ECCD Evaluation

Early Childhood
Care for
Development
Education of the Care giver With Siblings in Balwadi !
13th
– 24th
Feb 2006
Implemented by
Adithi / Plan
Muzaffarpur Bihar
External
Evaluation
By
Adithi / Plan team &
Dr Satyendra
Srivastava (Facilitation
& documentation)
Quick Links Executive Summary | Findings | ECCD Ranked | Recommendations | Roadmap

Abbreviations
ANM Auxiliary Nurse Midwife
AWC Anganwadi Center
AWW Anganwadi worker
BEP Bihar Education Project
BKCK Balika Kishori Chetna Kendra (Center for adolescent girls.)
CBO Community Based Organization
CCCD Child centered community development
CLR Center For Learning Resources, Pune
ECCD Early Child Care and Development
ICDS Integrated Child Development Scheme
INGO International non-governmental organizations
LRP Local resource person (Dular Strategy)
NFE Non-Formal Education
PO Project Outline
PRI Panchayti Raj Institutions
PU Program Unit
SDW Sector Development Worker
SHG Self Help Group
VDC Village Development Committee
VDW Village Development Worker
Contents
Executive Summary 3
Introduction 5
Purpose of the Study 8
Methodology 9
Observations & Issues 11
Specific issues 15
ECCD intervention Ranked 19
Recommendations 20
Where Next : Five Year Roadmap 20
Gantt Chart : Five Year Roadmap 24
Case studies 25
Appendices 30
Acknowledgements 40
Evaluation Team 41
Page 2 / 41 Feb 2006 : ECCD Evaluation : Adithi /Plan : Five Yr Road map

Executive Summary
Adithi/Plan has conducted a
comprehensive community based Early Child
Care for Development (ECCD) initiative in six
blocks (total 42 hamlets) near Muzaffarpur in
north Bihar since 1999. Its learning domain
intervention attempts to cover children from
birth, right to adolescence, through crèche (0-
3 yr), pre NFE center or Balwadi (3-6 yr), NFE
(6-12 yr) and life skill centers for girls or Balika
Kishori Chetana Kendra (BKCK) working with
12-18 yr age group. As more and more
children move on to formal schools, their
numbers have dwindled in NFE and therefore
the latter two, NFE and BKCK have recently been merged.
This external evaluation at the end of the five years was
conducted to acknowledge achievements, understand constraints and
chart the future course; specifically- how to collaborate with ICDS and
other stakeholders – to sustain the momentum of ECCD initiative in a
long time frame.
The evidence is there to show that in the last five years,
considerable skill and knowledge have been built at community and
field functionary levels; Besides eight functioning Balwadis,- Village
development committees, mother’s groups / SHGs have been
mobilized to ensure that best ECCD practices are adopted at home as
well as in the Balwadi, and are supported by the community. The
constraints are more of a systemic nature- poor infrastructure, bad
roads, floods etc. There is scope for more efficient supervision and
better networking with ICDS, PHC, UNICEF and BEP (Bihar Education
Project).
Other significant players in this field are UNICEF and BEP. Their
approach is thematically very close to that of Adithi/Plan in the
learning domain, and could be briefly described as follows:
Dular interfaces with existing ICDS Anganwadi centers (AWC)
and relies on community mobilization through a local resource person.
BEP, through its Mahila Samakhya component, runs Jagjagi, which
takes women’s empowerment approach to girl education. Third and

biggest stakeholder- ICDS, which used to be a program under the
Directorate of Social Welfare till 2003, but is a full fledged directorate
since, is undergoing significant expansion, driven by population norms
(one AWC per 1000 population), pressure from international NGOs and
national commitment to child survival and primary education.
There is a clear possibility of taking advantage of these
favorable trends. It is being proposed that Adithi/Plan should
collaborate with ICDS and Dular to phase out of direct implementation
of Balwadis and phase in to monitoring, training and community
mobilization in its working area. This theme has been widely discussed
during this evaluation and a clear road map is being proposed at page
20 (vide Gantt Chart at page 24). Nevertheless, this would demand
intensive networking skills and mobilization of community towards
this change.
As part of the main evaluation and a learning exercise for PU
team, four POs were selected for rapid appraisal. Evaluation reports for
these POs are also being attached herewith.

Introduction
Evaluation: what and why?
Adithi is a voluntary agency working for social development in Bihar
since 1988. One of its core concern areas is women’s status. One of its units
‘Adithi/Plan’ -a collaboration between Adithi and Plan International, is
operating in three districts of north Bihar since 1999. Its approach is child
centered community development. It works in six developmental blocks and
in a total of eight gram sabhas. Two of its sectors are in urban areas of which
one is slum and the other is a Red light area; the remaining five are poorly
connected rural villages, vulnerable to annual floods and other problems of
poor infrastructure and under-development. Learning is one of its main
domains. ECCD is a core area within this domain.
An external evaluation was planned at the end of the five years in
2006 as a launch pad for a road mapping exercise for the next five years. It
will be important to understand ECCD- what it is and the international
concern.
What is ECCD?1
Children do not just grow in size. They develop, evolve, and mature,
mastering ever more complex understandings of the people, objects and
challenges in their environment. There is a general pattern or sequence for
development that is true of most children. However, the rate, character, and
quality of development vary from child to child. Culture influences
development in different ways, and the goals
for children differ from culture to culture.
Early Childhood Care for Development
(ECCD) refers not only to what is happening
within the child, but also to the care that the
child requires in order to thrive. For a child to
develop and learn in a healthy and normal way,
it is important not only to meet the basic needs
for protection, food and health care, but also to
meet the basic needs for interaction and
stimulation, affection, security, and learning
through exploration and discovery. (Right: An
Adithi/Plan crèche in urban slums)
1
This and subsequent section on what ECCD is and ECCD interventions are excerpted from a web
document by The Consultative group on Early childhood care and development
(http://www.ecdgroup.com).

ECCD is a relatively new field and combines elements from the fields
of child development, early childhood education, infant stimulation, health
and nutrition, community development, parent education, women’s
development, and economics. International ECCD arose from the recognition
that these elements all interact within a young child’s life. If we want to
support young children and help them to thrive, then we need to understand
the many facets of their development, and also address the contexts in which
they are living.
ECCD interventions
ECCD activities are those that support young children appropriately and seek
to strengthen the environments in which they live. ECCD includes:
1. Working with parents to strengthen parenting skills,
2. Working with siblings and other family members to recognize the specific
developmental needs of younger children and what they can do to support them,
3. Working to provide or strengthen day care options,
4. Developing preschools and other early childhood education programs that address the
child’s needs in holistic ways,
5. Striving to bolster the community in its economic, physical, and moral support of
families and young children.
Before we move on to the lesson learnt in this evaluation, we need to
share its context- the organization, its area and activities.
Adithi & Adithi /Plan (PU)
Adithi was founded by the late Ms Viji Srinivasan, a noted social activist and
philanthropist. Since its inception in 1988, Adithi
works towards empowerment of women in rural
Bihar2. It works today in four states Bihar,
Jharkhand, Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh- with a
large network of NGOs. It focuses on social and
economic development issues by using new
technology and processes. The focus is on critical
issues related to the lives of the children and
women. It has specifically initiated campaigns for
securing legal and social rights for the child and
women3.
For the first time, in Bihar, ADITHI has given
visibility to the invisible marginalized illegal
women's livelihoods in large numbers by
promoting alternatives in the following
2
It is the only state in India with a literacy level below 50% and ranking last among the 32 States
according to Human Development Index and Gender Disparity Index. Source: GOI (2001), National
Human Development Report, Planning Commission, New Delhi.
3
This section is quoted and adapted from a background document: “A brief profile of ADITHI and
ADITHI/Plan Project” and some web documents on Adithi.

constituencies: the sharecroppers, traditional fisherwomen, traditional craftswomen,
adolescent girls and girl children, including tribal (predominantly Santhali) girls,
daughters of traditional dancers and singers, tribal women in a forestation and
agriculture, women engaged in savings and credit and street vendors and home-
based workers. Recently added groups are- Women in Panchayati Raj, Trafficked girl
children, Women with reproductive health problems, Early married & Pregnant
adolescent girls (14-15 years).
Since November 1999, it has worked in three districts of north Bihar:
Muzaffarpur, Sitamarhi, and Vaishali:
District Muzaffarpur Sitamarhi Vaishali
Blocks Katra Bocch
aha
kanti Musahari
(Urban &
Rural)
Runni
Saidpur
Patepur
villages Devgan Paranti Kaparp
ura,
Sarmas
pur
Badi Karbala,
Gandhinagar,
Aghoria bazar,
Sikandarpur,
Chaturbhujsthan
Athari Gannipur ,
Baligaon
Total Districts : 3, Blocks : 6, Total Hamlets – 42
Its field team consists of 92 VDWs and 6 SDWs. It has about 14 program and
administrative staff. Its current caseload is 2500 sponsored children. It works in the
seven program domains of:
1. Child Rights
This is the core of all domains under Adithi / Plan Project. It is based on the United
Nations convention on Rights of the Child. It means that programmatic decisions
about children must always consider children’s interests and wishes, as well as the
long-term implications of such decisions on children and their survival, development
and protection.
2. Health
Adithi/Plan’s focus is at strengthening government primary health care services,
especially in the segment of Reproductive and child health with a gender perspective:
ECCD, Immunization, safe delivery, service outreach (referral and ANM’s services).
3. Learning
Early care & stimulation, home based care for the
0-3 age group, preschools for hard to access
communities; non-formal education and life s
for school drop outs- Supporting the Govern
Schools under SIP (School Improvement
Programme) , Advocacy at district and state level
are the main components under this domain.
(Right: An Adithi/Plan Balwadi in sector 3)
kills
ment
4. Habitat

