Child Education Project: "Ankur"

Promoting School Readiness through Early Childhood Education

In India, the Integrated Child Development Services Scheme (ICDS) is the flagship state run programme with a mandate to deliver services for children below six years of age, pregnant and lactating women and adolescent girls. The services offered are health, nutrition, immunization and non-formal early education. These services are offered through an Anganwadi (courtyard shelter) Centre, by a field worker called the Anganwadi Worker. This is perhaps one of the largest state run networks offering services for early childhood care and development. Typically, a centre is available per 1000 population, thus making it not only the largest free service provider, but also the most accessible one. For various reasons, however, it has been noted and well documented that the delivery of services of early childhood education has become neglected in the whole process. The reasons for these are several - lack of manpower resources, lack of adequate training and capacity building, lack of awareness regarding the importance of early years with regard to education, etc.

After the introduction of the National Early Childhood Care and Education Policy, it has been made mandatory to offer structured preschool education to children aged 3-6 years in the Anganwadi Centre itself. This has also brought into focus the importance of preparing the child for formal schooling and paying attention to the School Readiness skills required for future achievement in formal schooling.

Considering the need and requirement to pre-primary education for 3 to 6 year children, MGVS has decided to work in line with integrated child development department (ICDS), formal and non-formal education approach in 30 villages of Aurangabad district around 1000 (3-6 year group) children has been focus from 30 Anganwadi center from 30 villages Field experience and research leads us to the conclusion that there are three questions that.

FOCUS AREAS:

1. School Readiness
2. Anganwadi Centre Infrastructure
3. Community Readiness & Involvement

School Readiness:

School readiness is defined in various ways.  It includes the concept that a healthy and productive interaction between the child and the environment lead to optimal child development. It typically encompasses broad developmental achievements as well as specific skill sets and competencies.

Developed Anganwdi Building

• Physical well being
• Social and emotional health
• Independent learning habits
• Language development
• Cognitive processes like attention, memory
• Problem solving, creative thinking etc.

General knowledge regarding the environment surrounding the childPre-academic skills for learning of literacy and numeracy

Anganwadi Centre Infrastructure

In order to ensure optimal benefits from education and to deliver all the following developments and competencies in the children, an Anganwadi Centre requires certain basic facilities to be provided to the children. This includes a safe and clean environment, facilities for sanitation and clean drinking water, hygienic cooking and storage areas and stimulating learning material.

Community Readiness & Involvement

As is a popular belief, it takes an entire village to bring up a child. It truly takes the entire community to ensure maximum outcomes from educational inputs to children. This effort has to start right from birth and encompass each of the following 

• Positive child-care behaviors - regarding all areas including health and nutrition
• Stimulating home environment - healthy, linguistically and intellectually rich
• Parental awareness of the importance of health, hygiene and early education
• Activation of the community towards early childhood health, hygiene and education- through the energization parent committees.

Outcome of Project

1. Infrastructure Improvement
   The infrastructure has improved and become more children friendly.  The overall infrastructure is well design for helping the children learning easily.
   
   
2. Health and education improvement of the child.
   The health of the child has improved, their weight and height has increased from the time of their registration compare to their earlier weight and height.
   
   The intervention has resulted in an increase in attendance of children and quality of pre-school education at AWCs
3. Trained Anganwadi staff.
   The Anganwadi has now well trained staff. The trained are more capable of teaching children in a friendly and easy learning environment.
   
   
4. Social and Behavior Change
   The Social and Behavior change of the community has changed now the community and other stakeholders are more active and willing to participate in the activities of the Anganwadi.

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