Early Childhood Development (ECD)

Quality pre-primary education is the foundation of a child’s journey: every stage of education that follows relies on its success. Yet, despite the proven and lifelong benefits, more than 175 million children – nearly half of all pre-primary-age children globally – are not enrolled in pre-primary education.

Nearly half of all pre-primary-age children around the world are not enrolled in preschool.

Taaleem Foundation is adopting the best model of ECD at its most basic level, early childhood development (ECD) encompasses all forms of education, both formal and informal, provided to young children up to approximately 8 years of age. This education is fundamental to the development of a child and can significantly shape the later years of an individual’s life.

Digging deeper, there are several different facets that all combine to contribute to a child’s early education. In terms of informal education, the primary source of input when it comes to a child’s development is, of course, its relationship with its parents or primary caregivers. In essence, parents can be considered to be a child’s first teacher. This relationship is especially critical between 0-2 years of age as the child begins to develop its sense of self and establishes an attachment with its parents. The quality of the attachment formed at this stage of life can have a significant impact on a child’s future education.

The other part of the equation when it comes to early childhood education is the formal education that it receives at a young age. This stage of education typically spans years 2 to 8 of a child’s life. There can be a variety of formats in which a child receives formal education at a young age, which can vary from state to state and program to program. Educational programs may be designed specifically for children at each individual age and can be provided in settings including childcare, daycare, nursery school, preschool, and kindergarten. Some of these programs are privately run, while others are operated by a local school system or under a federally funded program.

Taaleem Foundation is working in Tarnol sector for Early Childhood Development in collaboration with Pakistan Alliance for Early Childhood (PAFEC) and UNICEF. In this perspective, TF has trained 60 frontline educators for spreading the whole information in the community regarding the best 22 parenting practices.

Pakistan Alliance for Early Childhood (PAFEC) and Taaleem Foundation conducted an inception workshop on February 19, 2020, at Islamabad Hotel to pilot the project, ‘Key Family Practices – Parental Package for ECD’ funded by UNICEF. The project was piloted in Rawalpindi and Islamabad regions over a six-month period through 20 relevant implementing partners managed by PAFEC. Based on the learning from this project, a multi-year/agency program is being developed for scaling the tested program in the whole of Pakistan.