Our next speaker Roman Romulo is an education activist who has authored several education reforms in the Philippines. He delivered a passionate speech on the status of #ECCD in the Philippines, including undertaking whole-of-nation efforts with a national ECCD law.

Taking conversations further, Prof Vina Adriany, Director SEAMEO CECCEP, made a strong case for ECE as a place to disrupt gender inequalities. She stressed on: gender-flexible pedagogy, diversified role models & intersectional approaches to support diverse needs of all children.

Staying on #Inclusion, Dr. Sheldon Shaeffer, Chair, Board of Directors, ARNEC, stressed the importance of mother tongue in #ECD but also highlighted challenges such as resistance from dominant language group. His solution: local govts can help promote mother-tongue based programs

📢Calling all innovators and partners! On Day 2, ARNEC was proud to share the platform with Challenge Works & Theirworld to launch two campaigns - first, to look for solutions that can improve parental wellbeing, & 2nd to secure increased funding for #ECD. Swipe to know more!

Moving into our 2nd last open session on Day 2, Kim Sethany, Vice-Minister MoEYS Cambodia, showcased Cambodia's holistic & inclusive model efforts to meet its ECD goals.

For our last open session on Day 2, we brought together 2 city mayors - Pedro Matinong Jr. from Surallah, Philippines, & Dr. Agustina W. Pramestuti from Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia - to showcase how well-intentioned efforts by local govts can lead to improved #ECD services

And that's a wrap on Day 2! So much happened today, so don't miss reading our detailed update. Click on this link: mailchi.mp/arnec/day2recap Stay tuned as we gear up for the finale tomorrow here in Manila.

On #Day3, we were honoured to welcome Minister YB Dato Sri Hajah Fatimah Abdullah who opened the day with ideas that emboldened our participants' spirits & imagination. Here's our favourite quote from her:

Our next speaker is someone special! Meet Vibhu Sharma, Disability Inclusion Advisor at Theirworld. Drawing from personal and field experience, she captivated the audience with insights on why inclusion matters — and how to embed it in #ECD.

Children are among the most vulnerable to #ClimateChange. But without quality data, it's hard to ensure limited resources are used effectively. Our next speaker, Alan Stein, shared how good data can help governments protect lives — starting with the youngest.

On Day 3 Plenary, we chose to put young children at the center of climate actions. ARNEC unveiled its upcoming ECD-Climate Change Toolkit, a resource book that will equip stakeholders with evidence, tools & key messages to advocate for child-centered climate actions.

Our partners from ECORISE HI ECD Coalition, Indonesia; Aga Khan Foundation; & MaPa, Philippines, also shared real examples of how they are integrating climate resilience into preschools & communities in Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan & Philippines.

What a finale! ⚡With inspiring closing remarks from Eddy Henry Tanoto Foundation; Evelyn Santiago, Executive Director @ARNEC, & Dr. Teresita Inciong, Executive Director, ECCD Council Ph, we closed the 12th ARNEC Regional Conference on a high note!

And that's a wrap on Day 3 & the 2025 Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on #ECD. To read all that happened today, click on the link below. And thank you to everyone who joined us in Manila! mailchi.mp/arnec/day2reca…

How hot is too hot for kids to play outside? With heat indices over 100 degrees across much of the United States, it's hot out there. But is it too hot for kids to be outside? Read in NPR: apple.news/AeRkXURFqS7Stf…

"Every child, every adult, every one of us, [is] held together on this delicate planet, bound by the same sky, same hopes for the future." Diane Whitehead shared these powerful words at the ARNEC conference. Check out highlights from the conference: youtube.com/watch?v=jtMcX-…

Look what just dropped in!! Presentation slides, photos and the highlights video of the 2025 Regional Conference on ECD are now available. Click below to find links to view them all. 👇 mailchi.mp/arnec/thankyou… Thank you once again for making this Conference our best one so far!

Single interventions aren't enough for today's complex childcare challenges. We're reimagining Early Childhood Development with a systems approach. Find out how: ecdan.org/ecd-systems/ BIG NEWS: We have an exciting launch coming soon! You won't want to miss it! 👀

Thank you Diane Whitehead for your inspiring keynote address.

📢Important Webinar Alert!