Early Childhood Care Development and Education (ECDDE)

The central goal of the programme is to ensure children's holistic development (cognitively, mentally, physically, socially, emotionally, psychologically, and linguistically) in the first 8 years of their livesthrough access to adequate, equitable, quality, and sustainable ECCDE services. GRADIF-K implements ECCDE as an integral part of community development initiatives and for current and future benefits to both the child, family, community and the nation at large. GRADIF-K believes that through integrated quality and equitable ECCDE services that children are able to enjoy their rights as enshrined in the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and in the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC).

The programme specifically aims to achieve the following objectives: 1) enhance the capacities of mothers, fathers and care givers to strengthen interventions for Children 0-4 years. 2) Contribute to formation and strengthening of ECCDE networks for effective advocacy for quality and timely services to children 0-8 years in various counties. 3) Facilitate the establishment of new community structures and local networks and strengthen the already existing structures for effectiveness and sustainability of ECCDE Programme in targeted Sub-Counties.

The key ECCDE activities include: Community mobilization and sensitization on the importance of ECCDE programing for children. Building the capacities and working with all duty bearers and stakeholders to promote holistic child development (HCD). Strengthening advocacy and facilittaing the infrastructural development of ECCDE Centres by various duty bearers including the county gorvenments in the targeted countires. This also includes the setting up pof Model ECCDE Centres in every county. Enhancing the capacities of mothers, fathers and care givers to strengthen interventions for Children 0-4 years. Strengthening Advocacy inititiatives through facilittaing the formation and capacity strengthening of County ECCDE Networks and linking them up with National and regional networks. Putting in place appropriate measures to support the sustainability of ECCDE Programme incluidng strenthing the capacituies of the local community structures and networks. Managing ECCDE Programme Learning through effective monitoring, evaluations and documentation of success stories and case studies.