E L P GUIDANCE NOTE November 2018 How to promote early E L P development childhood through skills training and employment programs This note provides guidance on the integration of Early Childhood Development (ECD) into skills training and employment programs. We present general information on ECD and skills development programs, guidance for program design and implementation, and examples from Liberia, Rwanda, South Africa, Kenya, Pakistan, and India. Rationale ECD and skills development are both areas of increasing priority for countries around the world seeking to boost economic growth and stability. There is considerable demand for technical and financial support to expand and improve the quality of programs in these two areas, and both are central to achieving the World Bank’s twin goals of boosting shared prosperity and ending poverty. The option of integrating ECD training into existing skills training and employment programs is an outstanding opportunity to maximize returns and address multiple critical country needs with one investment. BOX 1 Key concepts What is skills development? It's the process of developing cognitive, socio-emotional and technical skills so that individuals are prepared to succeed in high quality This brief was written by Frances jobs. Skills training and employment programs can increase employment, improve Bowen Day and Amanda Devercelli. workplace productivity, raise incomes and promote social mobility. The authors thank Alexandria Valerio, Shabnam Sinha, Rebecca What is Early Childhood Development (ECD)? Between birth and entry to primary Sayre, Ella Humprey and Kartik school, children’s brains develop faster and are more malleable than at any other Pental for their contributions. time in life. During this time it is critical that children receive nurturing care and stimulation, protection from stress, adequate healthcare and nutrition, and For more information or to be opportunities to play and learn. By the time they enter primary school, children added to the ELP mailing list, should be healthy and well-nourished, securely attached to caregivers, able to please write to interact positively with families, teachers, and peers, able to communicate in their earlylearningpartnership@ native language, and ready to learn throughout primary school (Naudeau et al., 2011). worldbank.org There are a range of different service delivery channels to promote ECD that require a skilled workforce, including: preschools, childcare, home visits, parental education, health centers and various types of community-based programs. Increasing demand for ECD services and quality practitioners Tackling multiple challenges with quality investments Between 2003 and 2011, World Bank investments into ECD totaled just below $2 billion and were By combining ECD and skills development programs, countries can help address shortages of mostly flat. Since 2012, investments into ECD have significantly increased, with a large and rapid qualified ECD practitioners while providing employment opportunities. Investments in early increase between 2015 and 2017 ($4.5 billion in three years). This rising demand has been driven childhood will yield high returns only if they are of good quality. One of the most important by growing evidence of the diverse returns that arise from improved ECD, not only for individual elements of quality is a capable, caring, and qualified workforce. Many countries, however, face children but for their families, their countries’ overall workforce capacity, and economic a severe shortage of trained ECD caregivers, teachers, and center operators. The average ratio development. Access to affordable childcare addresses a critical need for families with working of students to trained preschool teachers is 40:1 in South Asia and 79:1 in Africa, far higher than parents. The limited availability of affordable childcare in many countries means parents (mostly the suggested international best practice of 15:1. According to data from 20 low- to middle- women) are often forced to choose between leaving their children with poor or no care, working income countries, fewer than half of preschool teachers meet their own countries’ national reduced hours, or forgoing work altogether (IFC 2017). quality standards (Sun, Rao, and Pearson 2015). Building job-relevant skills is essential for successful workforce development programs. Given many countries have a strong and growing demand for ECD practitioners, this may be a highly FIGURE 1 World Bank finance for ECD ($US millions) relevant option for a skills track. Integrating ECD into skills programs can address a common concern that training tracks may be too rigid or have too little market demand, or both. In 5000 addition, the broader curriculum often offered by skills development programs (including life 4500 skills, business skills, and work readiness skills) is useful for ECD practitioners. For example, 4000 socio-emotional skills can promote improved interactions with young children and executive 3500 functioning skills help with planning, classroom management and reflective practice. (Ponguta et 3000 al, 2018). Box 2 summarizes the potential returns from integrating ECD into skills programs. 