The earliest years of a child’s life are critical. These years determine a child’s survival and thriving in life, and lay the foundations for her learning and holistic development.
It is during the early years that children develop the cognitive, physical, social and emotional skills that they need to succeed in life. Early Childhood Education (ECE) positively impacts attendance, retention, and learning of children in elementary and higher education.
The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act 2010 guarantees children their right to quality elementary education. ECE is not recognized as a compulsory provision by RTE, but RTE urges states to provide free pre-school education for children above three years. The 12th Five Year Plan acknowledges the importance of ECE and improving school preparedness. The Government of India approved the National Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Policy in 2013. The Policy framework also includes the National Curriculum Framework and Quality Standards for ECCE. The Policy caters to all children under 6 years of age and commits to universal access to quality early childhood education. Nizamuddin has seven government aanganwadis, all functioning to some degree when this project component was initiated in 2010. The preschool education component being one of the weakest links.
Early Childhood Education positively impacts attendance, retention, and learning of children in elementary and higher education