Drinking water (water filter etc.), sanitation (toilets, drainage etc) are the main
interventions under this head.
5. Livelihood
Creation & mobilization of CBOs (thrift and self-governance), skill building, micro-
enterprise development, diversified agriculture, food preservation etc are the main
interventions.
6. Disaster
is the new domain under which community preparedness will be undertaken,
considering that this is a seismic zone and prone to sudden devastating annual
floods.
7. Gender equity is a cross cutting concern. Child sponsorship is the underlying
activity which sustains other domains.
Purpose of the Study
This study was conceived as the health half of an overall impact
evaluation of ECCD intervention, the other half being the “learning” side of
this intervention- soon to follow. The two core questions which this
evaluation has tried to answer are:
1. What have been the achievements of the ECCD intervention in the last
five years and
2. How can these (especially the crèche & Balwadis) be sustained over
next five years. (a roadmap)
Specific questions, it looked into, were:
1. What have been the experiences to date in terms of a SWOT Analysis
of the Education program, focusing on the ECCD component?
2. The study will also look at the inter-linkages with other domains for
obtaining an understanding of the overall impact and changes in the
lives of the children, within a CCCD perspective.
3. What will be the future direction of the program, in consonance with
Plan CSP and CPO and the other major players in the operational area
(Civil Society, State, Other INGOs, etc.)?
A set of findings on the extent of a possible merger of both Programs
ICDS and PU’s initiative.
The extent to which these programs impacts development and
achievement levels of girls and boys
Role of community, CBOs (including Youth Groups) and PRIs in these
functions.
Mother’s perceptions and other stakeholders.
How the ECCD interventions of the NGO adding value to the existing
government programs?

What methods and mechanism are adapted and set up to sustain these
value additions.
How to encourage local community for forging partnership between
government and local communities for sustaining the ECCD programs.
Methodology
Following were the highlights of the evaluation methodology which
was largely participatory, reflective and forward looking.
1. External facilitator reviewed available relevant documents before visiting
the PU and subsequently.
2. A participatory planning session on day 1 at PU, helped the team to
develop a shared understanding of expectations from the evaluation,
centers to be visited and respondents to be interviewed. A work plan was
developed. (Vide on page 30 in appendices)
3. An observation checklist was developed by CPME PO and the external
facilitator. They used it subsequently in the field while visiting
Crèche/Balwadis. Observations
were made in NFE and ICDS AW
centers too.
4. Field visits to all the sectors (14-
18th Feb): Discussions with
mothers, adolescents, siblings,
community members, VDC, AWW,
VDW, SDW & other program staff.
5. SWOT analysis by ‘program’
heads at PU (vide summarized
output) (Right : CPME PO interviews a VDW)
6. Email questionnaire for remote respondents (Response rate: 3 out of 10)
7. Final debriefing was done with the team, to receive their feedback and
inputs in the road mapping exercise. Debriefing was conducted with PD
too. (see the text in appendix)
8. Four ECCD related Pos were evaluated as inputs to the overall ECCD
evaluation. The report is being attached as a separate document. These
were:
Project
No.
Project Name Start
date
End
Date
Reason for selection Project
Budget
Evaluatio
n led by
Supported
by
5221 Center Based
ECCD
(0 - 6 Years)
July 1,
2003
30
June,
2005
For Impact evaluation
as well as the cost of
the project
Sample for period
03-05
980,49
5
Dr.
Srivastav
a
Abhishek
and
Akhilesh
5201 Crèche July 1,
2002
30
June,
Sample for period
255,66
7
Akhilesh
Dubey
Dr.
Srivastava

2003 02-03 & Abhishek
5220 ECCD-
Caregivers
Education (0-
3 years)
July 1,
2003
30
June,
2004
Sample for period
03-04
122,84
7
Abhishek
Singh
Dr.
Srivastava
& Akhilesh
5247 Integrated
Development
of Children
20 Oct
2004
30 Jun
2005
Sample for period
04-05
199,50
0
Dr.
Srivastav
a
Abhishek &
Akhilesh
Deeper exploration: During Interviews and Focus group discussions we
explored the following aspects of the
program:
Recall of Training content and its utilization:
VDWs (and SDWs to some extent) were requested
to recall 2-3 messages from last training /
workshop and discuss its utilization in work.
(Right : Interviews with mothers with Picture
cards)
Mothers and lactating women were shown Picture
cards (Charcha Chitra)4 and requested to recall
the message and discuss their current practices; are there any gaps? Food chart was also
used on some occasions, for them to point out appropriate item for children according to
age.
Community participation: What are the families contributing and why? Can they contribute
more or in kind?
Discussion with VDWs and AWWs explored interactions among them.
Attitudes about working with ICDS (SDW, VDW)
Career plans of VDWs? Ready for change? How did they see a change in their role vis-a-vis
AWWs?
Ethical issues: All interviews/ observations were conducted without
disrupting or delaying the planned activities for the day. The children were
not asked to do anything out of the routine, to facilitate observation.
Informed consent was taken for interviews. Notes and pictures were taken
with express permission. Names and identities of the respondents were not
shared with their supervisors.
4
These have been developed by Center for Learning Resources, PUNE, as a part of an ECCD learning
package. These pictures are to be used as graphic aid to discussion on child rearing practices.

Observations & Issues
Considerable ground has been covered in the last five years in spite of
many difficulties. Let us briefly discuss these constraints and their effects:
1. Bad roads make travel to villages difficult and time consuming; this
can affect supervision. Out of 8 Balwadi centers, three are within a
distance of 10 km and five range from 35 km to 50 km.
2. Sudden floods paralyze work in some of the sectors for a couple of
months every year. These are low lying plains of north Bihar. This
makes travel, communication and running crèche unsafe at such
times.
3. Rural population is scattered in caste based hamlets (tolas) which
makes coverage difficult.
4. There was a massive restructuring in Adithi/Plan in the year 2002
which affected program in the field for quite some months. A
consortium of seven local NGOs was earlier implementing the program
since 1999. This arrangement was found unsatisfactory and
Adithi/Plan began to coordinate the program directly from
Muzaffarpur in 2002. The program is still running in the
constituencies of the seven NGOs, but through Adithi/Plan staff.
Relationships with these NGO can still influence the work in the field.
5. Program staff turnover has been felt as a constraint over the years,
since it is difficult to find suitable replacements in a region like this.
6. Systemic issues like corruption constrain programs and any
collaboration with state services in many ways. There is a political
change and observers are optimistic. But for any change, to percolate
to district and block level, some years will be needed.
Strengths
Here we list the strengths, the good practices identified during participatory
evaluation: (Below: Mid day meal being served in an Adithi/Plan Balwadi in Gannipur)
1. Most VDWs are well trained
and skilled; They exhibited
good recall of training inputs;
understood what should be
done with children under
different circumstances
(crying, fighting with another
child for the same toy,
repeatedly going out the door,
a slow learner etc) and

according to age group (under 3 versus 3+) - and why. They were able to
explain why weight should be monitored and were also able to give the
details of malnourished children (fortunately just a few in all instances) in
their centers. They were able to recall correct messages and responses for
the ‘charcha chitra’ (talking
pictures).
2. Centers are being conducted
daily, as expected, between
10am to 4 pm, five days a week,
Saturday being an off day5.
Nutrition is being supplied and
served regularly and according
to age -very young getting milk
and older ones are getting semi-
solids and solids. Clean utensils,
bowls etc are in use. In some centers VDW has made private
arrangements with the mistress of the house to help her in cooking and
other chores. Obviously there are differences from sector to sector. One
center near the high end of standards exhibited a girl child with a below
knee plaster, interacting spontaneously with other children and eating her
bowl of porridge! (Picture above)(
3. On an average, more than 90% children were found to be active and
healthy. Runny nose was seen as a common problem among the rest-
which is not a serious health problem at this age.
4. Awareness regarding Personal hygiene has been generated among
mothers and children. Towels, soap etc is being utilized in Balwadis.
VDWs were seen observing hygiene to expected degree in most cases:
wiping children’s nose, asking them to wash hands before eating,
changing wet bottoms promptly, washing the towel and putting it out for
drying etc.
5. Most VDWs are active and affectionate. Many are well organized and
confident in their work. Many used the practice of depicting gender of the
child with a different colored dot on the attendance register. Work space
was organized well. Drinking water was kept in a covered pot. Compared
with ICDS AWC, these centers offered more child friendly atmosphere.
6. Most VDWs are able to work both with children and with mothers in the
community through home visits.
5
But the Sector In charge is free to open the center on Saturday. They usually organize community
meetings and other activity in the field. On this particular day a street play on child rights was going on
and VDW was assisting in it.

