Nurturing Childhood Sowing Change

Mobile CrechesCase Study from India

Presentation Outline• Situation of the Young Child

• The migrant child – going nowhere - Impact of Migration on Children

• Mobile Creches’ Response - Daycare centre at construction sites - Delivery model - Programme, Impact, cost - Features responsible for ensuring and sustaining

quality

• Growing up in Delhi’s Slums

• Mobile Creches response for children in urban settlements

- Strategies adopted for settled populations - Impact and achievements - Features responsible for success

Situation of the Young Child

• 160 million children under 6yrs - 60 million living in poverty

• 47% children are malnourished

• 61% children not fully immunized

• 80% children born with low birth weight

• 38% children 3-6yrs attend pre-school

• 76% children complete primary school

The Unmet Need: ECCD

60 million children in need of ECCD services

•The ‘What’: maternal health, new born health; maternity support; breastfeeding; immunization; early stimulation; growth monitoring; appropriate and adequate nutrition; pre-school

•The ‘Why’: Citizenship; Science; Equity; Economic rationale

Mobile Creches Response

MC Strategic Thrust affected by migration

For Young Child

in settled urban communities

I. Service Delivery - Daycare Centres at Construction Sites

- service delivery models; facilitation models

II. Community Facilitation - Ensuring childcare at Urban Settlements

- awareness and demand creation models

↓ ↓ ↓

Learnings feed into •Networking with NGOs and other campaigns to strengthen movement - demand for quality services for young child•Training in Childcare – build capacities for early childcare and good practices for other NGOs •Advocacy with the Government – improved policies and programmes for migrant and young children

The Migrant Child - going nowhere

Impact of migration on the child

• Average duration of stay on a site - 4 months

• 70% malnutrition

• Incomplete immunization

• No response or outreach from state services

• Young child (under 3 yrs) - breast feeding impossible, delayed weaning, denied immunization – increased malnutrition, morbidity and even mortality

• Preschool child (3-6 yrs) - supplementary nutrition and health compromised, lack of care and learning opportunities

• Older child (6 yrs and above) - interrupts schooling, dropouts, child labour, no peer support, likely early marriage

I. MC Daycare Centres at Construction Sites Integrated

Program

Impact of Day Care Program (through 18-20 centres)

• Safety, security and protection for 1200 children

• Sibling Care Relief - 400 children

• Nutritional Grade Improvement – 67%

• Age Appropriate Immunization – 94%

• Learning Levels: improved performance on gross motor development, confidence levels, cognition (91%)

• Mainstreaming older children – 20-30% • Linkage with Government Health Services – 90%

Outcomes

49%

24%

17%

10%

Grades improved

Grades retained

Grades unchanged

Grades deteriorated

Children at MC (More than 200 days):• Improved performance on parameters of language (87%),

cognition(91%), creativity and physical development (77%).

• Total Score: 85% in comparison to 67% for those spending 50-100 days

Learning Capacities

Impact of Educational interventions (Balwadi Evaluation Study):

Nutritional Status: improved due to supplementary nutrition program – 500cal/20gm protein/day(Children at centre for six months or more – 73% showed improvement)

Organization Features - Three Critical Pillars

1.Programme Design – Professional inputs, periodic evaluations and reviews, procedures, guidelines

2. Supporting Systems (MIS, Procedures,

guidelines and Admin support)

3. HR Systems

Fundamental Principles guiding Programme Design for all components

• Focus on all the age groups – conception - 12yrs

• Holistic approach – focusing on all domains of development

• Minimal facilities and low cost materials

• Accessibility – timings, location

• Flexibility – Responds to specific needs

• Inclusive – children with different abilities

• The Rights approach

• Stake holders Participation– children, parents, contractors

• Respect for community culture, tradition and ethos

• Community awareness and participation- sustaining impact - building community leadership (Saathi Samooh) - parent’s meetings, street plays, media, campaigns, community events

•Accessing government facilities – mainstreaming, immunization

Supporting Systems

1. Operational guidelines documented

2. Control systems for follow up and supervision

3. Structured Supervision & Monitoring systems

4. Reporting structure including MIS for feedback to MC senior management

5. Oversight by Governing Board

HR Systems• Organizational structure

• Clarity on roles and job responsibilities

• Building and strengthening human resource systems - a positive work culture fostering shared learning

• promoting staff motivation through continued professional growth and joint problem-solving

• Regular performance management system with recognition, acknowledgement, promotional and incentive systems

 

How much does it cost to provide quality ECCD

 

• Approx. Rs.1000/- per month / child

• Operational costs 80%

• Supervisory, support, monitoring, capacity building 20%

Growing Up in Delhi’s Slums

• Total under 6 population 19.23 lac (census 2001)• 12 lac under 6 children (64%) live in Urban Poor Settlements (DES 2007-2008)

Children Health Status

75%children under 3 suffer from diarrheoa and 63% have anaemia

MC’s Response for settled populations Facilitation

• Awareness on importance of 0-6 yrs and implication of neglect

• Building community groups

• Family based interventions for change in child care practices

• Demonstration model of Community based child care services with training and capacity building support

• Linkages with government services and schemes – health

Impact of Urban Interventions

• Reaching approximately 4800 children under 6

• 72% - Improvement in nutrition grade • 80% - Birth registration • 92% - Immunization

•Linkage to ICDS 1400 children

• Reached out to 7,50,000 children

• Multiple models in partnership with communities and Builders/contractors

• 8 community groups - 4 are registered with young child issues in their bye- laws

• 80 anganwadis opened through demand generation from community

• Trained 6,500 Childcare workers

• National Advocacy – Lobbied for and provided inputs for better Laws , Policies, Programmes and Schemes

MC’s Achievements

Let us work together to give back a happy childhood to all

children…

www.mobilecreches.org