FACTORS INFLUENCING CHILDREN’S ACCESS TO EARLYCHILDHOOD

DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION CENTRES IN POKOT SOUTH SUB-COUNTY, WEST

POKOT COUNTY

TOM OMBATI

A CONCEPT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT FOR THE

AWARD OF MASTER OF EDUCATION DEGREE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD STUDIES

OF

MOUNT KENYA UNIVERSITY

 INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Education fosters growth. Education builds self- and nation-development skills. Early

experiences last. Education, poverty, and income determine a family's education needs,

especially for siblings. Children from low-income, low-educated families may drop out due to

financial constraints. African nations struggle to improve basic education, including ECDE

(UNESCO 2001). Passtalozi and Reusseau recommend investing in preschool education to help

children develop holistically and prepare for higher education.

“Early childhood is a critical period in which to lay the foundation for success in education and

beyond; so early childhood care and education should be at the center of EFA and broader

development Agendas,” according to the 2012 UNESCO education for all global monitoring

report on EFA goal No. 1. Hunger, illness, and malnutrition hinder children's cognitive

development and learning. A 2009 PISA survey found that 15-year-olds who had at least one

year of pre-primary school outperformed those without it in most countries. Quality pre-schools

prepare kids for elementary school. Australia, India, Turkey, and Uruguay benefit from

preschool. These include better literacy, numeracy, attention, effort, and education and

employment outcomes. (2012).

ECDE enrollment in Kenya rose from 483148 in 1982 to 894295 in 2003. Enrollment fell from

35.4 percent in 1990 to 33.4 percent in 1999. (seasonal paper number 1, 2005). Considering the

relevance of ECDE, this GER is low. According to the 1999 population census, 574249 children

were not enrolled in pre-primary education, and many children entering school do not attend pre-

primary (Sessional paper no. 1, 2005). Kenya started free primary education (FPE) for all 6-year-
olds in January 2003. ECDE enrollment suffered. Parents have to pay ECDE fees and other

educational charges.

Despite being one of the millennium development objectives, the government did nothing to

improve ECDE access (MDGs). With so many kids beginning standard one without ECDE, free

primary education caused overcrowding. Some pupils were removed from ECDE centers to wait

for conventional ones. Many Kenyan youngsters wait to enter standard one at 6 years old instead

of ECDE. ECDE access for children is poor due to numerous issues. Low children's access to

ECDE is attributed to community poverty (UNESCO 2012). The research also blames

underinvestment for inadequate preschool coverage in most emerging nations.

Poor nutrition prevented ECDE access in the Kalawa zone, Makueni district, according to Kioko

(2011). In her study, Kagwima (2001) highlighted parental illness as another barrier to ECDE

access, whereas Kipchumba (2011) noted a lack of physical infrastructure. This suggests that in

some classes one student skipped preschool or dropped out. This research will examine variables

that affect ECDE access in private and public ECDE centers.

Statement of the Problem

ECDE prepares children mentally, physically, and socially. This prepares children to join the

major education streams, which equips them with skills, talents, and competencies to become

self-reliant and contribute to national progress. The Kenyan government is concerned about

achieving Education For All by 2015, hence it is addressing education access concerns, including

ECDE.
Many children in the sub-county do not have access to ECDE. This may delay EFA by 2015,

Kenya Vision 2030, and MDGs for the area. Scholars say different variables reduce ECDE

access. These variables may have lowered District ECDE access.

Thus, the researcher seeks to determine how much certain variables contributed to this poor

access.

Objectives of the Study

The study intends to achieve the following objectives.

i. Examine the enrollment patterns of children in ECDE centers.

ii. Assess how the degree of certification and training of headteachers and ECDE teachers

affects children's access to ECDE.

iii. Determine the degree to which teachers' pay influences children's access to ECDE.

iv. Determine how family income affects access to early childhood development programs.

Research Questions

i. What are the enrollment patterns at ECDE centers?

ii. How does the pricing structure impact children's access to different ECDE centers?

iii. To what degree do the teachers’ credentials and training affect children’s access to ECDE?

iv. How does the amount of compensation for ECDE instructors impact children's access to

ECDE?

v. How does parental income affect access to ECDE for children?