7. Crèche mother (VDW) has to attend to a limited number of families, about
40- this ensures that she is able to contact all families once a week at
least.
8. Crèche/Pre NFE venue is provided by the community- as their
contribution. It was found to be adequate in most cases. A small amount
is spent on annual maintenance of the place. No rent is being paid.
9. At most places, families are
contributing either in cash or kind (Rs
5 or Grains)
10.VDC is functioning in a transparent
fashion. Many VDCs are doing the
monitoring. They are being involved in
training too.
11.SDWs are experienced, active, efficient
and effective. They have good
organizational and mobilization skills.
They have received considerable
training inputs.
12.Records (Attendance, stock, daily diary,
weight, Immunization) are being maintained properly in most centers.
Areas for Improvement
Monitoring
in only 2 centers. Some centers had
s;
continuity of our intervention with the same
ot
the
2. f eight) center did not have
l
1. Inadequate Supervision &
Working weighing machine was found
no towel or just one towel. It appears that such equipments are either not
requisitioned or not supplied promptly. Supervisors have considerable
workload. In addition, there is no comprehensive checklist for such visit
Therefore during supervision some issues get addressed while others
tend to get overlooked.
Another gray zone is the
child: very few VDWs had done a follow up of the children graduating
from their crèche / Balwadi. How many kids had dropped out of the
stream? What were they doing subsequently and why? Did they join a
primary school (government or private) or NFE? Such questions have n
been asked often enough by supervisors (SDWs and Program persons).
Some VDWs did not know how to maintain the stock register; and it
appears that the supervisor has not been able to give this specific ‘on
job’ training input to the concerned VDW.
Logistics of the crèche/ Balwadi: One (out o
adequate space for children enrolled. Sitting arrangement like individua
mats was not suitable for very young children; elsewhere it was old &

frayed, needing replacements. Plastic/ foam mats could be considered
view of durability and since it can be cleaned and washed easily.
Learning material and Toys: Toys were made indigenously just on
in
3. ce as a
4. ution: VDWs are not very proactive about getting
ve
d
5. have taken off and appear to be
of
s
6. When children do something good, their
able.
n
7. hildren is a prime concern in crèche
next
part of mother’s training; when these toys got used up, fresh initiative did
not take place. Many centers did not have toys; some centers had just 3-4
old broken toys. Every new initiative needs to be sustained till it becomes
standard practice.
Community contrib
community participation. Example: In the city, some families could ha
given more than Rs 5 as contribution, but it was never tried. Elsewhere
poor families, who refused to pay Rs 5, could have paid Rs 2, if it was
actively negotiated. Either the VDWs are not authorized for such
negotiations or they lack the initiative. In any case, if sustainability is a
prime concern, such negotiations with community should have happene
more often in the last five years.
Mother’s awareness: Home visits
happening regularly. But more needs to be done since about 2 out
three mothers interviewed with the help of food chart and picture card
gave wrong or no answer.
Teacher- child interaction:
behavior should be actively acknowledged through praise etc. This
probably is not happening to expected degree. When children do
something questionable, of course they are told that it is unaccept
The reverse should also be practiced. Similarly, what should VDW do whe
there is a conflict between children? There was scope for more skill
building for VDWs on these issues.
Safety consideration- Safety of the c
and Balwadi. In one instance (sector 4) a simple 2 feet high bamboo
barrier will ensure that no child can crawl towards the big depression
to it.

Specific issues
1. SWOT analysis of ECCD program
This is based on the individual inputs from program person and SDWs.
Enabling factors Constraints
Internalenvironment
Strengths
Trained motivated program persons
Experienced local SDWs and VDWs
Staff has received many trainings (eg CLR)
Our program highlights family’s role in ECCD
Crèche-PreNFE-NFE covers an entire span of
growing child’s needs
Other domains converge on the same child
and its family in most cases
Adithi has earned a goodwill which helps
liaison with GO & NGO players
Partner NGOs are rooted in the program area
We can work with the community on long term
basis
Sufficient funds available for ECCD
Weaknesses
The area is not being saturated
(some children left out)
Some of our programs generate
dependence
Too many initiatives distract
VDW
VDWs capacity to absorb
trainings is overwhelmed at
times
ECCD module appears to be too
generalized; we might forget our
area and culture specific child
rearing practices
Networking with other players
(ICDS, UNICEF) not very vibrant
yet
Externalenvironment
Opportunity
ICDS has requested us to support two of their
centers. A wider collaboration may be
possible. We will be able to influence ECCD in
a wider area (a whole block?)
Major political change at the top: new
government is in a hurry to prove that it is
different: new AW centers will be sanctioned
soon in the state
Grants are now available for non-sponsorship
areas also
Resource organizations (eg CLR) available
UNICEF’s Dular strategy overlaps with some of
our area- networking is a clear possibility
Education department has major plans to
upgrade infrastructure (school rooms, toilets),
hire teacher (50% women) etc.
Enrollment in primary education is being seen
by GO / NGO as a major priority. Adithi/Plan
work will be appreciated in such atmosphere
Threats
Community may not be ready to
take over crèche/Balwadi yet.
Local resources not forthcoming
(money, space etc) easily
VDC do not have constitutional
status like Panchayat samitis.
Poor infrastructure (roads,
electricity, communications) and
natural disasters (floods) can still
affect services
Urban Slum community can be
disrupted by dis/re-location at
short notice
Working with ICDS can create
conflicts, esp. around resources.

2. Role of community, CBOs (including Youth Groups) and PRIs in
these functions:
The community often helps by providing a rent free space for crèche
and pre NFE to run. A small contribution (Rs 5 often) is made by the families
whose children attend the centre. This contribution is deposited with Village
development committee (VDC) and is used for a developmental cause within
the village. So far, this has not been invested back in the centre, for example
to buy / repair equipments, toys or learning aids. This physical space is
maintained / repaired by an annual budget allocated in the learning Project
Outline depending upon the need once a year.
If we consider the fact that hardly a hundred yards away, this very
village may have a government ICDS center, which pays a monthly rent for
AWC, this appears to be a big contribution from the community. But the fact
is, in spite of much training and exposure few VDC display ability or desire to
take over complete charge of the crèche/pre NFE center. They may need
more accompaniment and probably merger with other more sustainable
CBOs (Shiksha Samiti of Panchayat / Samooh of Mahila Samakhya-BEP/ LRG
of Dular strategy).
Child and adolescents groups, which often have girls from BKCK (NFE)
appeared well aware of the children’s issues and the valuable services these
crèche/ pre NFE offered to their younger siblings. Home visits have
addressed them too and they are playing their role in child stimulation and
nurture.
Panchayati Raj functionaries currently play scant role in ECCD
initiatives in their villages. They do play a superficial monitoring role in ICDS
AWC, by issuing a monthly certificate as to its mandatory functioning during
the month.
3. Mothers’ perceptions and other stakeholders.
Mothers, whose children were attending the crèche/preNFE, were
obviously very appreciative of the Adithi Balwadi, its services and the mid-
day meal served to the children. Most mothers who are landless labor or
wage earner realise that they can go to work only because their children are
in safe hands.
4. How are the ECCD interventions of the NGO adding value to the existing
government programs?
The Adithi/Plan ECCD intervention enriches government programs in
many ways; some of these are:
ICDS AWWs have attended training and workshops along with VDWs and SDWs.

