Latest news with #earlychildhooddevelopment
Zawya
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Zawya
A New Chapter for Ubongo's Award-Winning Children's Program Akili and Me
Ubongo ( Africa's leading edutainment organization, is thrilled to announce the launch of Season 5 of its early childhood development program, Akili and Me, featuring a vibrant new look and a deeper commitment to helping young children understand their emotions, build resilience, and develop empathy. Through music, storytelling, and interactive segments, this new season elevates early learning to new heights, with a strong focus on Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), providing children with the tools to recognize their emotions and express them in healthy ways. "With Season 5, we wanted to go beyond ABCs and 123s and focus on something even more fundamental—helping kids understand and express their emotions," said Tamala Maerere-Kateka, Senior Strategic Communications Manager at Ubongo. "We believe that when children learn how to navigate their feelings, they build the confidence and resilience they need to thrive in school and life." The new season features a redesigned cast of characters, enhanced with modern animation techniques that bring Akili and her friends to screens with greater vibrancy and expressiveness, making the viewing experience more immersive and engaging for young learners and their caregivers. Ubongo has expanded its learning ecosystem with the launch of Akili and Me Games on the Ubongo Playroom app—a dynamic, interactive feature designed to deepen engagement through play. The app combines a carefully curated selection of educational videos, audio stories, eBooks, and games, providing children with a rich and seamless learning experience. "We know that children learn best through play," said Maerere-Kateka. "By adding more interactive elements, we're empowering kids to take an active role in their learning journey." Akili and Me is more than just a show—it's a child's first classroom, a trusted friend, and a gateway to lifelong learning. With Season 5, Ubongo continues its mission to make early learning more engaging, inclusive, and impactful for children across Africa and beyond. "Big emotions can feel overwhelming for little ones, but when children have the words and tools to express themselves, they develop the confidence to face life's challenges," said Maerere-Kateka. To learn more about the new season of Akili and Me, visit Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ubongo. For media inquiries, interviews, or more information, please contact: tamala@ About Ubongo: Ubongo is Africa's leading creator of fun, localized, and multi-platform educational cartoons that helps kids learn and love learning. With a reach of over 48 million children across the continent, Ubongo's innovative approach to learning blends entertainment with essential skills development, ensuring that children across Africa have access to high-quality educational resources.
Zawya
4 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Generali Hong Kong Recognised for Community Impact for Third Consecutive Year at Bloomberg Businessweek Financial Institution Awards 2025
HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 28 July 2025 - Generali Hong Kong has been honoured with the Outstanding Corporate Social Responsibility Award at the Bloomberg Businessweek (Chinese Edition) Financial Institution Awards 2025, marking the third year in a row the company has received this prestigious recognition. This achievement reaffirms Generali Hong Kong's long-standing commitment to creating lasting, positive impact in the community. Through The Human Safety Net, a global initiative powered by the Generali Group, Generali Hong Kong supports early childhood development by helping children aged 0 to 6 unlock their full potential. A key part of this effort is the launch of Hong Kong's first Community Living Room for young children's development, located in the heart of Sham Shui Po, one of the city's most under-resourced districts. Developed in partnership with OneSky, this free-of-charge facility provides a safe space for underprivileged families with young children who face challenges such as limited living space and a lack of social support. It provides age-appropriate learning resources for children, while caregivers benefit from parenting support and access to community services. By addressing both developmental and family wellbeing needs, the initiative offers meaningful support to families striving for brighter futures and reflects Generali's commitment to being a Lifetime Partner to both customers and the wider community. The Financial Institution Awards, hosted annually by the iconic finance media Bloomberg Businessweek (Chinese Edition) recognise companies with outstanding performance over the past year in the banking, insurance, and securities sectors, aiming to promote the sustainable development of Hong Kong's financial industry, cultivate talent, and foster innovation, thereby driving economic growth. Hashtag: #GeneraliHongKong The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Generali Hong Kong In 1981, Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A. was first registered as an authorised insurer in Hong Kong, with the business extending into the life insurance sector in 2016 with Generali Life (Hong Kong) Limited. With a combination of local knowledge and Generali Group's global expertise, we develop unique and innovative life insurance, general insurance, specialty insurance, and employee benefits solutions to meet the needs of our customers. THE GENERALI GROUP Generali is one of the largest integrated insurance and asset management groups worldwide. Established in 1831, it is present in over 50 countries in the world, with a total premium income of € 95.2 billion and € 863 billion AUM in 2024. With around 87,000 employees serving 71 million customers, the Group has a leading position in Europe and a growing presence in Asia and Latin America. At the heart of Generali's strategy is its Lifetime Partner commitment to customers, achieved through innovative and personalised solutions, best-in-class customer experience and its digitalised global distribution capabilities. The Group has fully embedded sustainability into all strategic choices, with the aim to create value for all stakeholders while building a fairer and more resilient society. Generali Hong Kong
