OMEP appoints Kopko as designated representative to the UN

The World Organization for Early Childhood Education, known internationally as OMEP, has appointed Dr Kimberly Kopko as a designated representative to the United Nations.

OMEP is a multinational nongovernmental organisation that works for all aspects of early childhood education and care, advocating for the rights, well-being, health and education of young children, their parents, their educators and the institutions that serve them.

Dr Kopko said the appointment, while also an honour, presented her with “a tremendous opportunity to advocate for promoting access to quality early childhood education and care for all children.” 

OMEP was founded in 1948, and has national committees in more than 70 countries, including Australia, where the national president is Associate Professor Sandie Wong who is based at Macquarie University. The oldest and largest international organisation focusing on children aged eight years and younger, OMEP Members include scholars, researchers, practitioners, health care and legal professionals, as well as advocates from around the world.

Dr Kopko received her doctorate in child development, and now studies child development, parenting and family processes. Her current research and outreach projects include: parenting and child learning; parenting education in school-based health centers; teens being raised by custodial grandparents; and the use of research and evidence-based parent education programs to promote positive parenting behaviors and strengthen families.

“The U.N. representative appointment is very closely aligned with my work … as it requires applying research-based evidence to inform action and practice,” she said. “In this regard, the work of the OMEP Committee has the potential to impact global child policy.”

To learn more about the work of OMEP, please see here.