Some of the centres have received material supply from Adithi/Plan. Besides,
Adithi centres put a subtle moral pressure on the ICDS AWC in the village.
Existing AWC were planned on the basis of 1991 population. In many villages the
population has gone up considerably (internal migration is another reason for
this) and therefore Adithi Balwadi supplements what ICDS AWC tries to do. Still in
some villages both together are not able to cater to all the 3-6 year group of
children.
Many children migrate from Crèche /Pre NFE to nearby government primary
school. These children certainly fare better and teachers in government schools
appreciate this service.
4. The extent to which these programs impacts development and
achievement levels of girls and boys
Even a cursory glance revealed that children in Adithi Balwadis
appeared neater, cleaner, healthier and more active than their counterparts
in ICDS AWC or in the streets. The two obvious reasons are: better training
and motivation of VDWs and home visits, which have pressurised and
motivated mothers (and other care takers) to pay attention to the child at
home and send her/ him better prepared for the Balwadi. (Below: A street show on
Child rights in sector 7, Runni Saidpur)(
Similarly scholastic
achievements of these
children appear better than
their counterparts in ICDS
AWC. In the NFE, many
young girls are given
practical life skills
(numeracy, literacy, Income
generation skills etc). Even those girls, who do not migrate from NFE to
formal school, fare better than those who stay home. Some case studies to
the end, illustrate these points.
5. A set of findings on the extent possible merger of both Programs
ICDS and PU’s initiative.
Considering the present scenario, such a merger is not only possible
but also desirable. Adithi/Plan has made considerable investment in capacity
building at community level to a point, where it should be possible for it to
take advantage of other favourable circumstances, some of which are:
Mahila Samakhya: Mahila Samakhya in Bihar was initiated as an integral component
of the Bihar Education Project (BEP) in 1992. In 1993 it was extended to Muzaffarpur.
Since Mahila Samakhya in Bihar has been an integral part of BEP and DPEP - girls'
education has been its focal agenda. It tries to ensure that girls in Jagjagi Kendras

reach the competency of class 5 level in an accelerated learning mode. It mobilizes
the community through formation of women’s groups (Samooh) whose members
have been elected as the President, Secretary or members of Vidyalaya Shiksha Samiti
(School Education Committee). These features are quite parallel to what Adithi/Plan
has been striving for.
Dular Strategy : Dular is an integrated community
based child care package using life cycle approach
introduced within ICDS in four focus districts in
Bihar and Jharkhand by UNICEF. The key elements
of the strategy are:
Village networking using local volunteers.
Empowering families to adopt appropriate care
practices for women and children.
Community monitoring of key care practices i.e.
early initiation of breastfeeding, timely
introduction of complementary feeding, caring
for pregnant women and adolescent girls. (Right :
Krishna Kumari, AWW displays her social map, made under Dular
strategy)
Enhancing system capacity for nutrition surveillance and service delivery through
better linkages with the community.
External Evaluation of Dular by Tufts University, a cross sectional survey of
dular and non-dular ICDS areas was undertaken. The findings showed significant
improvement (40-50%) in breastfeeding practices and about 8% reduction in
malnutrition. Encouraged by this ICDS is extending it to other areas.
Both these programs intersect Adithi/Plan’s work area and
thematically / approach-wise are very similar to its ECCD initiative. A VDW,
for example could play the role of LRP (Local Resource Person in Dular) and
help AWW, while Adithi/Plan’s VDCs could merge with Mahila Samakhya’s
Samooh where these are strong and
functional. This would help Adithi/Plan to
phase out from direct implementation and
move on to a facilitatory role.
(Right : Children going to Anganwadi for mid day meal, sector 3
Paranti)
ICDS : ICDS in Bihar has recently drawn the
attention of many INGOs (WB, UNICEF, CARE
etc) and policy makers. In view of the recent
political changes, better resourcing and
recruitment drives are expected (-70%
Supervisory positions vacant, for example).
DPO, Muzaffarpur has sent proposals for new
AW centers in almost all the blocks, based on population growth since 1991. Number

of new proposed centers are 194 for Muzaffarpur urban, 38 for Bachahan, 89 for
Kanti block, for example. As soon as these centers are sanctioned, it would be an
opportunity for Adithi/Plan to phase out and focus on quality, training, community
mobilization.
ECCD intervention Ranked
A collaborative ranking exercise was done to understand where does the ECCD
program stand on the ten quality standards promoted by Plan Asia’s working group
on ECCD (May 2005). Here are the results:
(NB: To get a detailed understanding of these criteria, please refer to Appendix at page 35.)
Sr.
No.
Criteria Rank
(0-10)
Comments
1. Inclusive 7 There is little discrimination regarding sex, caste, ability,
community, class, gender etc. Still, it seems that children from very
poor backgrounds and those with disabilities may require extra
effort to be included.
2. Accessible 8 Crèches are accessible to all children of the community. VDWs are
skilled and competent. Crèche time suits the routine of families &
community. VDWs provide information on child care orally and
through pictures and other reference material during home visits –
to siblings, family members. But on rare occasions caste can be a
constraint.
3. Developmentall
y Appropriate
6 VDWs look after the children very actively. They provide them
supplementary nutrition according to age. Children get a variety of
learning material like softball, soft toys, clay pot etc. They promote
the use of play as core learning modality. Regular weighing is done
to monitor growth. They promote appropriate language skills. More
innovative and creative ways could be used.
4. Integrated,
Holistic
7 The focus is there on all the dimensions- physical, mental,
spiritual/moral etc. Emphasis is on health, safe drinking water,
proper hygiene habits and sanitation facilities. VDWs also try to
break traditional but harmful notions; provide support for pregnant
and lactating mothers through education; Use picture cards and
other reference material; motivate them for immunization & better
nutrition. There is scope for more training of VDWs and better
monitoring.
5. Relevant 7 Due importance is given to local knowledge. Locally recruited VDWs
and SDWs use local dialect and are sensitive to local cultural
practices & needs. Local rhymes, songs, folklores and games are
being used.
6. Cost Effective. 8 Locally available resources (soft ball, toys from old clothes, clay pot
etc.) being used. Contribution is taken as Cash (Rs 5) or kind- quite
affordable. The community provides space for free.
7 Culture &
gender
Sensitive.
6 The program and the staff are sensitive to gender and other axes of
social inequity. But some time VDWs ignore the traditional practices
or focus on women (mother) in ways which may promote gender
stereotypes.
8. Safe and
Protective
7 Location of the centers and services are away from hazards. Most of
the centers are spacious, well lighted and well equipped, regularly
maintained. Staff may need training inputs for emergency

situations.
9. Sustainable 7 There is a good system of reporting and documentation. Strong
network with stakeholders like VDC, parents, community, ICDS and
other organization. There is transparency in services. VDCs are
empowered for monitoring the centers any time and offer
suggestions and take action.
10. Promote Child
Participation
7 Adults have good knowledge of child development. Many are
sensitive towards children needs and interest. Reflected in their
participation and various contributions.
Recommendations
Most of these recommendations are being incorporated in the five
year roadmap, next section. For the sake of thematic continuity, we
summarize the main themes here:
Closer, frequent, supportive supervision & monitoring in the field
More scope for skill building for VDW, SDW and program personnel
through training & exposure : For VDW on interactions with children and
for SDW on supervision, monitoring and rapid program appraisals
Supply & logistics (eg. Space, towels, weighing machines) to be frequently
reviewed
More effort into Networking with relevant partners: ICDS, UNICEF, BEP;
Reinvent a new role and step into it: monitoring, training, mobilization
and networking.
Where Next : Five Year Roadmap
“Because the need is so great, Planners should give priority to programs that
offer the best prospect of reaching the most children who are at risk. That
means looking beyond demonstration and pilot projects to the possibility of
expansion and replication of effective program approaches.”6
An in-depth multi-level discussion with field staff, supervisors,
program persons and the project director on 22nd to 24th Feb 2006, helped
the team to sort out its priorities, assess what was feasible and plan for the
next five years.
The team first came up with this list of objectives it would like to
achieve over next 5 years:
Liasioning with government to be strengthened at State, District, Block and Panchayat
level; Also with PHC to get ANMs help; with INGO regarding training and BCC material and
support; Liasioning with ICDS directorate to facilitate selection of our centers as AWC and
our VDW as a AWW, as far as possible.
One AWC in all the blocks where we are working should be promoted as a Model center.
One or two nearby ones should be promoted as training center also.
6
The consultative group on ECCD (http://www.ecdgroup.com/why_eccd.asp)

We should try to improve the quality of ICDS AWC in our program area and provide
material and other inputs to that end.
We need to make a plan for implementing the stated objectives of ICDS including Child
Rights
To design a supportive monitoring system with government, village development
committee (VDC) and ADITHI/Plan staffs.
To build the transparency between implementer (GO/NGO and other stake holders)and
community
Provide training/Refresher (For innovation /child behavior & rights)
To promote adequate infrastructure for AWC; it should have adequate space for play, and
be accessible for all children including challenged ones.
To develop opportunity for those VDWs who were looking after Crèche/Pre NFE in case of
merger with ICDS
This road map can be divided into three phases:
(A)Before sanction of new centers (expected to be 6 mo-1 yr)
This phase is to prepare various stakeholders through discussion and
counseling; this is also to formally let them know our intentions: phase
out from implementation (running Balwadis) and phase in to monitoring,
training and community mobilization.
a. Prepare a clear cut plan: as to what each VDW I and VDW III will be doing,
after phase out. Restructure and redefine their roles, based on their
ability and experience (by Learning Coordinator and others)
b. SDW (particularly Rambha, Chanda, Ketaki) should keep in constant touch
with Panchayat, CDPO and DPO to find out when the sanction is about to
come and also, whether the sanction is in their panchayat or not. This
information will help Learning PC to fine tune the above plan.
c. Liaisoning with government and other stakeholders– esp. ICDS (Director,
DPO, CDPO), share achievements under learning domain so far, this
evaluation report and the tentative plan mentioned in (a) above. Find out
if they plan to expand in our area, and how we can work with them: can
our volunteers work as their LRP under Dular? Can our VDC double as LRG
under Dular? Can our SDW participate in Village Contact Drive of Dular?
Can Jagjagi samooh merge with our VDC? Etc.
d. Liasioning with and orientation of PRI- to the objective of
i. getting our centers promoted as the new AWC and
ii. to get our VDW selected, if from the same gramsabha, and willing,
as AWW;
iii. Merger / representation of our VDC in Shiksha samiti of Panchayat
iv. And share the Plan with them generally.
e. Hold early discussion with VDC about their new role (option 1: continue
working with strong VDC and link them up with new ICDS AWC, by

