Early Childhood Education and Care: Towards growth opportunities

Early childhood education is a broad term used to describe any type of educational program that serves children in their preschool years. Early childhood education may consist of any number of activities and experiences designed to aid in the cognitive and social development of preschoolers before they enter elementary school.

Early childhood education programs may be designed for three-, four-, or five-year olds, and they may be provided in childcare, daycare, nursery school, preschool settings.

One of the first government funded early childhood education initiatives in the U.S. was the Head Start program, which was created in 1965. This federally funded education initiative, which is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, provides children from low-socioeconomic families or those who qualify under a specific at-risk category with free access to early childhood education programs.

The other government funded program was started in India called as 'Anganwadi'. The word Anganwadi means "courtyard shelter" in Indian languages. They were started by the Indian government in 1975 as part of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) program to combat child hunger and malnutrition. This is a child-care and mother-care centered approach. The program also touches upon basic literacy skills such as reading and writing.

The SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) recognize that early childhood development, care and education can help drive the transformation we hope to achieve over the next 15 years. Young children’s holistic development and enhanced learning and the achievement of the SDGs are highly interlinked because the former has a strong multiplier effect which can transform individuals and societies.

The latest research in neuroscience shows that the care and opportunities for learning during the early years provide the foundation for physical and mental health throughout a person’s life. During the period from conception to 8 years, children’s health, nutrition, learning, and protection needs evolve as children begin to build relationships with others and move from early learning in the home and community to preschool and later to more formal school settings.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are interlinked with these needs across children’s home and community environments. The families, communities, civil society and governments should ensure that all children have equitable access to these services. In addition, ECD, health, education, and social welfare sectors should coordinate policies, partnerships, and services to support seamless transitions across each stage of this age continuum to ensure children’s success in school and in life beyond the early years.

We need strong policy forums to provide a platform for high-level policy makers of the world to share experiences and lessons learnt in developing and implementing ECCE (Early childhood care and education) policies and discuss innovative strategies to improve the equity and quality of ECCE.

Credence Learning Foundation
Bangalore
India

Seven key differences between Parenting in India and Dutch:

- A Dutch mother, Ivana, recently shared her experiences living in Mumbai for nine years, highlighting seven key differences between parenting in India. She emphasises that neither approach is "better" or "worse," but rather they involve different trade-offs. Key Differences in Parenting: According to her viral reflections on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWJv7RLDM-z/), the primary contrasts include: * Community vs. Solo Marathon: In the Netherlands, parenting often feels like a "solo marathon". In Mumbai, she experiences a "real village" where family, neighbours, and the building community are always available to help. * Independence vs. Interdependence: Dutch culture raises children to be "fierceley independent," such as cycling to school alone at age eight. Indian parenting focuses on interdependence and being part of a larger, supportive system. * Child-Friendly Public Spaces: She notes that children in India are acce...

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If you are in your office more than 2 hours without walking, you are not leading the school. You are managing paperwork:

- A school is not run from a desk. It is led from the corridors. In business they call it MBWA — Management By Walking Around. In schools we call it the Walking Headteacher Principle. The best heads are never hidebound in the office. An office-bound head hears reports about the school. A walking head sees the real school. Why You Must Walk: 1. You See The Invisible Child From your office you only see the naughty child who is sent to you. When you walk at break, at toilet time, in the library, you see the quiet child alone, the bullied child, the hungry child. The child who will never knock on your office door. That 2-minute eye contact in the corridor can save a life. 2. You Kill Problems When They Are Small Office head: Hears about a fight after it happened. Walking head: Sees the push, the swear word, the group forming in the corner, and stops it with a "Hello, boys, everything okay?" before it becomes a fight. Discipline drops by 30-40% just by visible presence. 3. Staff ...

