EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION PROGRAMME
(ECCE)
Introduction:
The National policy on Education (NPE 1986) and the Ram Murti Commission's
Report (1990) has given a great deal of importance to early childhood care and education
(ECCE). It views ECCE as a feeder and supporting programme for primary education. In
early infancy (0-6) the child's physical and mental development speed is at it’s highest.
Therefore, it is known as the highly sensitive age-group. In human development policy
pre-primary education is mentioned as a feeder and supportive programme.
The following age group are mainly taken in this programme:
 0-3 age group needs early child care for survival growth and development.
(ECCSGD).
 3-6 age group needs play way and activity based joyful learning programme.
The 0-3 age group is the most delicate and hyper-sensitivity age. At this time the
child should be properly looked after and care is very essential because efforts done
in this age and experiences given are the foundation stones for the future life. For this
reason the care taker should attempt for the child's growth and development by
proper simulative and inspirable activities. On the institutional level, various objects
and training packages have been developed.
The “Aanchal Se Aangan Tak” programme has been introduced to all Aanganbari
centres of selected seven districts by UNICEF and K.R.P. training based on them has
been organised by SIERT.
Pre-Primary education (3-6 age group) programme is meant for those children
who are in the stage of pre-school. Emphasis is laid on a child's intellectual,
linguistic, social, emotional and creative development by play way activities. It is a
child centred programme which encourages the child to participate actively and
creatively for problem solving. It also helps the child to adjust with the environment.
The early childhood education programme is centred on the total development of a
child and he/she is prepared for school environment. In accordance with this, with the
technical and financial assistance of UNICEF, child education is managed on state,
district, block and village level.
To strengthen the pre-primary education, meetings and workshops are being
organized, research and various publications are being undertaken. Along with this
experimental and innovative efforts are being made to fill the gap between pre-
primary and primary education. In this way the state wide network of child education
has been developed by UNICEF, NCERT, DWCD and N.G.O.s
Objectives:
1. To plan and organize meetings of state level committees for early childhood
education.
2. To develop material related to ECCSGD for 0-6 age group.
3. To enrich each DIET by developing them as resource centers and resource
faculty.
4. To organize training programme of child education for officers and supervisors
of woman and child development department.
5. To establish strong balance between pre-primary and primary education
through the experiments, examination and innovation in the area of preprimary education in state.
6. To make better linkages with other government, non-government organizations
working in the field.
7. To monitor, supervise and evaluate various programme of the project with the
help of the community.
8. To develop ECCE curriculum in the state apposite to the needs of the
preprimary learners.
9. To make the child friendly, about reading material.
10.To sensitize community, PRIs (Panchayat Raj Institution) and NGOs regarding
childhood care and education.
11.A Children Media Lab (CML) is established at SIERT, Udaipur which is a
unique model of teaching learning material through play way activities for
children.