Education for Children and Youth Project Quarterly Report Third Quarter – April 1st to June 30th, 2018

ECYP is implemented by Fundación para la Educación Integral Salvadoreña (FEDISAL) as part of the USAID Forward Strategy. The project aims to support the Ministry of Education in El Salvador (MINED) in its efforts to expand access to education among children and youth living in municipalities with high violence and crime rates in El Salvador. ECYP seeks to reduce educational gaps in El Salvador through increasing educational opportunities to vulnerable/disadvantaged lower-secondary students and out-of-school youth aged 9-24 years living in selected municipalities with high crime rates. The project aims to help create safer communities by preparing youth with productive alternatives to keep them away from criminal gang activities. ECYP addresses issues of inequitable access that may be a consequence of violence among youth, including income, geographic location, exclusion of certain groups, and other factors. The project supports basic education to improve student transition to lower-secondary education, promote teacher development, and prevent violence in public schools. ECYP also supports out-of-school youth by providing complementary learning activities designed to reintegrate them into a formal school setting. The goal of the project is to improve educational outcomes, reduction in conflict and violence, and increased economic growth. During the third quarter of 2018, the project carried out a series of activities related to its strategic areas. These activities included advocating the full-time inclusive school approach, improving safe learning environments, providing incentives for low-income students, supporting out-of-school youth, promoting public-private partnerships, and conducting early grade reading assessments. The project assisted 354 school teachers and principals and 69 MINED staff members from April to June 2018. The project provided activities to strengthen pedagogical processes and improve academic results of fourth-to-ninth graders in public schools. The training focused on teaching methodologies and inclusive education, and ECYP also offered technical support in Learn – Practice – Apply (LPA) active methodologies. The project has implemented a comprehensive model which consists of three strands: school free of violence, high-quality teachers, and universal 12-year schooling. This model aims to create a safe and inclusive learning environment for students. ECYP has also established a network of implementing partners, including FEDISAL, Fundación Salvador del Mundo, Asociación Institución Salesiana, Universidad Don Bosco, Fundación Pro-Educación de El Salvador, and Agape Association of El Salvador. The project's prime implementer, FEDISAL, works closely with its partner network to implement the project's activities. ECYP's activities are aligned with USAID's Project for the Prevention of Crime and Violence, as well as other activities implemented under the National and Central American Regional Security Initiative. The project contributes to the A Safe El Salvador Plan (Plan El Salvador Segurado, PESS) and supports the Quinquennial Development Plan of the Government of El Salvador. ECYP's implementation is ongoing, with the project expected to end in December 2018. The project's achievements and activities during the third quarter of 2018 demonstrate its commitment to improving educational outcomes and reducing conflict and violence in El Salvador.