Abu Dhabi: Sunday, November 9, 2025
The General Secretariat of the Khalifa Award for Education, an institution of the numerous “Erth Zayed Philanthropies,” emphasized the importance of developing modern scientific and applied systems and methods for the care and empowerment of early childhood around the world, creating an environment conducive to healthy social, educational, and cultural development for this age group. This announcement was made during a virtual seminar organized by the Khalifa International Award for Early Learning to highlight the Award’s field and its role in supporting projects that won in previous sessions Speakers at the seminar included Professor Steven Barnett, Chairman of the Awarding Committee and Professor of Early Childhood at Rutgers University in the United States; Stephanie Selle, representative of The Community-Based Childcare Center (CBCC) project in Cambodia, a previous award winner; and Sofors Mao, the project manager.
Humaid Al-Houti, Secretary-General of the Khalifa Award for Education, emphasized that this seminar reflects the award’s continued attention and support for projects that won in previous sessions. This support ensures the continued quality and excellence of services provided to early childhood development worldwide.
Professor Steven Barnett stated that the Khalifa International Award for Early Learning represents a pioneering Emirati initiative globally, aimed at advancing early childhood development in impoverished and remote areas that require support to create an environment conducive to healthy growth for children at an early age.
Prof. Barnett added: “When I chose the Community Day Care Centers project in Cambodia, I was well aware of the importance of the mission and objectives of these centers and their role in advancing early childhood development in Cambodia. The project was launched in 2016 to provide comprehensive educational and care services for children under five years old in several remote areas lacking formal schools.”
Stephanie Sell said: “The project focused on a play-based learning model and practical activities to develop language, numeracy, communication, and creativity skills. It also involved training and supporting local staff to ensure the quality of education and care, and monitoring children’s growth and nutrition in collaboration with local community health centers.”
Selle added that the core idea of the project was to establish the Community-Based Childcare Center (CBCC) run by local volunteers, offering comprehensive educational programs that include interactive, play-based learning, ongoing training and supervision of caregivers, monitoring of children’s physical and cognitive development, and improved nutrition. For his part, Sofors Mao addressed the positive results achieved by the project’s centers in various remote areas of Cambodia. The project initially focused on a limited number of centers, prioritizing community engagement and ensuring quality education despite limited resources. Among the most prominent results are: the establishment of more than 100 community-based early childhood education centers across multiple provinces; the benefit of more than 3,000 children aged 3 to 5; a more than 40% improvement in language and numeracy skills within a single year; increased motivation and family awareness of the importance of early childhood education; and the training of a significant number of local personnel to become part of the national education system.
The seminar concluded with participants expressing their appreciation and gratitude for winning the Khalifa International Award for Early Learning field and their pride in the award’s ongoing support for their winning project, which enhances its ability to continue its excellence and sustainability in serving the local community.