Mother Child Education Program (MOCEP)

It is every child's right to live and develop to his or her full potential.

Given that the child's development is most rapid in early ages, acceptance and protection of this right is directly related to the provision of early childhood education for every child. It is also a widely acknowledged fact that the immediate environment of the child is particularly significant in meeting his or her developmental needs. However, in some instances, parents may need support to meet the developmental needs of their children.
Research also shows that the cognitive, social, emotional and physical development of children living in disadvantaged socio-economic environments can be lower than their more advantaged peers. These children are also more likely to be low achievers at school as they are not provided with a fair chance right from the start. However, studies have revealed that if the child's immediate environment is supported through education, then disadvantaged children can be provided with a fair chance to develop to their full potential. This is particularly significant in countries where access to early childhood education is particularly low—the rate of access to preschool education in Turkey is only 14%. (for 5-6 age groups)

What is MOCEP?
MOCEP is an early childhood education program, developed and researched on scientific premises to provide a solution to the problem of early childhood education in Turkey. In MOCEP, the mother is targeted and trained to empower her natural and potential educator role through a multi-purpose non-formal education model. In this way, the woman can be empowered as an individual and as a mother while the child's developmental needs are met in his/her natural home environment.

How was MOCEP developed?
The origins of the Mother Child Education Program lie in the "Turkish Early Enrichment Project" conducted between 1982-1991 by Prof. Dr. Çiğdem Kağıtçıbaşı, Prof. Diane Sunar and Prof. Sevda Bekman of Boğaziçi University. AÇEV was developed in light of the results of this research project and led to the establishment of the Mother Child Education Foundation whose primary purpose was to expand the benefits of the program to families across Turkey.

Why is MOCEP important?
Every child has the inherent capacity to reach his or her full potential. The success of formal schooling is often dependent on the existence of a widespread early childhood education system. The evaluation research of MOCEP has shown us that the social and cognitive development of children brought up in developmentally "at risk" environments can be supported through enriching their immediate environment. Through this low cost, widespread, multi purpose program, the children and families who can not benefit from formal preschool institutions can be provided with an alternative and a fair chance for future success.

Who does MOCEP serve?
MOCEP targets mothers of 5 year olds who do not have the means to access formal preschool education.

How is MOCEP implemented?
The expansion of MOCEP across Turkey was made possible through collaboration with the Ministry of National Education. Today, MOCEP courses are implemented in over 200 Adult Education Centers across Turkey. Adult Education Centers are attached to the Non-Formal Education and Apprenticeship General Directorate of the Ministry of National Education and are present in every district of Turkey. MOCEP consists of 25 weekly group meetings of around three hours.
The teachers and province coordinators are permanent staff of the Ministry of National Education who participate in a four week training seminar conducted by MOCEP experts.

What is the content of MOCEP?
MOCEP consists of three components:
• Mother Support Program, Cognitive Training Program and Reproductive Health and Family Planning. Each component includes educational materials which are distributed to the mother and child free of charge.
• Cognitive Training Program.
• Reproductive Health and Family Planning.

Mother Support Program:
This part of MOCEP is realized in the form of group discussions guided by a trained group leader. The aim is to sensitize mothers on subjects such as children's development, health, nutrition, care and creative play activities, discipline, mother-child interaction, communication, expressing feelings and the needs of the mother. Through sensitization on these issues the mother is better able to support the development of her child.

Cognitive Training Program :
This part is based on 25 worksheets and 8 storybooks which aim to foster the cognitive development of the child and prepare him/her for school. Each week's materials contain various exercises to be carried out by the mother with the child each day at home. These exercises contain activities that foster eye-hand coordination, verbal development, pre-literacy and pre-numeracy skills and problem solving skills. This part of the program is further supported by home visits conducted by teachers.

Reproductive Health and Family Planning:
This part of the program also takes place in the form of group discussions and aims to sensitize mothers on the female reproductive system, healthy and risky pregnancies, contraceptive methods and general reproductive health.

Other MOCEP implementations:
MOCEP is also implemented in partnership with the Social Services and Child Protection Agency on a smaller scale. Furthermore, through partnerships with European NGO’s, MOCEP is implemented abroad in France, Germany, Holland and Belgium with Turkish immigrants living in these countries. The program has also been translated to Arabic and is currently being implemented in Bahrain.

How to apply to MOCEP?
The program is open to all literate mothers of 5 year olds who are not attending preschool. Interested mothers need to apply directly to MOCEP.