promoting one of their members as LRP under Dular for example; option
2: where VDC is performing poorly, work with existing education
committee of Panchayat)
f. Review VDW’s work and plan their new roles (arrange trainings if
necessary and consider promotions; some possible roles: supervise and
monitor and help the new AWC on need basis; she can be assistant to
SDW- helps in BKCK, field supervision, documentation etc)
g. Prepare a brief concept note on model center in our area. What should a
model AWC in our area look like, work like? This would decide our future
inputs to ICDS.
(B) After sanction (0-6 months)
Once the sanction for new AWCs come through, following steps should be
considered:
a. Brief meetings with PRI, VDC, concerned parents, SDW and VDW to ensure
that
i. new AWC is set-up in a fixed infrastructure with adequate space
for play, center should be accessible for all children including
challenged children
ii. wherever possible Adithi/Plan Balwadis are adopted as the new
AWC
iii. wherever possible VDW (if from the same gram sabha and willing)
is elected as AWW
b. Handover all the children, material supply, equipments, toys, sitting
material etc to the new AWC. Ensure that no child drops out in this
process. (VDW will ensure it as she would have been told this in the
planning phase).
c. Supportive monitoring (by SDW / old VDW/ CDPO) of AWC. This input will
have to be negotiated with ICDS (Directorate and District level) in a
pragmatic way; If we are (and seen to be) contributing in significant and
material ways, we may have a locus standi to monitor it as well.
Nevertheless, this monitoring should ostensibly come from community-
ie. Monitoring individual should represent community rather than
Adithi/Plan. Initially it should be weekly for 2-3 months, then fortnightly
and random.
d. Program person to visit a good Balwadi model to exchange ideas and
develop a prototype (Mobile crèche; Search who else?)
e. Learning PP to meet CDPO to ensure that government funds for mid day
meals are being utilized for that purpose; this again is based on the
assumption that Adithi/Plan will be investing considerable material inputs

in the ICDS AWC, in an attempt to maintain quality and community
participation. This will have to be done gently and wisely.
(C) Six month After sanction (Maintenance phase)
This phase is to focus on monitoring, training and sustaining the process of
collaboration with ICDS, UNICEF (Dular) and BEP.
a. Promotion of Model centers through
i) material supply on need and priority basis- to be used as leverage
for monitoring and collaboration
ii) Training cum workshop (for AWW, AWS aka LS, VDW, SDW, CDPO)
(Resource: CLR, Mobile crèche etc)
iii) Review of human resource needs of the model AWC and necessary
action (ex. VDW could be deputed for two hours every week to help
weighing the children or the pregnant others or completing
documentation- all this, so that AWW could fulfill her primary role
in a high quality manner)
b. Internal six monthly rapid participatory reviews (Learning PC, CPME PO,
Concerned SDW, VDW, AWW, CDPO, Gram sahayak)
c. Material supply review and appraisal
d. Training cum workshop- for AWW, AWS, VDW; Skill oriented modules on
Supervision and monitoring for SDW and CDPOs;
e. Exposure visit (2 AWW, 1 SDW, 1 CDPO, Learning PC) to some good
Balwadi program (consider south India?)
f. End of 1st year: Evaluation (Unicef Rep, DPO, CPME PP) – sample of two
model (urban, rural) centers, randomly selected. Debriefing with staff of
all model centers and a minimum 2 page report to Adithi/Plan, UNICEF,
and ICDS director.
g. Based on above, prepare action plan for additional 20 AWC in the working
community. The idea is: collaboration with ICDS in 7 model centers in 6
blocks should be replicated to a larger number of AWC in these blocks,
after an appraisal.
h. Learning PC should attend policy workshops on Pre-primary education
(state, country level) and prepare a paper on- convergence (and
divergence) between Adithi/Plan learning domain and state policy on
education.
i. The Skill trainer (Purnima) and One SDW to attend some TOT on training
methods; they should increasingly be used for short skill based training
sessions meant for AWWs and VDWs;
j. End of three year: Evaluation, documentation and dissemination of
experience (“Lessons learnt: Transition from Implementation to
collaboration with ICDS?”) through a state level workshop.

Gantt Chart : Five Year Roadmap : Crèche/Pre NFE program of Adithi / Plan
Proposed activities Planning Phase
Before Sanction of New AWCs
Implementation
phase (After Sanction)
Maintenance Phase
About six months About six months Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5
Months/ Quarters 61 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 6
1. Review / counsel VDWs ; Restructure/ redefine their roles; Prepare them for
new roles (PC-L & others)
2. SDWs to keep in touch with Panchayat, DPO to find out about new AWCs at
the earliest
3. Liaison with ICDS (DPO, Director), Unicef (meetings, sharing of reports etc)
Panchayat, VDC (new role?), Parents (PU team)
4. Review VDW’s skill needs in new roles and arrange for training (Supervision, M
& E, Facilitation, Collaboration, documentation) (CPME-PO, PC-L)
5. What should model center mean? Prepare a concept note. (PC-L)
6. Canvassing for Adithi centers to be adopted as new AWC- meet PRI, VDC,
Parents (SDW, VDW)
7. Handover to new AWC (supplies, children, records etc) (SDW, VDW)
8. Monitoring (by old VDW, SDW, Community, CDPO- joint monitoring if possible)
Initially weekly, later fortnightly, monthly
9. Exposure trip (PC, SDW, AWW, CDPO) to a good Balwadi program, to develop
common ground & understanding
10. Coordination meetings with DPO (quarterly)
11. Networking meeting with ICDS director/ Dular i/c (six monthly, quarterly)
12. Promote model centers (supplies, training, help)
13. Six monthly rapid reviews (PC-L, CPME-PO, SDW, VDW, AWW, CDPO, Gram
sahayak) + Material supply review and appraisal
14. Brief Training cum workshops for AWW, SDW, AWS (LS), CDPO
15. Annual Participatory rapid appraisal (Adithi, ICDS, UNICEF)
16. Action plan for additional 20 AWC in the 6 blocks & take them up gradually
over next 3 months- for developing as model centers
17. Policy paper on Crèche & Balwadi (PC-L)
18. TOT for Skill Trainer & SDW
19. External Impact evaluation- Documentation – dissemination (state level
workshop) on Lessons learnt..
NB: Please read the text in the preceding section for details. Some overlap is there in the Implementation and Maintenance phase. This is a tentative plan, which
should be reviewed every few months to take advantage of opportunities.

Case studies
Following six case studies offer a closer look at the program,
people, their perceptions and motivations.
1. Motivation of a field worker in rural Bihar
VDWs are local married women – often a housewife with some education, experience and
considerable family responsibilities. She is paid a salary of Rs 1700 (about 40 USD) per month.
What is her motivation? This case study could be an exception but VDWs motivation in most
cases goes beyond remuneration or just gainful employment.
Ms Punam Kumari, 35 yrs, is a crèche mother in Gannipur (sector 6)
since year 2000. She and her husband are the residents of a nearby village.
She was unable to conceive in the fifteen years of her marriage. The couple
tried whatever was recommended – from modern treatment to faith healing.
She received little sympathy from the family (in laws) or the community.
Rather, she was the object of constant ridicule. Taking care of children in the
crèche became her sustenance- here were little children who accepted her
love and care without any discrimination. Infact, her work became the core of
her life & concerns for her.
One day, she mentioned her problem to a colleague (Shakuntala and
Sheela), who took her to a doctor. Ten months later she gave birth to a
healthy baby. She is convinced that this happened because she gave her love
to crèche children unstintingly. She continues taking care of crèche with
renewed vigor. In her worldview, serving children is not a job- but punya ka
kam (a privilege, a meritorious act).
2. Successful Transition from BKCK to a regular school
The following two case studies document passing of two girls through BKCK to formal schools.
(A) Ms Afsaana, 13 yrs
She attended BKCK for three years and t
enrolled in the nearby Urdu Girls High Schoo
has been studying at this school for the last two
years but has kept in touch with Rubiya mada
who runs the BKCK. Madam helped her finan
to get admitted to this private school. The
monthly fee is Rs 105, which Afsaana collects
through screen painting jobs offered to her by
MDC (Adithi/Plan Partner NGO).
hen
l. She
m,
cially
Her family is not doing well since her father’s illness. He suffered from
cancer and died recently in Jan 2006. Her father had stopped working even