2500 2000 5000 BOX 2 Potential returns from integrated ECD skills investment 1500 4500 1000 4000 500 POTENTIAL RETURNS EXPLANATION AND CONSIDERATIONS 3500 0 Expanded access to affordable early learning, The availability of trained practitioners should help existing service providers 3000 2003-05 2006-08 2009-11 2012-14 2015-2017 including through small business owners (government and non-state actors) to expand provision as well as create 2500 potential opportunities for the training graduates to establish their own centers. Supporting non-state actors to expand low-cost quality provision is 2000demand for market-relevant skills and employment programs Increasing particularly important given that many governments lack the resources to meet 1500 as rapid urbanization, the youth bulge, and increasingly educated youth looking Trends such the increasing demand for ECD. The nonstate sector has already been playing for opportunities an important role in the expansion of access to early learning. Studies from four 1000 3000 that match their skills and expectations have all exacerbated the employment cities in Africa show that parents living on less than US$3 a day are willing to challenge in many countries. The rising demand for World Bank supported skills development 500 2500 pay for preschool services if they perceive the services to be of high quality, projects reflects these trends. The World Bank skills portfolio currently includes 105 projects (92 0 13 in the pipeline), with an average size of $117 million (2017 Skills Portfolio Review). and small business owners can meet this demand through low-cost preschool active and services (Optimus Impact 2013). 2000 2003-05 2006-08 2009-11 2012-14 2015-2017 Improved quality of ECD provision leading to better This is the likely impact of good quality ECD practitioners who can provide an 1500 child-development outcomes effective learning environment, encourage positive interactions and use age- appropriate pedagogical practices across a range of domains. 1000 FIGURE 2 World Bank finance for skills development (US$ millions) Increased employment and income opportunities ECD practitioners is an area of growing market demand. Many governments 500 have committed to expand pre-primary education, and increasingly recognize 3000 the value of trained ECD practitioners, which creates meaningful employment 0 and career opportunities in ECD work. Information on diagnosing market 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2500 Planned Planned demand is on page 5. Increased self-esteem and empowerment The self-esteem of trainees can be further enhanced by providing training on a 2000 range of work-readiness and life skills, including social-emotional skills 1500 Three ways to promote and integrate child development through skills 1000 training and employment programs 500 Skills programs can be used to promote child development in at least three ways, including: 1. Offering ECD practitioner qualifications as a training track within a skills program (e.g., to 0 qualify ECD caregivers for daycare centers or to train preschool teachers) 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2. Establishing a program to support entrepreneurs to run ECD centers Planned Planned 3. Establishing on-site quality childcare provision for trainees attending skills programs 2 EARLY LEARNING PARTNERSHIP How to promote early childhood development through skills training and employment programs 3 Country snapshots: Six programs that integrate ECD and skills India - Sudiksha Preschool training Sudiksha recruits, trains, and supports local women to run preschools in Hyderabad and Kolkata Throughout this guidance note we will refer to six examples of programs that use one or more of through two models: (i) women are recruited to serve as an “incharge” (center manager), with these three approaches. Most of these programs have a double objective: tackling unemployment investment from Sudiksha, in a profit-sharing model; (ii) women can apply to set up their own as well as improving access to quality ECD services. We provide brief descriptions below and centers as Sudiksha franchises. further details on pages 11-13. Seven steps to consider when integrating ECD and skills programs 1) Offer ECD practitioner 2) Establish a program to 3) Establish on-site quality The following seven steps should be considered when designing and implementing an ECD skills EXAMPLE qualifications as a training support entrepreneurs to childcare provision for trainees program: PROGRAMS track within a skills program run ECD centers attending skills programs 1. Diagnose the existing market demand for ECD services. Liberia - EPAG 3 3 3 2. Align with government to ensure that there is recognition or certification for ECD workers; this Rwanda - Caregiver 3 will maximize graduates’ employment potential. 3. Design the curriculum to include both ECD content knowledge and broader workplace South Africa – SmartStart 3 competencies. Kenya – Kidogo Mamapreneurs 3 4. Include a well-structured and relevant internship. Pakistan - LEAPS program 3 5. Identify and mitigate any challenges trainees are likely to face while completing the program. India - Sudiksha 3 6. Support program graduates in finding employment; this could include entrepreneurial opportunities. Liberia - EPAG 7. Build mechanisms to scale and sustain the program. In Liberia’s Economic Empowerment of Adolescent Girls and Young Women (EPAG) program, two ECD training tracks were developed and incorporated into an established skills program More detail on each of these steps is provided below. targeting unemployed adolescent girls. A pilot was conducted in 2016–17, and a second round was conducted in 2017–18 with several improvements, including stronger alignment with the Ministry 1. Diagnose existing market demand for ECD of Education. An additional package is being developed