Improvement of Early Childhood Care

and Education in Jharkhand

Approach to ECCE by PRAJAYATNA
 PROFILE OF PRAJAYATNA

• Prajayatna grew out of a decade of experience with the issue of child labour that highlighted the need
for quality ECCE in the areas to ensure a culture of learning

• Initiated work with anganwadi teachers in order to ensure quality ECCE for all children from 2008

• Worked with 200 anganwadis in 5 districts of Karnataka. Work continuing presently in 200 anganwadis.

• Part of the core group at the State level involved in the restructuring of curriculum in Karnataka at
present.

• Working with strengthening the SMC in schools in 2 districts in Jharkhand from 2016.
 CONTEXT OF CHILDREN AND ECCE IN
JHARKHAND
• Enrolment is 93% in primary education in the State as of 2015-16 data with girl enrolment at 50%
• Attendance of children in schools and AWC is very low
• 3.8 million children in ECCE in Jharkhand
• 25% below poverty line leading to neglect lack of essential services.
• Need to change perception of AWC to a dynamic learning centre.

The reasons for the condition

• Lack of focus on ECE
• Lack of training for teachers and for functionaries
• Lack of community ownership
• Lack of infrastructure
• Lack of curriculum
• Lack of information or exposure to good practices
 WHY ECCE - SIGNIFICANCE

• Maximum development of the brain happens from 0 – 6 years (90%)

• Foundation to child’s future well being and learning

• Nutrition and learning opportunities (stimulation) critical for the overall development of the child

• Quality ECCE is seen to have a tremendous impact on primary schooling with enhanced learning levels
 OBJECTIVE

Overall objective:

• The objective of the approach is to ensure the enhancement of capabilities of children in all domains of
development by creating a conducive environment.

Specific Objectives of the Project:

• Ensure that the children achieve age appropriate indicators of overall development.

• Empower teachers to work effectively with the children to enable all children to learn and develop.

• Enhance the responsibility of the community by building the capabilities of the Anganwadi Level
Monitoring and Support Committees (parents committee) and the Panchayats Raj to take increased
responsibility for ECCE
 KEY AREAS OF FOCUS

• Enhancing community ownership – Impacting how Anganwadis are run and managed

• Redefining perspective of early childhood education-Impacting what anganwadis

deliver
 STRATEGY

Strengthening
of the
Support
system

Effective Learning –
Community
ECCE classroom
ownership –
ALMSC and GP engagement
education

Building
teachers
capabilities
 EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUC ATION

Here the learning process is based on the learning

principles

• Learning happens everywhere

• Each child learns differently

• Learning has to be experienced

• Learning happens in a conducive environment

• Learning can only be facilitated

ECE is to ensure holistic development –

building of capabilities in the physical,
cognitive, language, social and emotional
domains
 OUTC OM ES OF EC E

• The objective of the curriculum is for the child to understand self and the immediate environment
around
• Major outcomes for the children in the age group of 3-6 are:
• Ability to perform tasks independently (eating, tidying, packing, wearing footwear, going to the
toilet)
• Ability to work in a Group
• Ability to use material and tools (Colouring, tearing paper, cutting, etc)
• Ability to show self-control
• Ability to identify and understand emotions
• Identifying, naming and understanding different concepts (Matching and Classification ,
Identification of sizes and comparison, etc)
• Listening, follow instructions
• Speaking , reading and writing – hindi and english
• identify and use numbers
• Basic maths operations
 THE LEARNING PROCESS

The concepts from the context of the environment of the child is

considered as base to facilitate children's learning to achieve age
appropriate developmental stages

The bi- weekly concept is expanded in the teachers' collective

meetings and expected learning outcomes are identified. These will
incorporate both what the children need to know about the concept as
well as the skills that they need to acquire.

The daily lesson plan is made by the teachers where the activities are
contexualised and designed in a manner where the children are able to
build on what they know.

This is initiated in the concept based discussion in the

form of conversations and songs in the whole group.
Teacher familiarizes the children through activities such as
stories, rhymes, sensorial stimulatory activities in connection
with the bi-weekly concept .

Grouping of the children is done based on their abilities. Early

literacy and numeracy skills are practised here, which in turn
prepares them for school.

Children move from one group to the other depending on

their ability which is based more on their exposure and
experiences rather than their age

The learning level of each child is mapped, which in turn helps the
teachers and the parents to support the child’s learning.

The progress of the children is tracked, documented and

consolidated every six months in the form of a progress card.
T E AC H I N G L E A R N I N G
M AT E R I A L S
 BUILDING TEACHER C APABILITIES

• This kind of a learning requires teacher empowerment – sector level training

• Focus is on building their skills and capabilities to create an environment which is conducive for the
development of the children.

• Areas covered are preschool management, pedagogy, curriculum framework, assessment, TLM, identification
of disabilities, working with parents and community etc.

• Support the teachers in the classroom (onsite support)to give inputs and feedback which in turn builds their
capacities.
 BUILDING C APABILITIES OF
COMMUNITY

• Building the institutional capabilities of the Anganwadi level

Monitoring and Support Committees (anganwadi level parents
structure) through regular monthly meetings in order to
enhance their skills to ensure proper planning –
implementation – review of the plans made at the AWC level by
parents and community

• Gram Panchayat meetings to network GP and the ALMSC and

enable both structures to work in collaboration.

• Parents meetings to ensure a conducive environment for the

children at home as well.
 STRENGTHENING THE SUPPORT SYSTEM

• Monthly meetings with supervisors to review the implementation in order to support the
teachers

• Enhance understanding of their role in enhancing the quality of the anganwadi - need for
mentorship

• Documentation of their feedback and how that needs to feed back into the designing of
training sessions

• Regular review meetings with CDPO

• Regular review meetings with DSWO, PO

 OUTCOMES

• Dynamic anganwadis where there is an active learning process being facilitated by the teacher and the
children are actively engaged,
• There will be 100% enrollment of the children in the anganwadis.
• All the children attending the Centres are able to reach the expected learning outcomes which is age
appropriate.
• The teachers will be facilitators who are able to infuse a liking for learning in the children and thereby
equipping them with the tools required for learning.
• Approximately 4000 children and their families will be directly benefited through the 153 anganwadi
Centres in terms of achieving age appropriate learning outcomes.
• There will be a community which ensures that there is a conducive learning environment for children
within and outside the anganwadis as well.
• Redefinition of the roles of the monitoring and support system of the anganwadis
Thank You