before he fell ill. Her mother and brother do odd jobs to keep the family
going. Sometime her uncle and maternal grandpa also help them.
She has 5 sisters of whom the eldest got married and the other three attend
BKCK. Of the two brothers, one died sometime back.
In retrospect, she thinks, she liked coming to BKCK because the
madam in charge was regular, treated them with respect, offered them ‘copy’
and books, and still greets her with love whenever they meet now. Her
decision to continue her education beyond BKCK is also due to her uncle
(mama) - who is class ten pass and runs a tailoring shop. He always
encouraged her to educate herself, no matter what the outcome.
She is now in class 7. She thinks her years in BKCK helped her later in
the school. She dreams of becoming someday something like a teacher,
doctor or may be a painter. She hasn’t heard of M F Hussain but wouldn’t
mind becoming famous as a screen painter.
(B) Ms Neha Parveen 9 yrs
She lives in Jora gali, a slum of Muzaffarpur.
She has just one sibling- a brother- Nihal, about 6
or 7 years. Her father is a tailor in Delhi. He visits
them occasionally- like on Id. He sends them money
regularly, but not much. She and Nihal study in local
Oxford public school: she in class 3 and her brother
in UKG. She attended BKCK regularly till one year
ago, when she joined ‘Oxford’.
Looking back she thinks she had a lot of fun in BKCK. She still visits
Meena madam, whenever there is a holiday. She wants to become “a big
officer like collector, so that I can be good”. The interviewer asked: Can’t you
become good if you happen to be a tailor, or a teacher or a nurse? She thinks
for a while then nods in agreement and smiles.
3. Family influences
Following cousin sisters- Shahina and Juhi joined BKCK about 3 years ago, but Shahina has
dropped out, while Juni continues. Why?
1. Ms Shahina Khatun, 17 yrs
She comes from a poor family
living on Zhora gali in Muzaffarpur.
Her father paints furniture and does
other odd jobs when he can get it.
She has twelve siblings- 8 brothers
and 5 sisters. Two brothers who got
married have their own expenses

and have separated from the family. Two sisters also have been married.
These two older sisters had had no schooling- like Shahina.
Shahina joined BKCK close to her home sometime in 2002. She feels
benefited by these four years spent in BKCK but has stopped attending it for
last 3 months. She is learning sewing and stitching at home and tries to
contribute a little to the family income by these skills. None of the brothers
are able to earn anything.
It is her mother who has stopped her coming to BKCK. Her logic is:
what next? We will never have money to put you to any school. Another
reason is: mother needs help with household chores and care of young
siblings. Her youngest brother is 1.5 years old. Morning is the time when the
pressure is highest, both on her and her mother; and that is the time when
BKCK runs. Interviewer asks: would your mother let you attend BKCK if it was
conducted in the evening?
She looks thoughtful –and doubtful. Perhaps at 17, her mother would
prefer her to stay at home, living in a slum, as they do, in Muzaffarpur.
Towards the end, she says: Well, I have learned reading Hindi, a little Urdu
too- and I can do my sums- I can read the news paper and the sign on the
bus... What more do I need from a school?
The interviewer has to agree with her; For someone in her situation,
BKCK has given her sufficient skills!
2. Juhi Khatun, 17 yrs
Juhi is cousin sister of Shahina, above. Their mothers are real sisters.
But unlike Shahina, she has continued attending BKCK for last 2 years. She
has 5 brothers and 2 sisters. She is the youngest. She says that she has
learned cross stitch, sewing, literacy and numeracy skills and many other
things from Zayeda Madam in BKCK. One of her brothers goes to Madrasa
(religious school) where monthly fee is Rs 200. He also attends a nearby
government school for free, for secular education.
Her father sells grocery on a hand cart (Theli). Her older brothers too
help him. Juhi also helps her mother with household chores and care of
younger siblings. Still she loves attending BKCK because she likes Zayeda
madam’s approach of treating them with love and respect and making
learning fun. Her family seems to be economically slightly better than her
cousin’s above.
Why have the two families dealt differently with the two girls? Juhi’s
family appears to be more open to change and optimistic about life. Perhaps
they have economic resources too- to send her brother to a paid facility. This
makes them tolerant to Juhi’s request to let her attend BKCK.

Lesson learnt: It will be difficult to retain girls beyond 15-16 years of age in
BKCK. Hence they should be caught as early as possible and taught life skills
at the earliest and in the shortest possible time. This recruitment can be
facilitated by the BKCK girls themselves in their neighborhood, by word of
mouth.
Secondly, girls from very poor and large families will be the first to
drop out from NFE. They will also not join any formal school. Therefore,
teaching them economic skills can be of paramount importance.
4. Magic of early intervention
Sonu is a little child of about four years. He
looks steadily at his hands, neatly folded in his lap.
Speaks when spoken to. But he is quite articulate for
his young age. He speaks clearly and in complete
sentences- often with a clear logic. He has been
attending preNFE (Balwadi) for last two years. In a
little aside, his madam quietly tells the interviewer
that he hails from a Dalit7 community and is miles
ahead of his cohort.
His father, a rickshaw puller, works
irregularly and returns home often drunk. He tends to be violent when he is
drunk. This is what Sonu has told his madam. He has 2 older brothers and 2
sisters. Since he showed unusual intelligence, madam has tried to encourage
his family to send him to Balwadi regularly, in spite of problems. Otherwise
he too would have ended as a rag picker or a street urchin probably.
Towards the end of the interview, Sonu is telling the interviewer the
names of his friends in Balwadi- Chhotu, Shakil, Nanhe, Chunna. He says that
laddu (a sweetmeat) and other things are offered as meals at Balwadi
regularly- he enjoys getting these!
He tells me, somewhat timidly, some of the songs he has learned at
Balwadi- Bada tamatar, Gol gol pani, Machhli jal ki rani hai etc.
This is a child, who probably would not have gone to any school like
his siblings and would have wandered the streets of this slum- but for the
Adithi/Plan Balwadi in this area and Rubiya madam’s extra human interest
and care in spotting the child.
He has been sponsored recently and – surprisingly, he is able to give
me his SC number correctly!
7
Scavengers, sweepers. The term ‘Dalit’ has been preferred by the backward community as a political
identity and literally means ‘the downtrodden’.

Lesson learnt: The qualities appreciated most in VDWs are: treating children
with respect. Children also appreciate it when the relationship with VDW
continues even after they have moved on in life. Last case study emphasizes
what a little extra initiative from a VDW can mean to an exceptional child in
unfavorable circumstances.

Appendices
Tentative work plan: Adithi/Plan ECCD evaluation & Roadmap exercise
Date P. Persons Task Contact
Phone No.
13th Feb
2006
Abhishek Planning session; Presentation by the team;
expectation form the evaluation (Abhishek, Rajesh,
Akhilesh, Rambha, Purnima, Satyendra)
9431039031
14 Feb Akhilesh,
Chanda
Sector 6- center visit, Discussion with lactating
mothers, Center visit of Dular, Anganwadi visit,
meeting with VDC member
9835465369
15th Feb Satyendra,
Rajesh &
Dolly
Sector 1 and 2: center visit, Discussion with lactating
mothers, Anganwadi visit, meeting with VDC
member
9835230934
16th Feb Devjani,
Rambha
Sector 5: center visit, Discussion with lactating
mothers, Center visit of Dular, Anganwadi visit,
meeting with VDC member
Interview with PD
9835064334
17th Feb Akhilesh,
Ketaki
Sector 3 & 4: (Only general visit for Sector 4) center
visit, Discussion with lactating mothers, Center visit
of Dular, Anganwadi visit, meeting with VDC member
9835465369
18th Feb Satyendra,
Pramilla
Sector 7: center visit, Discussion with lactating
mothers, Anganwadi visit, meeting with VDC
member
9835230934
19th Feb
(Sunday)
Discussion with Akhilesh, Meeting with a pediatrician
(doctor)
9835465369
20th Feb Devjani to
organize
with Govt
staff by
17th
Early Debriefing with Program person (ADITHI) and
Govt officers (DPO, CDPO)- (Modalities of
collaboration with Govt)
9835064334
21st Feb Chanda ji
(arrange)
Vaishali (DPO) 06227-
256012,
9431856089
22nd Feb Abhishek TOR of Learning Impact assessment (help with)p;
Interview with Mr Manish
9431439031
23rd Feb Debriefing with Program staff (PD, SDW, VDW); Single
PO evaluations
24th Feb,
2006
Single PO evaluations; Wind up

