Strengthening Childcare through Evaluation and Empowerment

Hello everyone!! I am Shrestha Smarika, a second-year master’s student in public health in our Empowerment Science lab. We are already into the month of August which is known for its spectacular firework displays against the backdrop of summer nights, attracting locals and tourists. I hope everyone take this opportunity to embrace the festive spirit of Japan's firework festivals, create lasting memories, and enjoy a unique cultural experience.

In this blog I would like to talk about Childcare Evaluation and Empowerment training that was conducted by the members of our Empowerment Science Lab led by Anme Sensei on 3rd August. I believe that organizing such training is a great initiative to enhance the skills and knowledge of childcare providers. There were around 41 participants in the training program who were childcare professionals and interested in empowerment and childcare evaluation tools. To start the program, Anme Sensei firstly introduced five childcare evaluation tools which she developed and used in her research career. Among these five tools, she mainly focused on the Childcare Development Scale (CDS). This tool includes six sub scales: Gross motor, Fine motor, Social competence, Communication, Vocabulary, and Intelligence.



After explaining about the evaluation tools, Sensei showed the participants a real case study video of a boy enrolled in a childcare center. This boy had a brother and was enrolled to the care center because his mother went to work at night and she had no enough time to take care of him and his brother. Based on this case study, Sensei organized every participant, including us in different groups, where the participants had active discussions in planning tailored empowerment strategies that can help both child and parents. Finally, Sensei also introduced our lab website to the participants from where it will be easier for them to get detailed information about childcare evaluation tools and strengthen their knowledge and skills in this field.



The training program was indeed an enriching experience for me and my team mates from our lab. We would like to express our gratitude towards Anme Sensei and all those who contributed to the success of this training program. The training has not only equipped us with the necessary tools but also has inspired us to further improve our professional growth in the field of childcare.