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2. Track Records DEC is implementing Early Childhood Care and Development program in three National Regional States (Afar, Amhara and Oromia) and Addis Ababa City Administration. 2.1. Thematic Areas: 2.1.1. Parenting Groups/Reaching Women/SHG: Parents of approximately homogenous age and neighbours, similar in economic status, interest and skills will be organized into SHG to attend parental education and engage in livelihood improvement activities. Supporting the organized parents on holistic Child Care and Development, literacy, economy and skill is the major focus. Series of parenting sessions supported by coffee ceremony at village and centre level is organized to facilitate cooperative learning and experience sharing. This helped the parents to get professional support and also demonstrate their knowledge and skills on Child care and development, literacy, skill and economy to improve their children wellbeing as well as their livelihood. DEC is implementing SHG project as a community managed disaster risk reduction (CMDRR) and mitigation strategy. The project is contributing towards poverty and disaster mitigation for poor women and their families. The four pillars of the PGs/SHG approach are improving parental skills, income/economy, literacy and marketable skills. It also helped the communities to create supportive environment and have a positive attitude towards each other. This is also to enhance communities’ resource managing and mobilization skills in a well organized way to sustain the parenting session’s activities and full functioning of early learning centers after project phase out.
2.1.2. Support Community Managed Early Learning Centers and Government Initiative ‘O’ Class Programm: Establishments of Community Managed Early Learning Centers where children of age 4-6 years old learn through play are the core attention at this thematic area based on the context of the target area. Mobile learning centres are promoted to continuously benefit the children at pastoralist community. The early learning centres are equipped with different cultural, development and age appropriate indoors and outdoors playing games with which the children learn through playing. Besides, there is material as well as capacity development support for government initiative “O” class programs in the intervention districts to equitably address more number of children so that the challenges at transition schools will be reduced. 2.1.3. Transition to Primary schools: Community Managed Early Learning Centers are linked to the nearby primary schools where children at the centers are expected to join these primary schools. The early grade primary school teachers capacitated with series of trainings on child center teaching approaches, counseling and creative supportive learning environment. Schools are supported with different playing and learning materials to promote child center learning and playing methods. The schools are also introduced with the concept of child care and development to welcome the children. Mobile reading centers are promoted to improve the reading habits and literacy level of the children. This also created children with access to library during their out of school time. 2.1.4. Collaboration and networking: This includes closely working with relevant government stakeholders and their lines share departments at all levels, Communities, Community Based organizations, Faith Based Organizations and other Civil Society Organizations to practically influence so that the approaches and techniques of DEC’s ECCD program implementing is well supported and replicated.
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