, psychological trauma, constant stress, and inadequate socioemotional and cognitive development can have lasting effects on their ability to learn, grow, and excel (Kirollos et al., 2018).

While education generally imparts important practical and cognitive skills, ECE specifically helps young children under the age of 6 learn how to handle the stressors they encounter and provides them safe areas to play, thrive, and create positive change by developing their tolerance, confidence, and hope (Grantham-McGregor et al., 2007). Additionally, ECE can provide language instruction in the majority language of the host country, which will provide refugee children a greater degree of school readiness. The provision of high quality ECE has also been shown to reduce gaps in outcomes between refugee children and native-born children, while also increasing academic performance, future employment opportunities, income, and overall health. Beyond the children themselves, ECE has also been shown to connect refugee families to the larger community, fostering social capital and social cohesions through the provision of spaces in which diversity, tolerance and respect are nurtured (Park et al., 2018).

Yet, despite this evidence, more than 200 million children under the age of 5 from around the world fail to reach their full developmental potential because they don’t have access to ECE (Grantham-McGregor et al., 2007).

PILAglobal

PILA recognized the growing need for ECE among refugees. So, in 2018, PILA opened its first Nest—an education and play space for young refugee children—in a community center in Lesvos, Greece. Since then, PILA has opened three additional Nest’s for refugees in Athens, Greece, and in Tijuana, Mexico (PILAglobal, n.d.). 

In these refugee camps—which are often fraught with conflict and violence—PILA provides one of the only places where young children and their parents or guardians can feel safe, and learn. As its CEO states, “we are teaching for democracy…building social skills, problem solving, and confidence as a learner, to say nothing of math, science, and literacy” (L. Weissert, personal communication, February 24, 2023).

Understanding that families have different needs and wants, and that each country context is different, the Nest centers are inquiry- and play-based and look like the children they serve. There is no one size fits all model to ECE, rather, each program’s structure is unique, reflecting the needs of the communities, and being culturally responsive. PILA provides the infrastructure and materials, but then each Nest is maintained, in part, by the community it serves. And once it is established, local partners are brought in to provide additional funding and support, while ensuring the program is responsive to the needs of the community. PILA’s ECE program is thus highly sustainable and scalable (L. Weissert, personal communication, February 24, 2023).

Lindsay Weissert and her team have seen how providing ECE to young refugee children helps build social skills, confidence, and the disposition children need to solve the world’s problems. She believes that “these are children that will go on to solve the problems of their own countries and communities.”

Migration is not going to stop any time soon, and the need for quality education won’t end either. Data has shown that the number of child refugees has increased by a staggering 812% since the beginning of the 21st century (United, n.d.-b). Thus, governments, international organizations, and NGOs need to enact laws and increase their risk appetites to implement programs that will provide ECE to children, setting children up for learning and protecting them from the harms of refugee life. With improvements in access to quality education, we will be able to see a positive change in refugee life and the lives of refugee children.

References

Ensuring Quality Early Childhood Education for Refugee Children: A New Approach to Teacher Professional Development – World. (2021). ReliefWeb. https://reliefweb.int/report/world/ensuring-quality-early-childhood-education-refugee-children-new-approach-teacher

Grantham-McGregor, S., Cheung, Y. B., Cueto, S., Glewwe, P., Richter, L., & Strupp, B. J. (2007). Developmental potential in the first 5 years for children in developing countries. The Lancet, 369(9555), 60–70. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(07)60032-4

Kirollos, M., Anning, C., Gunvor, K.F., Denselow, J. (2018). The War on Children. Save the Children International. https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/content/dam/global/reports/education-and-child-protection/war_on_children-web.pdf

PILAglobal | High Quality Education for Refugee Children. (n.d.). PILAglobal. https://www.pilaglobal.org/

Maki, P., Katsiaficas, C., & McHugh M. Responding to the ECEC Needs of Children of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Europe and North America. (2018). MPI. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/sites/default/files/publications/ECECforRefugeeChildren_FINALWEB.pdf

United Nations Children’s Fund. (2017). Unicef’s Programme Guidance for Early Childhood Development. UNICEF. https://www.unicef.org/media/107616/file/UNICEF-Programme-%20Guidance-for-Early-Childhood-Development-2017.pdf

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (n.d.-b). Refugee Statistics. UNHCR. https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/