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kiddie Academy® of Grand Harbor under new ownership
Entrepreneurial brothers keeping it in the family as owner-operators KATY, Texas, July 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Houston natives Gorav and Nehal Jain and Gagan and Katie Jain have assumed ownership of Kiddie Academy® of Grand Harbor in Katy, having acquired the franchise location in October 2024 upon the previous owner's retirement. The brothers and their families will operate the Academy together with plans to reinforce the proprietary Life Essentials® curriculum that surpasses Texas state standards. "Our parents have always emphasized the importance of education," said Gorav Jain. "So we have high standards when it comes to early childhood development. Operationally, we've been working to ensure all our educators are well-versed in the curriculum that sets Kiddie Academy apart." Born and raised in Houston, the Jain family is invested in the long-term success of children in the area. With Kiddie Academy, they aim to create local events to foster a sense of community for families in Katy. These include hosting regularly scheduled block parties that feature local vendors, music and exciting activities for the whole family. As parents themselves, they understand what it's like to search for high quality child care that feels supportive to families. "When my wife and I began looking for childcare for our daughter, Kiddie Academy really stood out to us for its focus on community and developing children's curiosity, critical thinking, creative expression, confidence, character and connection," added Gorav Jain. Kiddie Academy of Grand Harbor in Katy, which is located at 24404 Kingsland Boulevard, is licensed to serve 240 children and employs 30 educators. The Academy is equipped with spacious classrooms and a large playground area with a splash pad. For more information, visit About Kiddie Academy®Since its inception in 1981, the Kiddie Academy system has been recognized as a leading brand in educational child care. The company serves families and their children ages 6 weeks to 12 years old, offering full- and part-time care, before- and after-school care, and summer camp programs, through the Kiddie Academy system. Kiddie Academy's proprietary Life Essentials® Curriculum, supporting programs, methods, activities, and techniques help prepare children for life. The company's philanthropic efforts, including support of national nonprofit Family Promise, take character education lessons learned in the classroom beyond Academy walls. Kiddie Academy Domestic Franchising, LLC has also received corporate accreditation from the globally recognized Cognia accreditation system, signifying its commitment to quality education and the highest standards in child care. For more information, visit or find Kiddie Academy on Facebook at About Kiddie Academy Domestic Franchising, LLCKiddie Academy Domestic Franchising, LLC is based in Maryland. There are currently more than 350 open Academies in the Kiddie Academy system, located in 40 states and the District of Columbia, serving more than 38,000 children. Each franchised location in the Kiddie Academy system is an independently owned and operated business. For more information, visit Media Contact:Taylor Castillejo, APRtcastillejo@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Kiddie Academy Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CBC
10-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
N.S. needs more 'help' from Ottawa to hit $10-a-day child care, says minister
Nova Scotia's minister of education and early childhood development says the province will need more "help" from Ottawa to achieve $10-a-day child care by March 2026. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Brendan Maguire said the province is on track to reach its goal of 9,500 child-care spaces by that time — with 7,000 already created — but that additional "teamwork" with the federal government is required to hit the monetary target. "There's a few things. It's not just money. But we realize that there is a role for private sector in this in order for us to achieve what we need to achieve," Maguire said. "So there's lots of things we're discussing, whether it's funding, it's private sector, it's space." Nova Scotia signed a $605-million deal with Ottawa in 2021 to create 9,500 spaces by March 2026. Other than paying for expansions, the money has also been used to drive down the cost of child care to parents, with a goal of having families pay an average of $10 a day for care. Last year, the federal government rejected Nova Scotia's plea to extend daycare expansion funds to private operators. Maguire suggested Ottawa could be more open to it now. "The main goal of this child-care agreement is to ensure that parents get safe, affordable child-care spaces," he said. "In other jurisdictions, private sector does play a small role. We're in discussion to see what we can do for a Nova Scotia solution to ensure that. We need to get to those spaces and we need to get to $10 a day and we're looking at every option." A report released Wednesday by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives shows that Halifax has some of the highest child-care fees in the country, ranking sixth highest among 35 cities. The median cost of daycare per child per day in Halifax is $24. High cost of living Nova Scotia NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Maguire refused to answer why child-care costs are so much higher in this province. "We have an enormously high cost of living, it's as expensive to live here as it is in Toronto, and that's only taking into account transportation and housing. When you add daycare on top of that, it's a punishing amount for working families and we deserve to know why," Chender told reporters on Thursday. Chender said it doesn't seem likely Nova Scotia will reach $10-a-day child care by March 2026. Derek Mombourquette, the interim leader of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party and the former provincial education minister who signed the child-care agreement, said he's hopeful the province will hit the target. "I am happy to see the minister actually celebrating the deal that the premier has criticized for years. So I would say one of the challenges, if we don't hit that benchmark, is because he's been so critical of it. It's been a constant fight with Ottawa since the deal was signed," Mombourquette said.
