Research consultancy

ROLE OF COMMUNITIES IN SUSTAINABILITY OF EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT CENTRES

Findings according to (Pence & Shafer, Indigenous knowledge and early childhood development in Africa, 2006) reveal that while parents in the urban areas see the relevance of sustaining community ECD programmes with positivity in supporting the centre activities, parents in rural areas see such innovations as wastage of time and money.

(Pence, ECD policy development and implementation in Africa, 2004) added that communities in rural settings see ECD initiated programmes as avenues for making money for selfish interests by those who run them. Similarly, communities also look at the programme as one which is brought by funders to erode their cultural beliefs and values (Ejuu G. , Celebrating african men’s role in child care and early childhood development programs, 2016).  This implies that there is need for increasing awareness of the importance of ECD programmes and the availability of community ECD programmes so as to effectively reduce inequalities that exist in rural communities compared to those in urban.

In Australia, early childhood development was recognised in urban areas and at a national level for the important role it plays in determining the long-term benefits and outcomes for children and families who live in urban centres. Following nearly twelve years of conservative government in Australia, the Australian Labor Party came to power in Australia in November 2007 with a key policy focus on community ECD programmes in urban and rural centres. The Labor Party polices identified a goal to put learning and development at the community centres of Australia for children to have access to high quality early learning and care (Burchinal & Cryer, 2003).A key determinant of a quality learning programme is the relationship that educators develop with parents and families as equal partners in the education and care of children and sustainability of such programmes both in urban and rural setting (Kisitu, 2009).

(Laparo, et al., 2009)noted that parents in Holland mostly in the city centres or urban areas, are involved in community ECD programmes in different ways including participating in activities in the centre, following up at home the activities children have been involved in and showing awareness of the centre programme. Parents were mostly involved in events that needed undertaking informally or formally such as attending parent-caregiver conferences, volunteering and helping in the classroom, fundraising, planning and participating in social events, and assisting with maintenance (Duncan, et al., 2011).   Unlike urban areas majority of communities in rural areas actively participate in community activities such as burials, traditional marriages, cleaning of wells, circumcision and church activities with little participation in the learning of the children in ECD centres.

While it is said that urban ECD centres are more sustained than those in rural areas with several reasons, it is everyone’s concern and responsibility to pass on the accepted beliefs to the next generation for sustainability in community activities. The researcher doubts whether there is a parent who does not wish his/her child success that even when ECD programmes are put in place they still oppose it or see it as a source of income in terms of free food and scholastic materials. It is believed that community members in urban and rural areas can maintain the centre, fund raise for construction and take up responsibilities at the centre if they are part and partial of the team.  This as well remains a question in point to as why parents are not playing their roles as expected, which seems not to be addressed by other researchers.

Hypotheses

To guide the study, the following hypotheses and a research question were developed:

• There is no statistically significant relationship between ECD support systems and sustainability of community Based centres.
• There is no statistically significant relationship between Community Participation in ECD and Sustainability of ECD.

Research Question

• What is the role of communities in sustainability of ECD centres?