The final two steps — Analyse and Prevent — are where institutional improvement happens:

- A parent sends a message at 9:00 in the morning: “My child’s notebook has not been checked properly for the last two weeks.” Nobody responds. At 1:00 PM, the parent sends another message. Still no clear response. The next morning, the parent calls reception. Reception says: “We will inform the coordinator.” The coordinator is busy. Another day passes. By the third day, the original notebook issue is no longer the real problem. Now the parent is angry because: Nobody listened Nobody took ownership Nobody communicated Nobody gave a timeline Nobody closed the issue A small academic concern has become a trust problem. This is how many school complaints escalate. Not because the original issue was impossible to solve. Because the school did not have a system to detect, own, resolve, and close the issue early. Strong schools should not only have a Complaint Handling System. They should have a Parent Complaint Prevention System. The objective is different. Complaint handling asks: “How...

ಪ್ರೊ. ಕೆ. ಎಸ್. ನಿಸಾರ್ ಅಹಮದ್ ರವರ ಜೀವನ-

- ಪ್ರೊ. ಕೆ. ಎಸ್. ನಿಸಾರ್ ಅಹಮದ್ ಪ್ರೊ.ಕೆ.ಎಸ್.ನಿಸಾರ್ ಅಹಮದ್ (5 ಫೆಬ್ರುವರಿ 1936 - 3 ಮೇ 2020) ಕನ್ನಡದ ಪ್ರಮುಖ ಸಾಹಿತಿಗಳಾಗಿದ್ದರು. ಅವರ ಪೂರ್ಣ ಹೆಸರು 'ಕೊಕ್ಕರೆಹೊಸಳ್ಳಿ ಶೇಖಹೈದರ ನಿಸಾರ್ ಅಹಮದ್'. ಅವರು ಬರೆದ 'ಜೋಗದ ಸಿರಿ ಬೆಳಕಿನಲ್ಲಿ ತುಂಗೆಯ ತೆನೆ ಬಳುಕಿನಲ್ಲಿ' ಎಂಬ ಪದ್ಯವು ಬಹಳ ಜನಪ್ರಿಯವಾಗಿ ಅವರು ನಿತ್ಯೋತ್ಸವ ಕವಿಯೆಂದೂ ಕರೆಯಲ್ಪಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು. Image source: Online typing ಜೀವನ- ಪ್ರೊ. ನಿಸಾರ್ ಅಹಮದ್ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯ ದೇವನಹಳ್ಳಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಫೆಬ್ರುವರಿ ೫, ೧೯೩೬ ರಲ್ಲಿ ಜನಿಸಿದರು. ೧೯೫೯ ರಲ್ಲಿ ಭೂವಿಜ್ಞಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ನಾತಕೋತ್ತರ ಪದವಿ ಪಡೆದರು. ೧೯೯೪ ರ ವರೆಗೆ ವಿವಿಧ ಸರಕಾರಿ ಕಾಲೇಜುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಅಧ್ಯಾಪಕ ಹಾಗು ಪ್ರಾಧ್ಯಾಪಕರಾಗಿ ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡಿ ನಿವೃತ್ತರಾದರು. ಜನನ 5 ಫೆಬ್ರುವರಿ 1936 ದೇವನಹಳ್ಳಿ, ಮೈಸೂರು ಸಂಸ್ಥಾನ, ಬ್ರಿಟಿಷ್ ಇಂಡಿಯಾ ಮರಣ 3 ಮೇ 2020 (ವಯಸ್ಸು 84)[೧] ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ವೃತ್ತಿ ಸಾಹಿತಿ, ಪ್ರೊಫೆಸರ್ ಭಾಷೆ ಕನ್ನಡ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯತೆ ಭಾರತ ಪ್ರಕಾರ/ಶೈಲಿ Fiction ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯ ಚಳುವಳಿ ನವ್ಯ ಕಾವ್ಯ ಪ್ರಮುಖ ಕೆಲಸಗಳು ಮನಸು ಗಾಂಧಿ ಬಜಾರು(1960) ನಿತ್ಯೋತ್ಸವ ಪ್ರಮುಖ ಪ್ರಶಸ್ತಿಗಳು ಪದ್ಮಶ್ರೀ (೨೦೦೮), ರಾಜ್ಯೋತ್ಸವ (೧೯೮೧) ಕೆಲವು ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯಗಳು : ನಿಸಾರ್ ಅಹಮದ್ ...

