The mounting body of evidence that early childhood intervention can result in substantial future gains has prompted many nations to incorporate early interventions into their national and regional development agendas. There is rising interest in nonformal models of education and care; and therefore, not surprising to find programs based on the nonformal community development model operating in India (Integrated Child Development Services), Colombia (the hogares communitarios, or home-based day care centers), Kenya (the Harambees, or "Let's Pull Together" movement), Brazil (creches communitarias, or community nurseries), Jamaica (the Community Study program, or backyard nurseries), the United Kingdom (Playground Movement), and Venezuela (the hogares de cuidado diario, or home day care program).
ECD projects address children's needs in the context of their communities' needs and resources. Because differences in culture and economic environments make it impossible to rely on just one approach in early child development, it is important to identify a range of effective models rather than emphasize a single program model. A community's first priority might be to provide child care to enable mothers to work, suggesting the need to deliver direct services to children in formal or informal care settings. Another community might not share the need for day care but still needs to improve children's development, suggesting the use of a parent or teacher education program. Project design usually focuses on one of the following approaches to promote children's physical and mental development:
- Delivering Services to Children
- Training Teachers
- Educating Parents
- Educating Through the Mass Media
To encourage the success and sustainability of these approaches, they need to be coupled with efforts to promote community involvement, strengthen national resources, promote public awareness and demand, develop supportive legal frameworks, and develop national child care and family policies.
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