to support graduates in establishing their Before other steps are taken, carry out a feasibility study to assess both the demand from own centers. potential trainees and the market demand from future employers. This analysis should inform the design of your program, including the training tracks to be offered, the program’s content Rwanda - Caregiver and duration, and the target profile of trainees. Ideally, the analysis should be carried out at the This pilot project placed unemployed young women in a training program to create caregivers, regional rather than the national level, to take into account regional variation. with a training curriculum strongly focused on both ECD and broader work readiness skills. It When conducting a feasibility study of this kind, two basic sources of information will prove is now being scaled up, in alignment with the government’s professional education and training especially useful: institutions and with a focus on strengthening the enabling environment (including accreditation and quality assurance of the training service providers). • Existing administrative data: Relevant administrative data should be available either from the country’s Education Management Information System (EMIS) or from the UNESCO Institute South Africa - SmartStart for Statistics (UIS). The SABER-ECD policy instrument also has some helpful items which can be used. The SmartStart program helps unemployed men and women set up their own preschool centers / play groups. It operates as a two-part social franchise: (i) a network of SmartStart NGO franchises; • New survey data: By constructing an original sampling of current ECD providers and potential and (ii) individual SmartStart centers. More than 1,000 centers have been established since 2015. trainees, your effort can yield a customized, regional analysis of the market. Such a survey (or The program is focusing on further scale-up and refining the model, considering aspects such as surveys) could include classroom observations, interviews, or focus group discussions with quality assurance for NGO franchisers, the role of the center, and the costs of ongoing monitoring school managers, parents, ECD providers, and potential trainees. and support. See Box 3 for detailed suggestion on the types of information worth collecting in an original survey. Kenya - Kidogo Mamapreneurs Kidogo aims to improve the quality of childcare across informal settlements in Kenya through a 2. Align with government to ensure recognition/certification hub-and-spoke social franchise model that provides training, resources, and ongoing mentorship to Involving the right government counterparts early in the design of the program is essential. support women to start or grow their own quality childcare centers. Going forward, areas of focus Several government agencies may need to be involved to reflect the various program objectives will include refining the franchise model and lowering costs for monitoring and quality assurance. and components. For example, the ministries of Education, Labor, Social Protection, or Gender may all be key counterparts, and within ministries different departments working on Pakistan – LEAPS quality, human resources, or other areas may all have a role to play. Teams should ensure that A pilot study trained and supported 10 female adolescents to establish community youth-led the resulting qualification(s) are officially recognized and integrated into the system. In some preschools in Sindh, Pakistan. The youth received training, mentorship and a stipend. A RCT was countries, professional development frameworks and system requirements may not yet exist; in set up to determine the effectiveness on children’s school readiness, on female youth development such cases, the program should explicitly discuss each of these areas with the government, and and the challenges and enablers to ECD youth-led programs. even use the program as an opportunity to develop formalized requirements. 4 EARLY LEARNING PARTNERSHIP How to promote early childhood development through skills training and employment programs 5 BOX 3 Types of information worth collecting in a market-diagnostic survey BOX 4 India's approach to developing ECD qualifications KEY CONSIDERATIONS POTENTIAL DATA TO COLLECT India offers an example of meeting demand and developing ECD qualifications through an existing Market demand for ECD • Current enrollment rate and enrollment trends over last 10 years Health Sector Skills Council. The World Bank is exploring work with this Council, which the government • Number of children not enrolled in early learning has designated to represent ECD, to develop a series of ECD practitioner qualifications, which will be • Teacher: student ratios at existing centers developed within the context of the existing skills qualification frameworks in the country. • Percent of service provision that is public vs. private • Length of waiting lists for existing centers The demand to strengthen India’s skilled ECD workforce is being driven by two initiatives. First, Market demand for trained ECD • Profile of current training programs (type of providers / qualifications) the Ministry of Labor’s Maternity Benefits Amendment Act, launched in 2017, states that “every practitioners (disaggregate by • Percent of trained teachers both within the system and at the center level establishment having 50 or more employees shall have facility of a crèche” within a certain distance. practitioner type) • Teacher vacancies and ease with which they are filled This