Project: Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Capacity Building in China

Aim:

To build the capacity of teachers, health workers, caregivers and government in early childhood education, child health, nutrition and psycho-social development; and to demonstrate and deliver quality, cost-effective ECCD services.

Region:

Shaanxi Province

Project Duration:

July 2006 to June 2010

Total Public Funds Required:

Project Overview

Australian charity designs Chinese pre-school curriculum 
Interview on ABC Radio Australia with program manager, Jan Parry  13/07/2007.

Poverty in China

In contrast to the widely-recognized and miraculous economic growth of the east-coastal region, China is still plagued by poverty, urban-rural disparity, unbalanced inter-regional development, drastic demographic change, and the potential prevalence of HIV/AIDS. Currently, more than 200 million people are living below the one-dollar-a-day poverty line. China is home to the second largest poor population of the world, and a large part of this group is children.

Plan China  works in partnership with national and local government in order to provide resources and the transfer of knowledge and skills, so that communities can control their own development, and local government can sustainably continue programs once Plan has left.

Pre-school education in China

Pre-school education is not a part of compulsory education in China. Thus, government investment in preschool education accounts for only 0.058 % of the total GDP of China. While privately funded pre-schools have flourished in the urban cities of China, most children in the Chinese countryside do not have access to learning opportunities prior to the onset of compulsory education at aged 7. This places them well behind their urban counterparts in terms of cognitive, social, physical and mental development.

There are many issues that affect access to preschool education in rural areas including a lack of community awareness of the importance of child health and good care giving, the poor quality and high cost of providing services; inadequate schools infrastructure and facilities, and a lack of trained teachers.  

The importance of Early Childhood Care & Development

Research has shown that what happens to a child, and the opportunities provided to a child in the first years are crucial in determining lifelong outcomes.  Plan's Early Childhood Care and Development Project refers to the comprehensive range of policies and programs that are concerned with the physical, cognitive, social and emotional development of girls and boys from nought to eight years, and that strengthen the capacity of their parents and other caregivers to provide the care that they need.

Project Aim

The ECCD program aims to build the capacity of teachers, health workers, caregivers and the government in order to demonstrate and deliver quality, cost-effective ECCD services in selected poor rural areas of Shaanxi province by 2010.

Project Progress

The project began in 2006 and the long term goal is to influence national and provincial governments so that there is formal provision of ECCD nationwide. Plan China is partnering directly with the Department of Education, Shaanxi province, in order to ensure that there is joint learning and commitment to the project.

Through this project, Plan will work to increase the capacity, skill and understanding of teachers, health workers, caregivers and government officials in relation to ECCD and holistic child health issues. 

The project has already produced culturally appropriate training materials and teaching aides for teachers and health workers, in order to ensure a stimulating and healthy environment for children to develop and learn, and this will continue in FY09.

The Funding Need

This project is supported by AusAID, the Australian Government Agency for International Development, and in FY09 Plan needs additional funds from donors and supporters to match the grant.