Checklist
This checklist was adapted form a document8 from Consultative Group on ECCD by
external evaluator and CPME PO, and was used during visits to Creche / Pre NFE:
# Items to check / observe Comment of evaluator
1 Available facilities Comment or YES / NO
1.1 Equipments
1.2 Toilet
1.3 Drinking water
1.4 Safety condition
1.5 Adequate space
1.6 Floor (Kacha / Pacca)
1.7 Kitchen utensils
1.8 Towel
2 Learning Materials
3 Status of children (% of children)
3.1 Without health problem
3.2 Personal hygiene adequate
3.3 Adequate Clothing
3.4 Adequate footwear (ignored in Crèche)
3.5 Physically active
4 Teachers / Status Yes / NO
4.1 Self confident
4.2 Skillful
4.3 Active
4.4 Well organized
4.5 Creative
5 Teachers child interaction Yes / no
5.1 Encourage self expression language skills
5.2 Ask questions / responds
5.3 Affectionate
5.4 Praise / acknowledge behavior
5.5 Conflict Management
5.6 Independent / cooperative play encouraged
6 Number of children registered / present (Give numbers of boys and girls)
6.1 Graduated children in last year (Give numbers of boys and girls)
6.2 Number of children 6.1 attending pre school / Jagjagi/ etc.
6.3 Stock register / daily dairy / Weight register /
immunization register
Give status of the Registers
8
EVALUATION DESIGN: UNICEF/United Nations Development Programme—Socialist Republic of
Vietnam- by Cassie Landers, Consultative Group on Early Childhood Care and Development, June
1994

ECCD Evaluation & Road mapping
(Text of slides shared during debriefing on
22nd Feb 2006 with Adithi/Plan PU team)
Thoughts
Change is the only constant!
Government is the biggest NGO!
Some bees make the hive, others bring the
honey!
What we are going to do today...
Adithi / Plan Crèche/Pre NFE & NFE : what
have we found
5 Y Road map: what should be done over
next 5 years with these crèche and pre NFE
centers
Your Inputs are welcome since this last is a
emerging vision, tentative plan
n
omponent?
e future direction of the
What did we want to know?
What have been the experiences to date in
terms of a SWOT Analysis of the Education
program, focusing on the ECCD c
What will be th
program, in consonance with Plan CSP and CPO and the other major players in the
operational area (Civil Society, State, Other INGOs, etc.)?
How we went about it...
Review of relevant documents (PO etc)
Planning session with team (13th Feb)
Field visits to all the sectors (14-18th Feb)
Discussions with mothers, adolescents, siblings, community members, VDC, AWW, VDW,
SDW & other program staff
SWOT analysis by ‘program’ heads
Observations in crèche/ pre NFE/ NFE & AW (ICDS) centers (participatory process with CPME
Coordinator; used a checklist which was developed together)
How we went about it... (2)
Deeper exploration on
Recall of Training content, utilization (VDW) using picture cards
Community participation (contribution?)
Knowledge about / exchange with AW centers in the area
Attitudes about working with ICDS (SDW, VDW)
Career plans? Ready for change? (VDW)
Guiding principles
• Inclusive?
• Accessible?
• Developmentally appropriate?
• Integrated / holistic?
• Relevant?
• Cost effective?
• Sensitivity (culture, gender etc)?

• Safe & protective?
• Sustainable (role for stakeholders?)
• Promotes child participation?
(NB: These ten principles are derived from a document ‘Working towards achieving quality in
ECCD by Dr. Hoa Phuong Tran. See appendix for details at page 35)
Observations: general
Considerable achievements under all the ten heads
In spite of Difficult terrain, poor roads, flood prone area, systemic problems
CPME coordinator will share strengths and areas for improvement now
Strengths
Most VDWs are trained and skilled (good recall of training inputs; understood what
should be done with children under different circumstances and according to age group
- and why)
Centers are being conducted daily, as expected.
On an average, more than 90% children were active and healthy.
Nutrition is being supplied and served regularly and according to age (very young-
getting milk; older ones were getting semi-solids and solids)
Strengths-2
Awareness regarding Personal hygiene has been generated among mothers and children.
Towels, soap etc is being utilized in Balwadis.
Most VDWs are active and affectionate. Many are well organized and confident in their
work.
Most VDWs are able to work both with children and with mothers in the community
(home visits).
Crèche mother (VDW) has to attend to a limited number of families (about 40) - this
ensures that she is able to contact all families once a week at least.
Strengths-3
Crèche/Pre NFE venue is provided by the community- as their contribution. Adequate in
most cases.
At most places, families are contributing either in cash or kind (Rs 5 or Grains)
VDC is functioning in a transparent fashion. Many VDCs are doing the monitoring. They
are being involved in training too.
SDWs are active, efficient and effective.
Records (Attendance, stock, daily diary, weight, Immunization) are being maintained
properly in most centers.
Areas for improvement
Working weighing machine was found in only 2 centers.
Some centers had no towels or just one towel.
Some centers did not have adequate space for children enrolled.
Sitting arrangement – lack of sitting mat (plastic mats can be cleaned and washed)
Toys were made indigenously just once; when these toys got used up, fresh initiative did
not take place. Many centers did not have toys; some centers had just 3-4 old broken
toys.
Areas for improvement-2
More monitoring and supervision inputs are needed: VDWs are not aware of issues like
follow up of children graduating from their centers; what they were doing subsequently-
joining pre NFE, some school or dropping out. Weighing machine, towels etc have been
requisitioned but not supplied for months. It appears that monitoring and supervision is
not very systematic & responsive at present.

Some VDWs did not know how to maintain stock register; and it appears that supervisor
has not been able to give this specific ‘on the job’ training input to concerned VDW.
Areas for improvement-3
VDWs are not very proactive about getting community participation. Example: In the city,
some families could have given more than Rs 5 as contribution, but it was never tried.
Elsewhere (sector 4), poor families, who refused to pay Rs 5, could have paid Rs 2, if it
was actively promoted and negotiated.
When children do something good, their behavior should be actively acknowledged
through praise etc. This probably is not happening to expected degree. When children do
something questionable, ofcourse they are told that it is unacceptable. The reverse
should also be practiced.
Safety consideration- (sector 4) - scope for improvement is there.
Areas for improvement (Sum up)
Every new initiative needs to be sustained till it becomes standard practice (eg. Indigenous
toy making)
Closer, frequent, supportive supervision & monitoring
More scope for skill building (training, exposure)
Supply & logistics (eg. Space, towels)
Better inter sectoral coordination
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to-
Children
Akhilesh (CPME Coordinator) and others
Kailash (the driver)
VDWs, SDWs, Community, AWWs & others
Adithi / Plan staff

Quality Dimensions
Ensuring Programme Substance
Plan has herein identified ten (10) interrelated and interdependent dimensions of
quality in ECCD which are deemed essential in achieving programme impact.
Operational definitions for each element were likewise laid down to level-off the
understanding of the meaning of each quality dimension and provide a common
reference among stakeholders.
All the ten quality dimensions are equally important. Hence they must be collectively
present and continuously worked at and achieved, in order to create the best
possible environment where children thrive, have the best start in life and reach their
fullest potentials.
While the herein quality parameters are minimum standards that must be
consistently practiced by all countries, efforts must be exerted to adapt these to
local contexts. When necessary, country-specific quality parameters can be added to
better reflect specificities of diverse cultures and settings.
This set of Quality Standards has been put together by Plan Asia’s working group on
ECCD, following the Regional Education Network Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand,
March 2005.
Quality
Dimens
ions
Operational Definitions
1.Inclusive
The ECCD Program reaches out to all children:
Boys and girls
With disabilities and special needs
From indigenous tribes/groups
Of all geographic locations (urban or rural, children internally displaced and are in refugee
camps or evacuation sites)
Of all religious groups, castes, races & economic backgrounds
From hard-to-reach areas
At-risk children (children in single-parent households, severely malnourished,
neglected/abandoned, children with/affected by HIV/AIDS, families with unstable sources of
income, with family members indulging in substance abuse, domestic violence, etc)
Orphans and children from all types of family arrangements (nuclear, extended, same sex &
mixed marriages, etc)
Children born of common law marriage
Children affected by disasters (flood, drought, tsunami, earthquake, famine, fire etc.) and
epidemic

2.Accessible
ECCD services:
Are geographically accessible; not far from a child’s residence
Are readily available & functional
Are managed by trained/competent persons
Are scheduled according to parents’ routine, communities’ events and seasonal calendar
Promote alternative delivery models (i.e. Home-based, use of various media forms for
parenting education)
Parents/caregivers , service providers, relatives and members of the community have access to
a wide array of technology, information and reference materials
Also reach out to older children/ siblings, all members of the family, relatives and all
adults/members of the community
User fees can be in varied forms (cash, labour, in kind/ products) depending on family
circumstances
3.Developmentally-appropriate
Activities/interventions
Are varied and appropriate to the developmental stages/ capacities, needs & interests of
children
Promote use of interactive methodologies and manipulation of concrete objects
Promote the use of play as core learning modality
Treat every child as unique
Indoor & outdoor activities are balanced and properly observed
Focus on self-help and life skills of children as appropriate to their age & socio-cultural
context
Promote the use of the child’s first language & bilingual medium of instruction (where
appropriate)
Health interventions follow the standard health service package appropriate for pre-school age
groups
Use appropriate methodologies to elicit young children’s participation in personal, domestic &
community affairs
Children’s developmental skills are assessed regularly and these are used as basis in designing
and providing interventions
Enable children to exhibit positive effects of the ECCD interventions: age appropriate growth,
improved nutritional status, school-readiness, improved developmental skills
Parents, service providers & community manifest improvement in attitude toward the child and
in child care skills & practices (i.e. increased & meaningful interactions with children, healthy
food preparation & feeding practices, increased knowledge of basic preventive health care &
early child stimulation)