will create a large and immediate demand for services, including crèche/childcare centers and • Profile of teachers desired by current ECD centers quality caregivers. The World Bank recently estimated that meeting the childcare demand in India • Quality of existing teaching and classroom environments requires 1-1.5 million caregivers, the vast majority of which do not exist. Second, the planned expansion • Policy environment (recent policies may stimulate additional demand) of pre-primary sections in some Indian states, and the convergence of ECD centers (known as Level of interest among candidates • Profiles of interested trainees (including academic qualifications, current employment status, Anganwadis) with government schools in others, will create a demand for teachers specializing in early for ECD training (disaggregate by expected remuneration, time available for training, barriers to enrollment or completion of learning and the up-skilling of existing Anganwadi workers. practitioner type) training) • Feedback from candidates on attractive elements of the profession and less attractive The following activities will be conducted to develop and implement these qualifications in India, with elements of the profession input from a range of government stakeholders and technical experts: 1. Identify ECD job roles, considering both existing qualifications and needs based on market Business case for ECD providers and • For trainees: What is the average monthly wage of ECD practitioners, and how many years demand. For example: caregivers (for crèches and daycare centers), Anganwadi workers with early trainees does it take them to repay the cost of training? stimulation and early learning competencies (ICDS centers), preschool teachers (pre-primary • For ECD providers: What are the associated costs and benefits of qualified practitioners? (E.g. provision), and entrepreneurs (for ECD centers). increased enrolment due attractiveness to parents? potential to expand provision?) 2. Define the National Occupational Standards, which will specify the knowledge and understanding • For potential entrepreneurs: What is the business model? required to carry out a job role. 3. Develop a Qualification Pack, in alignment with the National Skills Qualification Framework, Teams should identify the government requirements, particularly across the following four areas containing the various National Occupational Standards relevant for a particular role (e.g. ECD (for both public and private provision), and use this information to guide program design: caregiver). This Qualification Pack will drive the creation of curriculum and assessments. 4. Define regulation frameworks as well as roles and responsibilities. 1. Different types of qualifications and the requirements for the respective training programs: This 5. Develop curriculum content for the qualifications and assessments. includes understanding the duration, training curriculum, mix of theory and practical 6. Train master trainers. components, and assessment structure for different qualifications. 2. Accreditation requirements for providers of training: Higher qualifications may have more It is hoped that in the following years this will lead to an increased number of good quality ECD stringent requirements for service providers of training. practitioners as well as increased coverage of crèches and private childcare centers through an 3. Profile of trainees: There may be a tension in some training programs if the target beneficiaries entrepreneur skills track. have lower levels of academic achievement than government requirements for ECD practitioners. If so, there may still be scope to adjust the hiring processes and requirements. World Bank paper forthcoming Otherwise, options could include aligning with (or creating) a lower level of qualification (such as caregiver qualification, rather than a teacher), or creating multiple training tracks to include lower levels of qualification, allowing the program to partially target some of the most credentials or technical qualifications. Accordingly, trainees should be equipped with a broad set vulnerable. of skills to succeed, potentially including: 4. Requirements for establishing ECD centers. If establishing centers is a potential objective of the • Business skills, including financial literacy (this could also focus on setting up ECD centers) program, it will be necessary to identify whether the government has specific requirements for • Work readiness, including setting expectations about the workplace and professional behaviors them, including a certain level of teacher qualification or academic achievement. • Socio-emotional skills such as empathy, perseverance, reliability, communication, working in See Box 4 for a case study of an ECD skills program in India that illustrates steps 1 and 2. teams, and honesty • Effective communication skills to facilitate communication with parents 3. Design the training curriculum to include both ECD and broader competencies • Executive functioning skills such as planning, organization and reflective thinking. For young ECD content should align with existing government learning standards and certification levels, adults in particular, the period of youth is potentially a time of significant growth in executive as well as core principles of quality early learning (e.g., developmentally appropriate, play-based functioning skills, which can be harnessed by training programs. (Ponguta et al, 2018). pedagogy). Training should be highly practical and easy to