1. Education Programming at CRS IFADC – Kansas City 8 May 2012 Anne Sellers IFADC – Kansas City 8 May 2012 Anne Sellers, CRS A person’s a person, no matter how small: Promoting literacy and well-being for all children

2. Outline  Quick review of recent research on impact of school feeding  Moving from SF to food-assisted education (focus on overall quality & access)  Special focus on literacy / building a culture of reading  Examples from CRS’ proposals  Conclusions / final thoughts

3. What the research says (or, what we think we know…) SCHOOL FEEDING HEALTH AND NUTRITION SCHOOL ACCESS LEARNING: ACHIEVEMENT COGNITION

4. What do we really think we know? School feeding leads to an increase in time spent in school This, combined with improved nutrition and health, can have an impact on overall learning and educational achievement

5. CRS/Burkina Faso 2012-14 Strong coordination and on-going work with Government; In-service training for directors, inspectors, pedagogical advisors Comprehensive school health program; Support to preschools; Adult literacy (REFLECT); PTA capacity-strengthening; Mentoring for girls. 2 provinces 130,000 children 1,158 schools

6. What do we think we know? School feeding leads to an increase in time spent in school This, combined with improved nutrition and health, can have an impact on overall learning and educational achievement To ensure this impact, this must be combined with a specific focus on literacy in early grades.

7. Building a Culture of Reading Inside the classroom Teachers Curriculum Materials Transitions Space for reading Continuous assessment Remedial support Child readiness & well-being Outside the classroom Child readiness & well- being Materials Home –school support Policy- level Curriculum & standards Language policy Involvement of local authorities, pedagogical institutes, language experts

8. CRS/Sierra Leone PHASE 1 (2008-2011) COMPONENTS : SF (all) and THR (girls/grades 4-6); School health programming in schools; School infrastructure improvements; Training/mentoring for teachers, and materials; SMC capacity-strengthening

9. School meals indigenous canteens CRS/Sierra Leone: phase 2 PHASE 2 (2012-2015) IMPROVED QUALITY OF LITERACY INSTRUCTION IMPROVED ATTENTIVENESS IMPROVED STUDENT ATTENDANCE Holistic professional development for teachers / focus on early grade (1-3) reading; continued prov. of materials SMCs and Mothers’ Support Groups on management and drop-out prevention; lifeskills; SILC FOUNDATIONAL RESULTS: Govt. capacity; local engagement

10. Other planned programs LAOS: 33,000 children; 375 schools HONDURAS: 54,000 children; 1,047 primary ed. centers (K-6)

11. Conclusion / some final thoughts on USDA proposals Strategic Analysis and gap analysis – No ‘one size fits all’ – context counts – Importance of partnerships Clear and comprehensive plan for M&E – For project – For students’ progress Feasible and realistic design – Scope, sustainability, impact

12. Strategic & Gap Analyses Food security / hunger Health and nutrition of school-age children Education: access & quality Early grade literacy