Early Childhood Development

Access to Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) programs is very limited due to a focus on primary and basic education. This means that many young children - from birth to 6 - lack the stimulation and social interaction necessary for their cognitive, social and emotional development through their early years.

As part of the initiative to promote Early Childhood Care and Development, Save the Children began working with the ECCD and Special Educational Needs Division of the Ministry of Education in implementing a Joint ECCD Pilot Project.

Our ECCD centers now educate 3 to 5-year-old children as well as engage parents of children 0–6 years. Due to its success, the Ministry of Education has now scaled this up in other communities as well. These centers include play and learning materials, and curriculum and training manuals for both students and parents.  

To ensure quality and impact of our programs, Save the Children conducts studies to find out the school readiness of 3 to 5-year-old children enrolled in the ECCD center program, the impact of the ECCD parenting education program, and feasibility of implementing ECCD center program for children of semi-nomadic communities and road workers of the National Work Force.

*The photos were taken by children who participated in Save the Children’s photography workshop.