‘Ready for anything’ (Mexico) photo: Marc Mataheru
themselves to the maximum possible:
months and six years, offering early
model is very similar to that of the state of
people need to understand what education
education, pre-school education, and
Mexico, but there are differences. One is
and infant development necessarily imply;
health and nutrition services. These centres
that much of the work is carried out in
contain areas for the smallest babies, for
homes rather than in centres; a second is
those who are still breastfeeding, for pre-
linked to the fact that most of the
the interactive network of which they
schoolers, for adult learning, for eating,
communities in Oaxaca have less than a
form part.
and for medical consultations using
thousand inhabitants, have a higher
traditional treatment and medicines.
percentage of indigenous people who are
Education of the children is by the mothers
also illiterate and monolingual, and have
The practice
of the women’s organisations. These
their own cultural rules.
We have developed a method of
people are fully trained and are monitored
promotion, organisation and
permanently. Parallel with the work in the
To accommodate these, a different
centres, a sub programme about children’s
methodology has been developed. This has
the participation of adults.
rights has been developed. This involves
12 steps to give a cultural diagnosis of the
In practical terms, this means
children and young people from 2 to 18.
community that allows us a profound
and to comprehend both the environment in which they live, and
action-research that starts from
understanding of cultural practices in:
promoting the participation of all those who directly influence the development of young children –
Model curricula UCIEP
childhood; the exploitation, use and
developed a model curriculum in the
conservation of natural resources; norms
parents, grandparents, aunts and
state of Mexico that linked the education of
and customs in social, political, justice and
uncles, cousins, siblings, teachers.
adults with that of children, and has a
economic organisation; the revaluation of
This work is done in small groups, and
cognitive orientation. Learning makes
language and traditions that allow the
the tasks of the participants include
sense to the participants because it is
preservation of cultural identity; and the
considering whether the social
constructive and purposive. It also includes
identification of the basic needs of the
learning how to operate productive
families and community. The construction
workshops for the parents whose children
of a model curriculum for early and pre-
attend the centres.
school education is based on these data.
decide what more is required, and find
In the state of Oaxaca, we are now echoing
Objectives and operations
ways to provide this.
this by constructing a model curriculum
In essence, the ‘Citlalmina’ project works
that we call ‘Comunidad, niñez y familia
towards:
indígena’ (COMUNIFAM – Community,
1
conditions of the community offer the optimal conditions for the development of their children. If they do not, then it is the members of the community who must
So far, results have included providing daycare centres for children between three
Childhood and the Indigenous Family). This
B e r nard van Leer Foundat ion
31
Early Childhood Matters
Women’s self-development, and development of the families;