Early Childhood Development

The first five years of a child's life are critical to their ability to reach their full potential. Research shows that early childhood development and education play a major role in future well-being, and that poverty and its many consequences – malnutrition, health problems, instability, family and community violence – place children at increased risk throughout life. Besides impacts on children, on a broader scale, inadequate early childhood development has lasting societal implications. Likewise, entire communities benefit when children are able to enjoy adequate nutrition, health care, security and opportunities to play and learn.

Around the globe, Pact's experts have been working for more than two decades in partnership with local communities to sustainably improve early childhood development opportunities and outcomes.

Our Expertise

Integrated, comprehensive case management promoting early childhood development
For over two decades, Pact has provided high quality, evidenced-based comprehensive nurturing care services to support early childhood development to ensure the most vulnerable young children achieve their full developmental potential. Through trained para-social workers, Pact applies a family-based comprehensive case management approach to assist families at home and ensure children are healthy, safe, stable and engaged in early learning opportunities.

Strengthening families and caregivers’ capacities
When families thrive, so do their young children. Pact has implemented the evidenced-based WHO’s Care for Childhood Development to promote early childhood stimulation and play as well as other positive parenting curricula to reduce caregiver stress and decrease harsh, physical discipline in the household. Caregivers are equipped with skills to provide nutritious meals for their young children, and Pact provides economic strengthening opportunities to ensure that caregivers have the financial resources to meet their children’s needs.

Community owned and driven play initiatives
Communities are excited to see their youngest grow and thrive, and their participation in early childhood development is essential to creating an enabling environment. From our work supporting community play groups and ECD centers, equipping community members with skills on how to develop low/no cost toys from locally available and natural materials, to working with pre-primary schools and teachers to understand the value of play, Pact knows what it takes to support communities to drive early childhood development initiatives to support their youngest learners.

Strengthening structures and systems to support early childhood development
From the village up to the national level, Pact has worked hand-in-hand with government to ensure the structures and systems are in place to support early childhood development. In Namibia, for example, Pact supported the government to analyze ECD service cost and financing, develop a national early learning curriculum framework and adopt national standards for ECD centers.