Research consultancy

Research consultancy

ECD Support Systems and Sustainability of Community-Based Centres

The study revealed that ECD support systems primarily fulfill the following roles:

• Providing staff salaries
• Establishing policies and decisions to enhance centre standards
• Monitoring centre activities
• Planning and budgeting for the centre
• Encouraging parents to enroll their children
• Organizing workshops and refresher courses for caregivers
• Sensitizing parents on the importance of ECD
• Overseeing centre operations

It was concluded that ECD support systems handle most responsibilities, except for facility repairs and volunteer recruitment.

Community Participation and Sustainability of ECD Centres

The findings on community participation and ECD centre sustainability indicated that:

• Most parents prefer private nursery schools due to perceived higher standards.
• Low enrollment in community ECD centres is attributed to unqualified caregivers and poor facilities.
• Communities struggle to sustain ECD centres without NGO support due to inconsistent parent contributions.
• Some centre management committees lack decision-making authority, while others are empowered.
• Community participation helps fulfill many roles but does not improve pupil retention.

Thus, it was concluded that parents opt for private schools because they perceive community ECD centres as inferior due to unqualified staff.

Roles of the Community in ECD Centre Sustainability

The study found that communities contribute to ECD sustainability by:

• Making financial contributions for children’s welfare
• Transporting children to and from the centre
• Volunteering for renovations and construction

However, many parents neglect other responsibilities, believing NGOs should fully support ECD centres. Additionally, low enrollment persists due to poor standards and caregiver understaffing.

In conclusion, while parents contribute in some ways, they often rely on NGOs for sustainability, and enrollment remains stagnant due to subpar conditions and staffing shortages.

Recommendations

1. For ECD Support Systems:
   • Should fully engage in all roles, including repairs and staff recruitment, rather than relying on communities with limited capacity.
   • Collaborate with centre management to hire qualified caregivers, improving standards and enrollment.
   • Strengthen partnerships with parents and stakeholders to enhance centre quality and encourage community participation.
2. For Further Research:
   • Home-Based Learning: Investigate its potential to mitigate developmental losses from suspended pre-primary education.
   • Cross-District Study: Examine additional factors affecting parents’ ability to sustain ECD centres in other regions.
   • Collaborative Home Learning: Explore models for parent-caregiver partnerships to support children’s social development post-COVID-19.
   • Economic Impact: Assess how pre-primary education suspension affects parents’ economic participation.
   • Learning Materials: Evaluate the effectiveness of NCDC-developed home-learning resources for children aged 3–6 in foundational literacy and school readiness.