The man who had never occupied a school desk spent nearly 11 years trying to build a classroom large enough for an entire republic:

Snippets: - In 1948, Azad appointed the University Education Commission under S Radhakrishnan. Its work helped shape the University Grants Commission, constituted in 1953, and later given statutory status in 1956. - Maulana Abul Kalam Azad's story is one of self-learning, nation-building, and institutions like IITs and AIIMS that he helped set up, that continue to shape generations of Indians. - Azad served as India's education minister from August 1947 until his death in February 1958. During his tenure, India established IIT Kharagpur, the UGC, the University and Secondary Education Commissions, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) etc - During his tenure, the central education budget rose from roughly Rs 2 crore to more than Rs 30 crore. - Azad did not see higher education as the privilege of the elites. He described basic education as the birthright of every individual and pressed for free and compulsory schooling, adult literacy, teacher training and greater...

Every Child’s Mind Can Grow: How We Learned to Protect and Nurture Young Minds:

- For a long time, people believed that children were born with a set amount of intelligence that could never really change. If a child struggled to learn, it was often assumed to be something they were simply born with. Psychologist J. McVicker Hunt changed that mindset forever. He showed the world that a young child’s brain is not set in stone—it is flexible, growing, and deeply affected by the world around them. What a child hears, sees, and experiences in their earliest years can completely shape how their mind develops. ## What Happens When Young Minds Miss Out ? Hunt paid close attention to what happens when children grow up in tough environments without enough learning tools, books, or warm, interactive attention. He discovered that children raised without these basic early opportunities fell far behind in thinking and learning skills—not because they weren't capable, but because their brains were starving for stimulation. The most vital part of his discovery, however, was ...

(Reframing behavioral challenges into opportunities) - The 'C-DOO' Framework: Redefining Child Behavior from Connection to Ownership:

- C-DOO Framework—Connection, Discipline, Obedience, and Ownership Introduction: Child development and behavior explain how children grow, learn, and express their inner experiences from birth through adolescence. Research shows that early childhood experiences form the literal blueprint for a child’s lifelong brain structure, emotional health, and learning capacity. Modern studies focus heavily on early brain plasticity, the impact of screen time, and how chronic stress affects a child's development. Researchers are also discovering that children learn self-regulation primarily through calm co-regulation with the trusted adults around them. Understanding these scientific insights gives parents and teachers a clear lens to interpret childhood actions accurately. Instead of viewing challenging behavior as simple defiance, adults can recognize it as a signal of unmet needs or incomplete skill development. This shift in perspective helps parents respond with supportive gu...

School Library suggested list for Indian schools for classes 6th to 10th standard:

## - Book Suggestions for a School Library in India for classes 6-10. Here are some book suggestions, focusing on core subjects and Indian languages, to enrich your school library: 1. Works by renowned Indian authors in various languages (Hindi, english, regional languages etc.) 2. Language Reference Books: * Dictionaries (English, Hindi, regional languages) * Thesauruses * Grammar books * English communication books * Writing guides * Essay writing books 3. Science: * Biographies of famous scientists (e.g., Einstein, Curie) * Books on specific scientific topics (e.g., astronomy, biology, chemistry) 4. Mathematics: * Mathematical puzzles and brain teasers * History of mathematics * Books on the practical applications of mathematic...

School Operations Manual:

- A school is a complex organization where multiple activities should co-ordinate in sync. Each stake holder - Management, Teacher, Students, Parents and supportive staff, everyone has an important role to play. All these stake holders need to know their job, roles and responsibilities, and also the structure, policy and procedure of their work. Thus a team has come up with a 'school operations manual' to support schools in designing their school policies and procedures, which will help to strengthen the school system. This manual outlines the significant policies and procedures covering a wide spectrum of activities in a school, starting from affiliation, curriculum planning, extra-curricular activities, value education, school administration, statutory compliances, HR, etc. The core objective of this manual is to communicate, describe and help in implementing the best practices, policies and procedures so as to bring standardisation in our schools through collaboration. Ev...

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