Early Childhood Development & Education

We believe that every child deserves a promising start in life. That is why Help a Child invests in the earliest years, providing children with the care, support, and opportunities they need to reach their full potential and create a future filled with hope.

The earliest years of a child’s life shape their future. That is why Help a Child invests in Early Childhood Development, helping young children grow up healthy, safe and ready to learn. We strengthen families and caregivers, improve access to quality early learning and care, and create supportive environments where children can thrive.

Our holistic approach brings together positive parenting, early learning, psychosocial support and community empowerment. By working closely with families, communities and governments, we help create lasting change so that every child has the opportunity to develop their full potential and look to the future with hope.

In line with the nurturing care framework, Help a Child implements holistic care to young children through Early Childhood centres established and/or supported. Help a Child ECD centres are most often connected to local government structures, NGO networks and clusters, and existing community structures such as Self-Help Groups or parenting groups. Direct collaboration takes place with available health, nutrition and WASH services to provide holistic care to the children. Parenting meetings take place on a topic such as child protection, health, hygiene, nutrition or play.

Help a Child aims to ensure the Early Childhood Centres are safe spaces for children. Teachers/caretakers understand the Child Safeguarding Policy and have signed the Code of Conduct. Children in need of mental health support or protection are included in Help a Child's My Friend programmes or referred to other organisations/partners to provide necessary follow-up.

Help a Child is establishing and supporting both community-based centres as well as role model centres. The community-based centres are Early Learning and Development Centres that are set up or renovated, sustained and monitored in close collaboration with communities and are directly linked to existing community structures, e.g. a church or primary school. 

Role-model centres are ‘ECD centres of excellence’, high-quality and sustainable centres that offer integrated services to young children and their parents and serve as inspiration for surrounding centres. The centre is a knowledge and training 'hub' for surrounding local ECD centres. ECD teachers and caregivers from surrounding ECD centres are regularly visiting the role-model centre to be exposed to good practices.

Playful learning is increasingly recognised as an effective strategy for improving children's development and learning outcomes. It combines children's natural curiosity and enjoyment of play with intentional learning objectives. (Guided) Play fosters key social skills, including initiative, creativity, and teamwork, laying the groundwork for resilient, innovative, and prosperous societies in the future.

Help a Child trains ECD teachers and caregivers on implementing playful learning and developing play materials out of locally available materials.

In Rwanda, this training is integrated into the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programme and linked to the BEQI tool and IDELA tool used to monitor the progress of the implementation.

In times of disaster and conflict, educational settings supported by Help a Child offer a safe space for children. Help a Child rehabilitates school buildings to ensure children can access education again. Help a Child provides furniture and schoolkits when needed to ensure education can take place. Special training is offered to teachers at Primary Schools on lesson planning, child protection, the use of positive discipline and participatory teaching methodologies.

In communities hit by disaster or conflict, ‘back to school’ campaigns are taking place to stimulate parents to take their children to schools, to provide safety and daily routines. Besides, Parent Teachers Associations and School Management Committees are established or empowered to take up their role in supporting the school.