Drs. Jose and Jane Saraiva

The first International Conference on Infant Development-Primeira Infancia Melhor-hosted by the Ministry of Health and the government of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, in collaboration with UNICEF, UNESCO, Fundacao Orsa, and others, took place in Porto Alegre in November 2003. The conference was the brainchild of Secretary of Health, Dr. Osmar Gasparini Terra, along with NBAS trainers, Drs. Jane and Jose Saraiva. The Saraivas' many years of work as NBAS trainers in Porto Alegre played a major role in helping their colleagues become more aware of the importance of early relationship building and in setting the stage for the impressive government-supported, community-based, early education program presented at the conference. The conference was attended by over 1000 health care and education professionals.

Among the speakers were Prof. Diaz Gonzales (Cuba), Marie Guadalupe Rodriques (Mexico), and Liliana Mayorga (Chile), who spoke on the importance of community-based early education and development in South American settings. Secretary of Health Dr. Osmar Terra and Dra. Alessandra Schneider, UNESCO, lectured on the theoretical and empirical rationale for community-based early education and development programs. Dra.Vera Melis Paulillo, Dra.Lucilla Martinez, and Dr. Manoel Barros Filho presented different perspectives on early childhood development in Rio Grande do Sul. Emily Fenichel, Associate Director of Zero to Three, USA, described the philosophy of Zero to Three and research behind the Early Head Start program in North America. Dr. J. Kevin Nugent, Brazelton Institute, spoke on the NBO and its role in facilitating the transition to parenthood. Dra. Bruna Giacopini, Reggio-Emilia, Italy, described the Reggio-Emilia approach to early education.

Dr. Mary Eming Young, from the Human Development Network, the World Bank, spoke on the World Bank and the politics of support of early childhood development. Her presentation is printed in full in this edition of Ab Initio.