The Ministry of Women and Child Development has announced a nationwide curriculum for early childhood care and education aimed at children aged three to six and a national framework for early childhood stimulation for those aged from birth to three. Recognizing that 85% of brain development occurs before age six, the Ministry emphasizes the importance of early childhood in development. According to an official statement, it aims to improve India’s Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) landscape.
The Ministry currently empowers and supports mothers and their children under the age of six through Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, as well as the Palna and Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) schemes under Mission Shakti. It aims to provide comprehensive childcare support throughout the day in a safe environment, complete with trained staff, educational resources, nutritional support, and activities for holistic child development. The Ministry operates 13.9 lahks Anganwadi centres across the country, serving over eight crore children under six.
The National Curriculum for ECCE 2024 seeks to cater to children aged three to six, covering the several domains of development outlined in the National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage 2022 (NCF-FS). This comprises physical/motor capabilities, cognitive ability, language and literacy, socio-emotional development, cultural/aesthetic appreciation, and positive habit formation. The programme is designed to provide 36 weeks of active learning, eight weeks of reinforcement, and four weeks of initiation, with 5+1 days of play-based learning per week, divided into three blocks of activities each. It highlights various activities, including in-centre and at-home, indoor and outdoor, child-led and educator-led approaches, the Ministry added.
According to the Ministry, the National Framework for Early Childhood Stimulation 2024 aims to empower caregivers and Anganwadi Workers for holistic early stimulation through responsive caregiving and opportunities for early learning to ensure children’s optimal bodily and brain development. It addresses conceptual and practical gaps in understanding how children grow and develop, the significance of brain development, and the necessity for taking care.
The works were developed by the National Institute for Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD), with assistance from an Internal Committee and development partners. Feedback from Anganwadi Workers has been included to make the Curriculum more adaptable and activity-based, with more pictures and less text. NIPCCD will oversee the training of Anganwadi officials on the revised Curriculum and Guidelines. The Poshan Tracker will integrate provisions from the Curriculum and the Framework, such as weekly activity schedules, home visit instructions, and evaluation tools for tracking child growth. It aims to strengthen and support Anganwadi Workers in delivering high-quality ECCE to all children so that every Anganwadi Centre becomes a thriving learning centre in the community.
