Worksheet Defining ECE

Tool 1.3: Worksheet

Defining ‘Pre-Primary’ or ‘Early Childhood’ Education in Your Country Context

Use the worksheet to define the subsector in your country context.

This worksheet may be useful as a focus for a TWG meeting or as a discussion guide with other bodies, leading to a summary of the way or ways that pre-primary or early childhood education is defined in your country. It will also anchor the definition of subsector vision and priorities, and ultimately inform how to frame and define ECE/PPE in your Education Sector Analysis and Education Sector Plan. Having consensus on the definition will also help determine how ECE should be implemented and captured in results frameworks for monitoring over time.

If you wish to use the online format of the tools, you may create an account to save your progress and return to the tool at a later time. You can create an account by clicking on the login icon at the top of the page.

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Subsector Name

1.1 Is there one widely used name for the subsector in your country?

Yes

No

If there is no name for the PPE/ECE subsector, you may wish to make one responsibility of the ECE TWG to discuss this issue, brainstorm and propose different names. A consultative process should be followed across levels of the education system (national to school level) and across partners and relevant sectors to arrive at a consensus. If there are different names, please see Question 1.3.

1.2 If Yes, what is that name?

Pre-Primary Education (PPE)

Early Childhood Education (ECE)

Preschool Education

Kindergarten

Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE)

Early Childhood Care Development and Education (ECDE)

Other

1.3 If different names for the subsector are used by different groups, which names are used by which groups (such as government ministries, private program providers, etc.)?

Subsector Name	Group(s) Using this Name
Pre-Primary Education (PPE)
Early Childhood Education (ECE)
Preschool Education
Kindergarten
Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE)
Early Childhood Care Development and Education (ECDE)
Other

Possible Next Steps

Using this worksheet for reflection may lead to ideas for next steps in clarifying your subsector’s definition, scope of services, and implementation as defined.

These will vary, of course, depending on the results of your reflection. In addition to recommendations based on using the worksheet, for example, you may reflect on the broad contextual considerations and suggestions below:

If your country has several different definitions of the subsector, perhaps:

Make one responsibility of the ECE TWG to discuss varying definitions and attempt consensus. The definition(s) could be validated through a consultative process across levels of the education system (national to school level), across partner types (development partners, civil society, academia), and across sectors that coordinate with the education sector and ECE subsector.
Make recommendations in your ESA and in the corresponding ESP and subsector plan to address inconsistent or conflicting definitions through government policy/legislation/directives.

If there are discrepancies between the definition of the subsector (including services) and subsector implementation, perhaps:

Use this information to shape aspects of your situation analysis and plan’s strategies and activities:

For example, to ensure that the full age range as defined in government policy will be covered by both government and civil society providers, or that special populations currently overlooked are included in reformed national policy and normative documents.
Additionally, use this to identify if monitoring and accountability mechanisms need to be strengthened to report disaggregated data per service type, age receiving the service, service provider, and data on vulnerability characteristics, such as ethnic or linguistically diverse groups, immigrants, refugees, and children with disabilities.

If there seem to be groups that currently lack understanding of the subsector’s scope and characteristics, perhaps:

Consider including in your plan targeted communication and advocacy strategies about the definition of ECE, services included, and importance of the subsector as defined, using state-of-the-art international and national evidence.
Also include strategies to expand understanding of how the ECE subsector coordinates within the education sector, across sectors (e.g. protection, health) and actors (i.e. humanitarian or disaster coordination bodies), across governance levels (national - community level).

If the PPE/ECE definition does not explain how the subsector is connected with broader multisectoral ECD (Early Childhood Development) efforts, as well as with the Education sector, perhaps:

Propose in your subsector plan strategies to emphasize these connections in the continuum of development (such as graphic representations)
Convene stakeholders from ECD and Education to reflect on the linkages with PPE/ECE and the benefits of such linkages for children’s holistic development and learning. Such a convening might include high- and technical level stakeholders from multisectoral ECD groups and/or coordinating bodies and the Education Sector. The convening may help showcase how PPE/ECE fits within multisectoral and education sector efforts and priorities yet also requires an ECE-specific technical working group (TWG) part of the broader ECD group with a distinct mandate and with the goal to expand quality, accessible, and equitable PPE/ECE.

Tool 1.3: Worksheet

Information message

Possible Next Steps

Download the tool