On 28 March 2024, Walailak University, in collaboration with the Thai Buri Subdistrict Administrative Organization, organized a meeting to plan the Early Childhood Equity Education Project on Physical Therapy for Promoting Motor Development in Children and Observation of Child Development at Satit Walailak Pattana Community Child Development Center and Wat Khok Lek Child Development Center.

In addition, Walailak University and the organization jointly organized several activities, including an Academic Day to showcase the achievements of the Early Childhood Equity Education Project from the previous year, and Home Visit Activities with teachers to support the development of model educational institutions. These visits also involved observing the development of young and special needs children prior to assessing their motor skills and executive function development for future life management.

The Early Childhood Equity Education Project (ECEEP) Year 4 is a continuing initiative under the integrated academic service program “Walailak University – Social Engagement: Holistic Community Quality of Life Enhancement for Surrounding Areas” for the 2024 fiscal year. The project aims to collaborate with child development centers to provide free childcare facilities for the general public as well as for the children of Walailak University students and staff. It also focuses on enhancing children’s learning potential and reducing educational achievement gaps among local young learners through the HighScope teaching approach, which emphasizes active, hands-on learning. Furthermore, the project seeks to generate research-based knowledge to support the formulation of national policies promoting equity in early childhood education in Thailand.

The assessment of early childhood skills revealed that children’s Executive Functions (EF) — the brain skills for successful life management — had improved by 40 percent. However, motor development, especially fine motor skills, remained a major concern for child development centers. Therefore, the university continues to collaborate with the School of Allied Health Sciences to implement a Physical Therapy Project for Motor Development in Young Children in Surrounding Communities. This initiative aims to strengthen children’s physical abilities, promote healthy growth and age-appropriate development, and enhance their learning potential so they may become high-quality human resources in the future.