4.Integrated,Holistic
ECCD interventions:
Encompass all the dimensions (physical, mental, social, emotional, spiritual/moral) of child
development; view the child as a whole
Promote multiple intelligences and learning styles as approaches in nurturing the potentials of
children
Include supportive environment to families: livelihood opportunities, improved access to health
services, safe water, proper hygiene and sanitation, etc.
Break traditional notions and views of children
put equal weight on health, nutrition, psycho-social stimulation & early education
Support the well-being of pregnant & lactating mothers, & the unborn
Are integrated with the community’s programs of health, education, water and environmental
sanitation, livelihoods, birth registration, child protection & participation, and local governance
Establish mechanisms for synergy of programmes service providers in the communities
Make community part of the “learning environment” of the child
Attempt to fuse local knowledge and global learning
Are designed always in the context of the child’s family and community
Service providers are multi-skilled (integrated competency on health, nutrition & psycho-social
stimulation)
Have built-in regular monitoring of interventions and program evaluation and results are fully
utilized in planning, designing strategies and policy-making
5.Relevant
ECCD curriculum and capability building interventions & related materials:
Use or relate to the daily experiences of children & families
Promote use of familiar objects and events, and maximizes use of local knowledge, folklores,
games, rhymes and songs
Respond to the developmental needs, issues and interests of children and their families
Enhance school-readiness of children and functional literacy among adults
Provide smooth transition from pre-schools or home-based setting to a more
formal/structured learning setting
Capability building activities for service providers (parents, health workers, day care workers
etc) respond to their identified competency gaps; are continuous, progressively built-up,
comprehensive and with built-in field coaching
Make use of simple presentations of concepts, follow principles of adult & child learning, as
well as draw from trainees’ experiences and contexts
Program indicators and tools are simple, user-friendly, easily managed, clearly defined and
regularly reviewed
Promotes “culture of research/inquiry” and adopts evidence-based programming
6.Cost-effective
ECCD Programmes
Promote the use of locally available resources
Require affordable and reasonable fees from users
Encourage community contributions and cost-sharing schemes with partners
Can be easily replicated and adopted
Require minimal costs and meagre resources, but still provide effective materials and activities
and produce high-impact results
Use proven cost-effective interventions based on empirical studies (e.g. Essential health
package for the survival & development of children 0-6 years old)

7.Culture&Gender-
sensitive
ECCD Programmes:
Are gender sensitive and respectful of the diversity of cultural, historical and contextual
(socio-economic, languages, religion) backgrounds of children/families
Maximize use of positive indigenous values, knowledge, skills and practices on health care &
parenting
Build cultural identity and instill the feeling of cultural pride in children
Challenge cultural & gender barriers to child education
Encourage shared parenting tasks between male & female-parents/caregivers
Promote a curriculum and adult-child interactions that do not reinforce gender stereotyping in
roles, expectations and responsibilities, and which uphold gender-equity
8.Safeandprotective
Location of centres and services is away from hazards (e.g. roads, garbage dumping sites, wells
& other bodies of water, cliff etc), violence, vices and pornographic exposure
Children are made aware of possible risks around them and are protected from abuses of all
forms (physical, emotional, sexual & neglect)
Services are managed by friendly, sensitive and competent staff
Centres are properly ventilated, well-lighted, spacious, regularly maintained, well–equipped
Facilities are appropriate, adequate and ergonomically fit
Centres have adequate supply of first aid kit and basic medicines and are regularly replenished
House/ centre/location are child-proof
ECCD programs promote proper nutrition and health, healthy life skills and lifestyles &
proper/safe food handling
Centres observe ideal worker-children ratio; manageable class size as specified by national or
acceptable standards
Centres have safe physical environment with potable and functional water and sanitation
facilities
Learning environment promotes psycho-emotional security that encourages socialization and
learning
Staff are properly trained and skilled in administering first aid, and responding to emergency
situations (accidents, fire and other calamities, abuse)
Growth monitoring of children is conducted at least every quarter
Early detection and referral of disabilities of any form
Detection of early signs and referral of abuse of any form
Centres have mechanisms for medical/emergency referral & quick responses
Full immunization is provided to children 0-3 years
Exclusive breastfeeding of babies for the first 6 months and appropriate complementary
feeding of infants is promoted
Facilities are friendly to children with disabilities
Service providers are healthy and undergo regular medical check
ECCD centres/sites designated as “zones of peace” (in cases of war-ravaged communities)
ECCD centres provide appropriate post-disaster interventions (i.e. psycho-social support/care
to displaced /separated/ orphaned/ traumatized children & protection measures for children in
relief camps or evacuation centres)

9.Sustainable
ECCD Programmes:
Highlight parents as partners
Build a strong network of stakeholders (children, parents, community members, NGOs,
people’s organizations, International organizations, government and its agencies) with an
established system of technology-sharing, participatory program implementation &
management
Promote participatory processes and encourages the involvement of the whole community in
pushing forward the ECCD agenda.
Build on what the community has (resources, expertise etc)
Have good system of reporting and documentation, utilization and management of
information
Have a defined and functional management structure at all levels
Have mechanisms for sustained resource mobilization, continuous advocacy, effective
information management, technical assistance & policy review & development
Seek to leverage/strengthen existing resources of all stakeholders on a cost-sharing scheme
Are institutionalized; adopted as a priority program of the government and become a regular,
mandated service that enjoys regular budgetary/resource allocation and policy/technical
support
Have sustained staying power and achievement of children in basic education
Have in place mechanisms for scaling-up and mass adoption
10.PromoteChildParticipation
Adults have correct understanding of child development; their parenting skills and practices are
nurturing of children’s evolving capacity of self-expression, of making choices and decisions,
assuming responsibilities and becoming independent persons.
Adults are sensitive to children’s needs & interests, are able to read children’s signals and
provide appropriate responses in a timely manner.
Programmes promote the continuous challenging of and alternatives to traditional views of
children that hampers their meaningful participation (i.e. “children are to be seen not to be
heard”, children as empty slate, use of threats and downgrading actions and words, etc
Children participate in the designing of daily sessions and their views, issues and concerns are
drawn out using appropriate methodologies
Adults do not treat children as miniature adults but as unique individuals who have minds of
their own, who see the world differently and who must be listened to, respected and
appreciated as they are.
Programmes encourage meaningful interactions between adults and children & guides healthy
expression and control of emotions
Programmes encourage children to explore, discover, ask questions, make contributions and
allows children BE

Acknowledgements
Many thanks to children, community, ICDS and Dular functionaries, other
respondents and Adithi/Plan team, particularly-
Dr Rajesh Noah, Head of Program Evaluation, Plan International, for help
in design and valuable feedback
Dr Sangita Jacob for sharing information on Dular/ Unicef
Dr Nalini Abraham for sharing her insights
Mr Manish, Program Coordinator, North India, for sharing historical
insights
Mr M K Upadhyaya, Project Director, Adithi / Plan for facilitation
Abhishek Singh, Programme Coordinator - Learning, for coordinating the
effort
Akhilesh Dubey, CPME Coordinator, for participating on equal footing
Satyendra Chauhan, Binay, Debjani for their valuable inputs
All the SDW for their inputs.
All the VDWs for sharing their work and insights.
Individuals Interviewed
Program coordinator, North India, Plan
Project Director, Program heads, SDWs, VDWs
Three AWW (ICDS), DPO (ICDS)
Two Dular Trainers
Dr Rajesh, a local pediatrician who helps with the medical camps
Mothers of children attending Creche / Pre NFE / AWC
Community / VDC members
External Documents consulted
The case of Dular: success and growth despite the odds : Tamara
Dubowitz, 2004
A Note on Dular - F. James Levinson, March 2003.
National Evaluation - Mahila Samakhya, Bihar, December 2004.

Evaluation Team
Abhishek Singh joined Adithi/Plan one and a half years ago as Programme
Coordinator -Learning. He coordinated and refined the objectives of the
evaluation and steered the consultations on five year road mapping
exercise closely.
Akhilesh Dubey joined Adithi/Plan as CPME Program Officer, 3 months
ago; he developed a checklist to review crèche and Balwadis; He
participated closely in the field appraisals, consultations and
documentation besides managing the logistics of field phase.
Dr Satyendra Srivastava facilitated and guided the process as the external
evaluator. He undertook analysis & documentation, facilitated brain
storming and charting of the road map. He comes from community health
and program management background. He is a freelancer based in
Uttaranchal.
Children Meet...
..They build their houses with sand and
they play with empty shells. With withered
ey weave their boats and smilingly
them on the vast deep. Children have
their play on the seashore of worlds.
worlds
leaves th
float
..On the seashore of endless
c
p
child
in ‘G
hildren meet. Tempest roams in the
athless sky, ships get wrecked in the
trackless water, death is abroad and
ren play. On the seashore of endless
worlds is the great meeting of children.
Tagore
itanjali’

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