digest, taking into account the level of education the trainees have. It is advisable to build on existing teacher trainings in the country 4. Include a well-structured and relevant internship to ensure local relevance and save time and money. A relevant and well-structured internship can help build the skills and confidence of the trainees Evidence from evaluated skills programs suggests that successful interventions adopt integrated and serve as a potential path to full-time employment. This should strongly be considered, approaches targeting multiple skills. Employers value a multiplicity of skills beyond education even if it is not a specific requirement for the government qualification. In Liberia’s EPAG-ECD 6 EARLY LEARNING PARTNERSHIP How to promote early childhood development through skills training and employment programs 7 BOX 5 6. Help graduates to find employment Rwanda example: leveraging the caregiver program curriculum to strengthen multiple other To maximize the graduates’ chances of finding employment, training programs should include ECD occupations explicit support to graduates. This could include developing partnerships with employers, identifying a pipeline of employment opportunities, and providing support with resume and The strong focus on work readiness distinguished this program from other ECD trainings and increased interview skills. To facilitate the move into employment, training programs should consider the the attractiveness to, and engagement of, the government, due to the additional employment potential. timing of the academic year and when staffing decisions are made. Following the pilot program, Rwandan government authorities and EDC technical staff identified 19 occupations in alignment the TVET qualification framework where the training curriculum could be An additional employment path could be entrepreneurship, with graduates setting up their own used for new occupations or to strengthen training for existing occupation. Examples included: ECD centers. To encourage this, training programs could establish a training track specifically for • Preschool teacher entrepreneurs, incorporating business skills training, or else support a complementary initiative • Qualified childcare worker to support graduates in establishing their own centers. The latter approach is being considered in • Childcare center manager Liberia, where the World Bank is exploring options for creating a package of support for graduates • Nanny or domestic worker interested in establishing their own centers, including initial start-up funding, mentoring, • Counsellors / advisors for a variety of areas (e.g. pre-post-natal, maternity, family planning, etc.) additional training, and a set of tools. This work is building on insights gained from existing entrepreneurship programs such as Kidogo in Kenya, SmartStart in South Africa, and Sudiksha in India. Potential aspects to consider in an entrepreneur support package include: program, more than 50 percent of graduates working as ECD practitioners are employed at the • Supplementary ECD training (both initial training and ongoing follow-up) focused on place of their internship. Key considerations for an internship include: improving the quality of the learning environment • Clarify expectations for the employer and trainee. That is, clarify the responsibilities, • Targeted business skills training (both initially and ongoing) focused on establishing and compensation, and monitoring, among other things. sustaining centers • Ensure trainees are placed in roles which provide opportunities to practice learned skills • School-based coaching: It is important to find a sustainable model for this; one option might • Select ECD institutions that align with the program objectives. For example, high-end private be tapering the level of support based on the quality rating of the ECD center, preschools may not be the best placement options if the program is designed to train people to • Access to additional in-service training for teaching staff work in programs with less resources. • ECD technical tools: List of effective and easy-to-sustain teaching and learning materials; • Ensure effective monitoring is in place. This is necessary to address challenges that may arise and curriculum guidance; minimum standards; parental engagement strategies to ensure learning is maximized. • Business tools: e.g. Branding materials; financial templates; communication / marketing tools • Financial support: This could be an initial start-up grant or access to credit through a 5. Identify and mitigate any challenges trainees are likely to face partnership with a microfinance institution, and A number of constraints can limit participation in skills programs, particularly for women, • Establishing peer groups or Communities of Practice. who tend to be the most likely participants in ECD-skills programs. These include financial constraints, negative family attitudes, or the need for childcare for their own children during 7. Build mechanisms to scale and sustain the program training hours. These constraints should be explicitly taken into account in the program design and can be mitigated through the following strategies: To achieve scale and sustainability for ECD skills programs, there is a need to (i) determine • Childcare provision during training and employment: Providing affordable childcare for institutional responsibility for the program long term, (ii) ensure that there are accredited service participants in skills training programs can increase trainees’ participation rates and providers to deliver the training program, and (iii) put in place quality assurance. This may productivity, as well as enhance children’s development outcomes (Buvinic, Furst-Nichols, and require the continued involvement of an external service provider to build capacity across the Koolwal 2014). Childcare services could be offered free of charge or as a low-cost fee-for-services various stakeholders. model. In Sierra Leone and Tanzania, for example, BRAC responded to demand and added a childcare service for women participating in a mentorship program (Empowerment Livelihood for Adolescents). It runs as a fee-for-service model with low operating costs, as women in the community group take turns volunteering. A recent childcare portfolio review by the World Bank Gender Group has more information on some of the approaches, experiences and lessons learned on how to address childcare in WB Lending Operations. • Overcoming financial constraints: There are several options, including to structure the training to allow trainees to participate in other income-generating activities (e.g. through a part time program) or to provide trainees with stipends. The Liberia EPAG-ECD program, for example, provided a stipend of US$2.00 for each day the trainees attended (this helped yield a 98 percent attendance rate). In addition, the program opened savings accounts for the trainees, with an initial deposit equal to US$20.00 and incentives to encourage savings. 8 EARLY LEARNING PARTNERSHIP How to promote early childhood development through skills training and employment programs 9 BOX 6 Overview of ECD skills programs, by country CAREGIVER PROGRAM SMARTSMART KIDOGO SUDIKSHA EPAG-ECD PROGRAM LIBERIA LEAPS - PAKISTAN RWANDA SOUTH AFRICA KENYA INDIA 22 women across preschools 60 women in Greater Monrovia in 2016–17, ~200 women in four areas of 10 female youth in Sindh provice, Over 1,000 across 10 regions in ~50 women currently involved No. of trainees branches in Hyderabad and another 60 in 2017–18 Rwanda Pakistan South Africa in the program Kolkata P  reschool management with profit ECD center owners - to Community Youth Leaders: sharing (10%) Preschool / play-groups center improve quality and join Kidogo Tracks Caregiver or teacher assistant Caregiver Trained and supported to establish community youth led preschools owner franchise. Adding new centers PROJECT OVERVIEW Preschool franchise (full soon. ownership) Young unemployed women who can pass a Young unemployed women Criteria developed and youth Poorest quintile Poorest quintile Poorest quintile basic literacy and numeracy test Lower secondary completion selected in association with Unemployed or in very menial Women with existing centers Higher secondary completion Lower secondary school diploma community leaders. work Willingness to change, passion Love of children Selection criteria (caregiver) / senior secondary diploma Evaluated ECE skills, creativity, Grade 10 completion or 3 years for children and entrepreneurial Mostly unemployed problem solving, planning and (teacher aide) of working with children traits Spends 2-3 days working in the leadership in workshop. Grit and resilience classroom as part of selection process Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes ECD training 3 months 3 months 6 months 5 days, then onsite support 18 days over several months 10 days per year Yes Yes Yes Yes Business skills No No 3 day business training for ~20 days Included in the 5 days Included in the 18 days CURRICULUM franchise track Yes Yes Work readiness / life skills No No No No ~15 days 3–4 weeks Yes Yes Internship No No No No 3 months 3 months Yes During whole program, plus additional Yes No Stipend Yes No No savings scheme Placement only But only 1 week training ENABLING ASPECTS Childcare Yes No No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes N/A Yes Links to employment Support with finding ECD work Matched women-employers Help establish ECE centers Help establish centers Already own centers To manage new centers POST-TRAINING Yes Partly EMPLOYMENT Yes Yes Cover set up costs in profit sharing SUPPORT Yes Yes Onsite monitoring, small initial Weekly monitoring, TLMs, Entrepreneur set-up package No track (~$1500) but in the franchise Adding in 2018–19 Mentorship, stipend, COP finance, ongoing training, tools, center renovation, tools, model the set up cost is mostly access to micro-loans branding paid by franchisees Completion 62% completion of pilot 100% completion of program 93% completion of pilot program 100% completion of training and rate program 90% completion of training 70% completion of training and to date year 1 in profit sharing track. ~70% 40% (88% and setting up ECE center. first year running ECD center. 