Zawya
24-06-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Making a lasting impact: How data and corporate commitment can reshape ECDs in South Africa?
With nearly one million South African children still excluded from the early childhood development (ECD) ecosystem, urgent collaboration is needed to meet the country's 2030 early learning targets. An educator teaches young children as part of an early learning programme. Speaking at the 2025 Trialogue Business in Society Conference, FirstRand Group head of social investing, Kone Gugushe emphasised the pivotal role corporates can play in transforming early learning outcomes – calling for long-term, data-driven investment to help bridge the gap. The conference was held at The Galleria in Sandton, Johannesburg under the theme 'Driving impact, Inspiring change'. Strengthening ECD for lasting impact: a panel discussion at the Trialogue Business in Society Conference The FirstRand Foundation was one of six corporate sponsors who partnered with Trialogue to discuss pressing matters impacting the corporate social investment and development in South Africa. The Foundation and Trialogue presented a panel discussion entitled 'Strengthening early childhood development for lasting impact'. Kone Gugushe, head of social investing at FirstRand Group Gugushe was joined on the panel by Kulula Manona (head of the Chief Directorate on early childhood development in the Department of Basic Education [DBE]); Sonja Giese (executive director of DataDrive 2030); and Sizwe Nxasana (former FirstRand CEO and founder of Sifiso Learning Group). Prior to the panel discussion, Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, highlighted the need for sector collaboration to improve ECD outcomes in the country. FirstRand's two decades of impact in ECD FirstRand is a leader in the ECD space. It has supported more than 4,000 ECD centres over the past 20 years, affecting the lives of around 200,000 children. It has also trained more than 17,000 teachers. This long-term commitment has allowed it to tackle some of the more stubborn problems in the sector that shorter funding cycles tend to bypass. In the last four years, FirstRand has invested over R100m in initiatives such as: - ECD practitioner capacity building - Digital literacy training for teachers and learners - Development of learner resources - Support for learners with disabilities FirstRand is data-led, and this is one of the game-changers ECD needs, said Manona. She highlighted the Thrive By Five Index, a nationally represented dataset, which has helped the sector to understand the bigger picture. Importantly, using data to shift practices produces results in a relatively short space of time, according to Giese. This has the potential to dramatically shift outcomes for young children in years to come. 'There are very few things you can fix in four years, but four years can change the entire life of a four-year-old,' Giese pointed out. She challenged funders to adopt a 'growth mindset', however, and not use data simply to assess competency or compliance. 'We don't want to use data to tell our story – we want to use it to change our story,' she explained, adding that curiosity and a continuous learning mindset can make a big difference. Data shouldn't be collected solely for academic or donor reporting – rather, it should be democratised and used as a tool for creative-problem solving, said Giese. Funders and boards should be open to course-correction based on new evidence. She noted the value of learning from positive deviance, where some low-income ECD programmes outperform their well-off peers, offering insights for broader replication. 'A data-smart ECD ecosystem needs a clear mandate, tools that can be embedded in the data value chain, and data literacy so we can use data to shift behaviour and become thought leaders in the education space,' she asserted. She also urged corporates to deploy multi-year budgets, flexible funding, and non-financial assets to support ECD throughout the full learning cycle. The challenge of professionalising ECD While the panellists agreed on the need to professionalise ECD, Nxasana warned of the dangers of doing so without care. 'It is vital that the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), which is responsible for accreditation, works closely with the DBE, nonprofits and other stakeholders to ensure we don't collapse what is working, and fix what isn't currently working,' he said. ECD practitioners shouldn't be expected to professionalise in the manner of school teachers, especially as there are crucial factors to be taken into account in a child's first 1,000 days, including cognitive development and social welfare. 'ECD is not about imposing formal teacher models. It's about holistic development – cognitive, emotional, and physical,' he pointed out. At the same time, we need to be realistic about the tools and platforms ECD practitioners use. For example, WhatsApp has proved adequate for 'gogos' and young women running their ECD businesses from back rooms or garages in townships or rural villages, said Nxasana. He highlighted the need to build accessible, community-rooted training institutions, especially as there are no dedicated ECD colleges in the country. Each panellist asserted that the success of ECD systems hinges on well-supported practitioners. Professionalising the sector must go hand-in-hand with improved working conditions, secure and dignified wages, and ongoing mentorship and coaching. Gugushe said ECD practitioners also need access to resources, networks and ongoing support to strengthen their capabilities. As Manona noted, quality teaching is one of the five key pillars in the DBE's strategy for early learning – a strategy that must include scalable, affordable, and flexible pathways for ECD success.
