Brief Bio:

Areefa Zafar is a distinguished expert in Early Childhood Education with a Master of Science in Early Childhood Development from BRAC University. She currently serves as the Senior Program Manager and Faculty Member at BRAC Institute of Educational Development (BRAC IED), BRAC University, where she leads the childcare team and pivotal childcare projects and teaches courses in the Master's program. She is also leading multiple childcare projects and overseeing childcare as an enterprise project with BRAC Microfinance. Her significant contributions include leading a project focused on play-based pedagogy and mental health wellbeing for children aged 4-5 across 32 sub-districts and 397 Government Primary Schools in Bangladesh. Moreover, she developed and implemented play-based curriculum and mental health wellbeing programs for young children. Areefa has also made substantial strides in HR and administration, curriculum development, and strategic planning. Her work has been instrumental in advancing early childhood education and child protection across various organizations, including Islamic Relief Bangladesh and BRAC Education Programme.