Healthy Classrooms for Kids
Responding to every child's needs
Every day, more than one billion of the world's children go to school. They sit in buildings, in tents or even under trees. UNICEF is committed to making that learning environment a healthy one—free of physical discomforts and discrimination, full of competent teachers and inspiration.
UNICEF understands that schools are not 'one size fits all' institutions, and that children have diverse needs. With this in mind, we have striven to create an educational model aimed at helping schools achieve safe, healthy and protective environments that meet the specific needs of their children.
The Child-Friendly School model is a simple one:
- Schools should operate in the best interests of the child;
- Educational environments must be safe, healthy and protective;
- Classrooms should be endowed with trained teachers and adequate resources; and
- Within them, children's rights must be protected and their voices must be heard.
Learning environments must be a haven for children to learn and grow, with respect for their identities and varied needs. The Child-Friendly model promotes inclusiveness, gender-sensitivity, tolerance, dignity and personal empowerment.
Education in emergencies and after disaster
The Child-Friendly approach is the main model through which UNICEF and its partners promote quality education in normal as well as emergency situations. In areas recovering from disaster, Child-Friendly schools are an important key to "building back better." The model may differ from country to country, but the common denominator across cultures is a focus on child-centered education.
The success of our Child-Friendly Schools work depends on partnerships with other actors in the international arena. Together, we can help ensure that every child – regardless of whether he or she attends school in a building, a tent or under a tree – receives a rights-based, quality education.
Related Education Links
February 6, 2012
Day care centers offer safe haven to Somali refugee children in Yemen
UNICEF-supported day care centers are providing secure environments and education to Somali refugee children in Yemen. Each year, a growing number of Somalis are fleeing to Yemen to escape the ongoing conflict in their home country. 2011 recorded a 100% increase in refugees from Somalia over the previous year. UNICEF is working to assist the refugees by supporting day care centers where educational and health services are provided to children and caregivers receive training on child protection issues.
January 31, 2012
Flood-affected students resume studies in the Philippines
UNICEF and partners are supporting the reconstruction of 23 severely damaged schools and 68 day-care centers in the Philippines following the devastating floods caused by Tropical Storm Washi last December. An estimated 1.1 million people were affected by the disaster and many schools were completely or partially destroyed. Schools offer a lifeline to children by helping restore a sense of normalcy immediately following a disaster and in the long term promote social cohesion and contribute to the social and economic stability in affected areas.
January 20, 2012
Playing, learning and recovering in Haiti
It might look like simple fun, but the dominos, coloring pencils, construction blocks, hand puppets, puzzle pieces and memory games are about more than just a good time for children in Haiti. They are part of the thousands of early childhood development kits UNICEF has distributed since Haiti’s devastating earthquake to reintroduce normalcy and stability to the lives of children. The kits are part of a broader UNICEF program to help children recover from the trauma and prepare them for years of learning and growth.