Significance of the study

The report may aid EDCE centers with low enrollment in gaining financial support to increase

children's access to ECDE by citing them to financial backers. The results of this research may

be of use to educational stakeholders, such as the government via the ministry of education, by

identifying variables that may have impeded access to early childhood development and

education (ECDE). Therefore, the government may be able to revisit the question of proper

funding for ECDE education. The religious groups may be able to direct additional aid to places

where access to ECDE is limited owing to a variety of challenges if they are made aware of these

locations. The government may recognize the necessity to engage and compensate ECDE

instructors for their credentials to increase their motivation. This research may aid the

government via the education ministry by alerting them of the necessity to ensure that parents

see ECDE as a fundamental child right and enroll their children in ECDE facilities.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

The research will be based on Hanushek, 2020 (Coleman (1996);Psacharapolous and Wood's

(2001)) educational production function theory (1985). According to this approach, education

inputs are expended in specified quantities to generate favorable outcomes. Consequently, the

output will depend on the number of inputs supplied and how efficiently they are blended for

maximum output. Inputs to the education process include teaching and learning materials,

instructors, funds, and students. Exam scores, retention, competition rate, enrollment, and

participation have a significant role in determining internal efficiency. The idea permits a

thorough analysis of the cost-effectiveness of education. Education requires a substantial

investment in terms of expenditures on instructors' salaries, instructional facilities, and physical

infrastructure. Therefore, the resources must be used effectively for optimum production.
Conceptual Framework

Independent Variables Dependent Variables

enrollment
patterns
Enrollment Count
Enrollment Limit
Average Class Size
Capacity Count
Waitlist
teachersCount
qualification
formal education
experience Children’s Access
subject matter knowledge To Early Childhood
pedagogy studies Development
duration of training Education Centres
teachers' pay
Absenteeism
competitiveness ratio
promotions
Retirement

family income
employment status of parents
number of children
income cycles of parents

Intervening Variables
- Government Policies
- Societal Norms
 METHODOLOGY

Research design

This is the method for generating solutions to research challenges. The research will use a

descriptive survey design since its purpose is descriptive. The design allows the researcher to

capture extensive information while the responder jots down their replies, without imposing any

restrictions. In addition, the approach enabled the researcher to solicit replies from a wide

number of participants (Best & Kahn, 2006).

Sample size and sampling procedures

Sampling is the process of choosing persons or items for study from a community. The chosen

group comprises traits that are shared by the whole group (Orodho and Kombo, 2002). The

study's selection of principals will rely on a simple random sample. To choose ECDE centers and

instructors for the research, stratified random sampling will be employed. In order to provide a

more realistic depiction, the population will be separated into smaller homogeneous groups (Best

& Kahn 2006).

According to Mugenda & Mugenda (1999), a minimum of 10 percent of the available population

is required for descriptive study. The researcher will employ 30% to get a more accurate
depiction of the characteristics of the population. The sample will thus consist of 96 ECDE

centres translating to a target population of 96 principals and 2 ECDE teachers from each school,

adding up to 288 respondents.

Research instruments

A questionnaire consists of a sequence of questions and other prompts designed to elicit

information from respondents. The research will use two questionnaires, one for principals and

one for ECDE instructors. In addition, it will use data provided from county education offices

and ECDE centers.

A questionnaire is a low-cost method of acquiring information that takes little effort from

responders due to its standardized questions, making it simple to assemble data. It is an

inexpensive method for collecting information from a potentially huge number of responders.

This makes it the ideal method for reaching a sufficient number of responders for statistical

analysis of the data. When used properly, a questionnaire may collect data about the performance

of the whole population as well as the sample collected.

The surveys will be sent to both principals and preschool instructors. It will include questions

designed to collect information on the variables influencing children's access to ECDE. A

questionnaire is recommended because it allows the responder to have more trust in his replies

since he is handled discreetly and does not provide any identifying information. Additionally, it

is a time-saving device (Wiersma; 1985)

Data Analysis Techniques

According to Mugenda & Mugenda (2003), data editing, categorization, and tabulation are the

procedures of providing order, structure, and meaning to large amounts of gathered information.

The obtained data will be encoded and input into a computer for analysis using a statistical

software program for the social sciences. The four phases recommended by Miles and Huberman

(1994), which consist of cleaning data, condensing data, analyzing data, making meaning of data,

and presenting it in narrative and interpretative formats, will use descriptive statistics, which

involves the usage of mean, frequencies, and variance. The results will be presented with

explanations utilizing tables, charts, and graphs.

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