Early Childhood Education – Significance & Challenges – Explained Pointwise

‘Lottery of birth’ refers to the acknowledgement about how, when, where & to whom you are born, grow up and live plays such a profound role in shaping one’s future & dramatically alters access to resources like nutrition, healthcare, education, and safe living environments. A child born in India has a one-in-five chance of being born into poverty, affecting their health, nutrition, learning and earning potential.
However, there are ways to beat this matter of luck – one of which is Early Childhood Education (ECE).

What is the SIGNIFICANCE of Early Childhood Education?

1. Brain Development: Early childhood refers to the period between birth and 8 years of age, wherein a child’s brain is highly sensitive to the environment around them. This time of “remarkable growth” requires a specialized educational approach to ensure that children learn key skills and foundational concepts to prepare them for later life.

2. School Readiness: Children who attend quality ECE programs are significantly better prepared for formal schooling. They enter with foundational skills in literacy, numeracy, self-regulation, and social interaction, which helps them transition smoothly and succeed academically.

3. Improved Academic Outcomes: Research consistently shows that children with a strong ECE background perform better academically in later years, have higher graduation rates, and are more likely to pursue higher education.

4. Social, Emotional & Physical Development: ECE helps children develop vital social skills like sharing, cooperation, and communication, and emotional resilience to cope with challenges. These skills are crucial for building healthy relationships throughout life. ECE helps children in developing skills through free and planned play, engaging activities like building, painting, playing instruments, etc., and coordinated games where children practice running, pulling, pushing, hopping, and working together while having fun.

5. Lifelong Love of Learning: A positive early learning experience can instill a lifelong curiosity and enthusiasm for learning.

6. Reduced Disparities: High-quality ECE is particularly beneficial for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, helping to mitigate the effects of poverty and provide them with a better start in life. It can reduce developmental vulnerabilities and improve long-term outcomes. For e.g. children who receive quality early education are four times more likely to have higher earnings and three times more likely to own a home as adults.

7. Economic Benefits: Investing in ECE yields high returns. It can lead to higher earning potential, better adult health, reduced involvement in the criminal justice system, and a more productive workforce as parents are better able to participate in employment. High-quality early childhood care and education is considered by the OECD to be a key economic indicator when assessing the health and future positioning of a nation. For e.g. according to Nobel Laureate Prof. James Heckman, every dollar invested in
early childhood education yields a return that ranges from $7 to $12.

8. Good Habits: Daily routines and structured environments in ECE settings help children develop good habits related to hygiene, self-care, and routines.

9.  SDG: UNESCO supports high-quality early childhood education as one of its sustainable development goals.

What are the CHALLENGES faced by Early Childhood Education in India?

1. Uneven Distribution: While programs like Anganwadi Centers exist, access to quality ECE is highly uneven. Urban areas often have a mix of private and public options, but rural and remote areas, and particularly marginalized communities, suffer from limited or no access to structured ECE.

2. Bypassing of ECE: While the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) through Anganwadis cater to children under six, many children in the crucial 3-6 age group still do not enroll in any ECE service, whether public or private. Many children in India are bypassing essential ECE entirely. 2% of three-year-olds, 5.1% of four-year-olds, and nearly one-fourth of five-year-olds are enrolled directly in Class one.

3. Poor quality ECE:
Children getting ECE in India are not receiving sufficient instructional time. Nearly 5.5 crore children between ages three to six are enrolled in 14 lakh operational Anganwadis and 56,000 government pre-primary schools. However, Anganwadi workers spend only 38 minutes per day on preschool instruction, which is far short of the scheduled two hours, and only 9% of pre-primary schools have a dedicated ECE teacher.
The effects are reflected in learning outcomes. The India Early Childhood Education Impact Study found that only 15% of pre-primary children could match basic objects, a skill essential for letter recognition in Class one. Similarly, only 30% could identify larger and smaller numbers, which are foundational for arithmetic. As a result, children often start formal schooling without the skills they need.

4. Poor optimization of resources: The Government of India spends only Rs1,263 a child annually on ECE compared to Rs 37,000 a student on school education — largely on producing teaching-learning materials that are often underused. There simply are not enough teachers to implement these resources, and there is a lack of oversight — one supervisor is responsible for monitoring 282 Anganwadis.

5. Limited Parental Awareness: Many parents, especially from disadvantaged backgrounds, may not fully understand the long-term benefits of quality ECE, often viewing it as mere childcare rather than a crucial educational foundation. Most parents care deeply about their children’s education but may lack guidance on supporting early learning. Factors like parents’ education levels, work commitments, and financial difficulties can hinder their active involvement in their child’s early education.

What have been the GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES in this regard?

1. Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme: Launched in 1975, ICDS is one of the world’s largest flagship programs under the Ministry of Women and Child Development. It’s the primary platform for ECE delivery in India, especially in rural areas, through Anganwadi Centers. ICDS provides a package of six services, three of which are directly related to ECE:

• Pre-school Non-formal Education: This is the core ECE component, focusing on the development of children aged 3-6 years through play-based activities, storytelling, and group interactions.
• Nutrition & Health Education: For women (15-45 years) to improve their health and nutrition knowledge, indirectly benefiting young children.
• Supplementary Nutrition Program (SNP): Addresses malnutrition in children (6 months to 6 years), pregnant women, and lactating mothers, ensuring better health and cognitive development

2. National Education Policy 2020: The NEP 2020 marks a paradigm shift in India’s education policy by formally integrating ECE into the mainstream education system. Its core tenets for ECE include:

• New 5+3+3+4 Curricular Structure: The previous 10+2 structure is replaced with a new pedagogical and curricular framework, where the first five years (ages 3-8) constitute the “Foundational Stage.” This explicitly brings ECE (3 years of pre-school/Anganwadi education) under the formal education umbrella, followed by Grades 1 and 2.
• Universal Access to Quality ECCE by 2030: The policy aims to ensure that all children entering Grade 1 are school-ready by providing universal access to high-quality ECCE. Special focus is given to socio-economically disadvantaged districts.

3. National Curricular and Pedagogical Framework for Early Childhood Care and Education (NCPFECCE): Developed by NCERT, this framework provides guidelines for a comprehensive curriculum for children up to age 8, ensuring a seamless continuum from pre-primary to primary school.

4. “Balavatika” or Preparatory Class: Before age 5, every child will move to a ‘Preparatory Class’ or ‘Balavatika’ (before Class 1) within an Anganwadi or primary school, taught by an ECCE-qualified teacher. Odisha government has launched its own Shishu Vatikas in all government schools for ECE to make children in the age group 5 to 6 school ready. 

5. Professional Development for ECCE (Early Childhood Care & Education) Educators:

• Training for Anganwadi Workers: Anganwadi workers (AWWs) with 10+2 qualification and above will receive a 6-month certificate program in ECCE, while those with lower qualifications will undergo a one-year diploma program.
• Cadre of Qualified Educators: NEP envisions creating professionally qualified cadres of ECCE educators through stage-specific professional training, mentoring, and career mapping.
• UP government has also decided to hire 11,000 dedicated early childhood care & education educators for Balvatikas in all the districts. The State also organised a six-day residential training programme for 50 master trainers from 13 districts to train them on ECE pedagogy.

6. Parental Engagement: In Madhya Pradesh, the monthly Bal Choupal programme engages with parents directly by showing them the importance of play-based learning.

What can be the WAY FORWARD?

1. Significant Budgetary Allocation: ECE needs to be recognized as a high-priority public good. The government must drastically increase its financial allocation to the ECE sector, moving towards the recommended 1.5-2.2% of GDP for universal quality ECE.

2. Infrastructure Upgradation: Invest significantly in upgrading infrastructure at Anganwadi Centers and pre-primary sections of schools, ensuring safe, child-friendly, well-ventilated, and adequately spaced learning environments with proper sanitation and hygiene facilities.

3. Comprehensive Teacher Training: Develop and implement a standardized, high-quality, and practical training curriculum for all ECE educators (Anganwadi Workers, pre-primary teachers in schools), focusing on child development, play-based pedagogy, socio-emotional learning, and inclusive education. Provide specialized training for educators working with children with special needs or those from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

4. Active Parental Engagement: Empowering parents with simple, effective ECE practices can make a significant difference. For instance, providing worksheets or encouraging their participation in ECE centre activities can deepen their involvement. Parental engagement can be further strengthened through WhatsApp or EdTech apps, allowing parents to support their children’s development.

5. Develop Contextualized Resources: Create and distribute a rich variety of culturally relevant, low-cost, and easily accessible teaching-learning materials (TLMs), including storybooks, puppets, puzzles, and outdoor play equipment, that support the play-based curriculum in local languages.

6. Leverage NGOs and Civil Society: Partner with experienced NGOs and civil society organizations who have a proven track record in ECE, particularly in reaching marginalized communities and implementing innovative models.

CONCLUSION:
By 2047, over a billion Indians will enter the global workforce, presenting an unprecedented opportunity to reshape India’s role in the world economy. Strategic investments in ECE and engaging parents in their children’s learning journey could help 200 million Indians escape the ‘lottery of birth’ and give today’s young learners the chance to become tomorrow’s leaders. This is a critical pathway to realising India’s vision of becoming a true Vishwa Guru, empowering generations to come.