92% (60% in paid N/A Already completion of training and year 1 in Employment (of which in ECD) in ECD) (100% in ECD) (100% in ECD) RESULTS ECD work) own centers franchisee track US$1,700 US$300 Including US$100 Costs per Including childcare stipend trainee http://idd.edc.org/ Paper forthcoming. resources/publications/ Implemented by Harvard junior-caregiver-program School of Public Health, The https://www.indiegogo.com/ http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/ MORE INFORMATION Innovation for Education / Aga Khan University, Yale Child http://www.smartstart.org.za/ projects/kidogo-mama- http://www.sudiksha.in/ education/brief/early-learning-partnership EDC Final Outcome Report, Study Center and National preneurs#/ May 2015 Commission for Human Development 10 EARLY LEARNING PARTNERSHIP How to promote early childhood development through skills training and employment programs 11 REFERENCES ANNEX 1 More Information on The World Bank EPAG-ECD Training Program In Liberia Buvinic, M., R. Furst-Nichols, and G. Koolwal, G. 2014. Data2X: Mapping Gender Data Gaps. Washington, DC: United Nations Foundation. Program overview IFC, 2017. Tackling Childcare: The Business Case for Employer-Supported Childcare To increase young women’s participation in the workforce, in 2010 the Government of Liberia, with Naudeau et al., 2011. Investing in Young Children. An Early Childhood Development Guide for Policy the support of the World Bank, launched the Economic Empowerment of Adolescent Girls and Young Dialogue and Project Preparation. The World Bank, Washington, DC Women program (EPAG). EPAG comprised three-to-six-months of classroom training followed by three- Optimus Impact. 2013. “What’s Going on with Nairobi’s Preschoolers?” Research paper, Issue 1, UBS to-six-months of placement and support. In 2015, because access to quality ECD in Liberia was low and Optimus Foundation, Zurich. only 29 percent of preschool teachers had formal training, the EPAG team identified an opportunity to Ponguta, L. A., Rasheed, M. A., Reyes, C. R., & Yousafzai, A. K. 2018. A Conceptual Model for Youth-Led incorporate ECD practitioner training as a training track. In 2016, with funding from the World Bank’s Programs as a Promising Approach to Early Childhood Care and Education Early Learning Partnership, a pilot was launched to integrate ECD into EPAG. The EPAG-ECD pilot trained 60 young women in Montserrado County as either preschool teacher assistants or as caregivers/ Sun, J., N. Rao, and E. Pearson. 2015. Policies and Strategies to Enhance the Quality of Early Childhood nannies. Educators. Background paper prepared for the Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2015. This pilot was designed to tackle three issues with one investment. It aimed to improve women’s EFA Global Monitoring Report, 2015 “Education For All 2000-2015: Achievements and Challenges”, employment opportunities, increase self-esteem and empowerment, and increase the workforce to UNESCO deliver quality childcare and preschool services. Areas for improvement integrated into a second round of EPAG-ECD in 2017-18 RESOURCES A second round of the training took place in for the academic year 2017–18 for an additional 60 women. As with the first round of the ECD EPAG training, there was a two- to three-month classroom training, World Bank Skills Portfolio Review (2017) followed by a three-month internship (until the end of the school year). A number of improvements were World Bank Gender Group, Childcare Portfolio Review (2018) made based on the evaluation learnings: IFC Tackling Childcare Initiative Report: IFC, 2017. Tackling Childcare: The Business Case for • Align the certificate with the Ministry for Education ECD pathways. The EPAG ECD curriculum will be Employer-Supported Childcare refined to ensure that it fully aligns with ECD practitioner qualifications and is officially recognized by the Ministry of Education. World Bank Group Women, Business and the Law. • Add a transition-to-work training module to improve work-readiness, including professional behaviors Reports include: Women, Business and the Law 2018, Women, Business and the Law 2016: Getting to • Align internship opportunities with ECD provision serving vulnerable children Equal and Women, Business and the Law 2014: Removing Restrictions to Enhance Gender Equality • Further clarify internship expectations through a detailed MOU with employers and improve monitoring, and • Support graduates to find employment opportunities. In addition, the ELP team is developing a second phase of the training program to allow graduates to apply for a package of funding and support, which is designed to enable women entrepreneurs to run quality ECD centers in Liberia, serving vulnerable children. This initiative will predominantly target graduates of the EPAG-ECD training program as a further professional development opportunity. The women will receive a package of support, which is likely to include training, coaching and mentorship, a small initial grant as well as access to further funding if required through partnership with a microfinance institution. The ECD centers will have common branding and be required to meet quality standards. The project is drawing inspiration and learnings from several existing initiatives: Kidogo in Kenya; SmartStart in South Africa; and Sudiksha in India. 12 EARLY LEARNING PARTNERSHIP How to promote early childhood development through skills training and employment programs 13 ANNEX 2: Measuring combined ECD-Skills programs SELECTION CRITERIA To the greatest extent possible, the program tried to target vulnerable young women, those who were not employed and had limited schooling (although to satisfy government criteria, the trainees for the teacher aide track needed to have completed high school): Measuring combined ECD-skills development programs should reflect the wide range of objectives. The • Age: Caregivers: 18–24 years; preschool teacher’s aides: 22–24 years following table provides examples of indicators that may be relevant. These should be tailored according to • NEET: To the greatest extent possible, those who fall within the “NEET” category: “Not in Education, Employment, or Training” the specific context and objectives of individual training programs. • A high score on a recruitment exercise testing basic literacy and numeracy • Literacy and schooling: Caregivers should have completed lower secondary; teacher’s aides needed high school completion as per government requirements CATEGORY POTENTIAL INDICATORS ECD indicators • Good quality learning environment1 PROGRAM CURRICULUM: FOCUSED ON ECD BUT ALSO BUSINESS SKILLS IN PREPARATION FOR SELF-EMPLOYMENT • Positive child development outcomes2 ECD The program consisted of 11 weeks of classroom training, which was developed with input from Master Trainers • Strong understanding of ECD (e.g. through an end of training test) from the Ministry for Education. The teacher’s aide curriculum had a stronger focus on childcare center business • Increase in ECD enrolment rates (facilitated by increased availability of qualified practi- management. The caregiver track had a stronger focus on child development and education, with an extended focus on tioners, graduates establishing their own centers, etc) safety, health, diet, first aid, and assisting a teacher with activities. • Positive impact on parenting practices (including parents of the children enrolled in ECD Business skills Both ECD tracks received basic training in business skills and preparation for self-employment, with training materials services and the parenting practices of the ECD practitioners) drawn from the broader EPAG program for life and business skills and literacy/numeracy . Skills development indicators* • High rates of training completion • High employment rates, with majority in ECD employment (short term, within a year and ECD Entrepreneurship: The program ran a business plan competition for opening an ECD center, however, there was longer term) limited follow-up to support the graduates to open their own centers. In a study conducted 6 months after the program • Increase in income finished, almost all graduates (92%) expressed an interest in this, but the majority (65%) were not sure how to do it. • Good number of beneficiaries engaged in entrepreneurship, especially ECD entrepreneur- Internship Classroom training was followed by a 3-month internship. ship (e.g. starting a new ECD center) • Inclusion of beneficiaries from disadvantaged groups OTHER PROGRAM COMPONENTS TO CREATE AN ENABLING ENVIRONMENT FOR THE TRAINEES Participant empowerment and • Improvement in confidence wellbeing • Increase in control over resources (financial services, spending habits, independence) Stipend Trainees received a stipend of US$2.00 for each day that they attended the training session on time, as an instrument • Reduction in domestic violence to alleviate potential income losses from attending the training, to cover transportation, and to allow for small-scale savings and capital investment. With 53 days of training, participants could earn a maximum of US$106.00 in stipends. Contributions to enabling • Regulatory changes (e.g. provision of alternative certification, lowering barriers to entry for environment ECD practitioners and / or providers) Childcare All EPAG programs offered on-site childcare. • Improved availability of finance • Strengthened capacity of implementing agencies (e.g. improvements to monitoring and quality assurance, improvements to the availability and quality of training institutions) Savings The program opened savings accounts for all EPAG ECD trainees, with an initial deposit equal to US$20.00 in each account. To encourage saving, trainees received a savings match (capped at 75% of their savings for that month) for each month that their attendance was over 75 percent. Trainees also received a completion bonus of US$20.00 if they *This list includes the most common indicators measured by skills-development programs across the World Bank reached over 75 percent for the whole period. Participants could earn a maximum amount of US$79.50 in matching portfolio funds; with the initial deposit and completion bonus, the total maximum was US$119.50. COST $1,700 per trainee, including childcare services during the training. RESULTS FOR THE PILOT ROUND Completion rate 56 out of 60 trainees (93%) originally placed in the program graduated (although the four that dropped out were replaced); 93 percent of training graduates were placed in internships (with 76 percent of these working as teaching assistants). Training Improvements were noticed in both ECD and business skills knowledge; however, this needs to be tested more effectiveness rigorously during the second round. Employment 6 months after the program finished, a follow up study found that 92% of graduates were employed, which included 60% of graduates in paid ECD related employment. Savings and Significant increases were seen in savings (over 400% increase from an average of US$21 to US$107). This was mostly control over due to grants provided by the program; however, in roughly 50 percent of cases the grants provided had been at least resources partially depleted, and a few trainees reported no savings at the endline. Trainees also reported increased control over resources (a 35% increase for nonparents, 24% for parents) and an uptake in using banking services. 1 The ELP guidance note, Measuring the quality of early learning programs provides further information Self esteem In focus groups, trainees reported increased self-esteem, emotional empowerment, self-discipline and drive, and 2 The ELP guidance note Measuring child development and early learning provides further information optimism about the future. How to promote early childhood development through skills training and employment programs 15 16 EARLY LEARNING PARTNERSHIP