Test: Education & Leadership (Early Childhood Care and Education) - Software Development MCQ

The term ECCE comprises of three key terms:- ‘Early Childhood’, ‘Care’, and ‘Education’. Early childhood is the period from birth to six years.

• According to the National Policy on ECCE, 2013, there are three sub-stages of early years, each with its own age-specific developmental priorities. These sub-stages are: (a) conception to birth (b) birth to three years and (c) three to six years. 
• By ‘Care’ we mean providing love and affection and ensuring a healthy, hygienic, protective and stimulating environment for all children. ‘Education’ is a process of acquiring knowledge, skills, attitudes and values through exploration, experimentation, observation, participation and interaction.
• All such experiences help children learn more about themselves and the world around them. Thus, ECCE refers to providing care including health and nutrition as well as early learning opportunities to all young children.

Broad objectives of the Early Childhood Care and Education programme are to:

• Ensure each child is valued, respected, feels safe and secure and develops a positive self-concept
• Enable a sound foundation for physical and motor development of each child- as per each child’s potential
• Imbibe good nutrition routines, health habits, hygiene practices and self-help skills
• Enable children for effective communication and foster both receptive and expressive language
• Promote development and integration of the senses
• Stimulate intellectual curiosity and develop a conceptual understanding of the world around by providing opportunities to explore, investigate and experiment
• Enhance development of pro-social skills, social competence and emotional well being
• Develop a sense of aesthetic appreciation and stimulate creative learning processes.
• Imbibe culturally and developmentally appropriate behaviour and core human values of respect and love for fellow human beings.
• Enable a smooth transition from home to ECCE centre to formal schooling
• Enhance scope for overall personality development 

Hence, we conclude that all the above points are objectives of ECCE.

Additional Information

ECCE is an integrated programme consisting of various components which together contribute to the development and wellbeing of children. These are: 

• Health, Nutrition and Hygiene
• Care and Protection
• Early Stimulation
• Early Learning 

The aim of Early Childhood Care and Education is to facilitate the optimum development of the child’s full potential and lay the foundation for all-around development and lifelong learning. While parents and home have the main responsibility for the welfare of the child, a strong partnership between the community and the ECCE centers is important for the well-being of the child and in achieving the following objectives.

Key Points

• A National Curricular and Pedagogical Framework for early childhood education for children up to the age of 8 will be developed by NCERT, in two parts, namely, a sub-framework for 0-3 years, and a sub-framework for 3-8 years.
• The overall aim of ECCE will be to attain optimal outcomes in the domains of physical and motor development, cognitive development, socio-emotional-ethical development, cultural/artistic development, and the development of communication and early language, literacy, and numeracy.
• Enable a sound foundation for the physical and motor development of each child- as per each child’s potential
• Imbibe good nutrition routines, health habits, hygiene practices, and self-help skills
• Enable children to effectively communicate and foster both receptive and expressive language
• Promote the development and integration of the senses
• Enhance the development of pro-social skills, social competence, and emotional well-being.
• Develop a sense of aesthetic appreciation and stimulate creative learning processes.

Thus, it is concluded that NCERT developed the National Curricular and Pedagogical Framework for ECCE.

The National Education Policy 2020 proposed various reforms in school education as well as higher education including technical education that has to be adopted by all educational institutions.

Key Points The ECCE program needs to be determined by children’s developmental and contextual needs, providing for more need-based inputs and an enabling environment.

• Ensuring quality ECCE - early childhood care and education for all children between 3-6 years.
• It was believed that a common ‘curriculum’ would not be appropriate for all.
• It comprises details of the goals for different domains of development, i.e. physical, language, cognitive, socio-emotional, creative, and aesthetic appreciation, to be fostered to ensure holistic development of children under six years.​

Hence we can say that the full form of ECCE is Early Childhood Care and Education.

Additional Information Other reforms of NEP 2020 include -

• Equitable and inclusive education - Special emphasis is given to Socially and Economically Disadvantaged  Groups (SDGs).
• Ensuring Universal Access at All Levels of schooling from pre-primary school to Grade 12.
• New Curricular and Pedagogical Structure (5+3+3+4).
• Setting up of State School Standards Authority (SSSA).

The first six years of life are critical years of human life since the rate of development in these years is more rapid than at any other stage of development. Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) makes a positive contribution to children’s long-term development and learning by facilitating an enabling and stimulating environment in these foundation stages of lifelong learning. 

Important Points

• The National ECCE Policy visualizes nurturance and promotion of holistic development and active learning capacity of all children below 6 years of age by promoting free, universal, inclusive, equitable, joyful, and contextualized opportunities for laying the foundation and attaining full potential.
• The vision for an Indian child reflects our beliefs about children and childhood and what is possible and desirable for human life at the individual and societal levels. While putting forward a shared image of a child, full of potential, it is accepted that children differ in their strengths and capabilities, there is diversity in views about childhood and children, and that not all children have the same opportunities to develop their potential. 
• It views children as happy, healthy, and confident; each child with a unique identity, grounded in their individual strengths and capacities; and with respect for their unique social, linguistic, and cultural heritage and diversity.

Thus, it is concluded that the ‘National Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Policy aims to promote optimal development and active learning capacity of children below six years of age.

This Framework is firmly focussed on the needs of the child and should lead to improved child care and a developmentally appropriate environment for children, leading to a positive impact on the quality of learning and increased attainment of learning outcomes for children participating in ECCE programs. 

Important Points

The National ECCE Curriculum Framework comprises broadly three sections.

• Section I consists of an introduction, vision for an Indian child, rationale, and theoretical foundation for ECCE. The objectives of early childhood education; pedagogical bases and principles of early learning are laid out.
• Section II comprises details of the goals for different domains of development, i.e. physical, language, cognitive, socio-emotional, and creative and aesthetic appreciation, to be fostered to ensure holistic development of children under six years. It comprises suggested developmentally appropriate practices for different age groups.
• Section III focuses on implementation details such as principles of program planning, stages of program planning, the role of parents and caregivers/ECCE teachers, essential play materials and assessment procedure, etc. 

Hence, we can conclude that the National ECCE Curriculum Framework comprises broadly three sections.

The term ECCE comprises of three key terms:- ‘Early Childhood’, ‘Care’, and ‘Education’. Early childhood is the period from birth to six years. The importance of ECCE has been recognized globally as well. It started in 1989 with the 'United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child' (UNCRC) which is an international agreement for child rights. It intended to protect and promote the wellbeing of children in terms of their survival, health, education and protection.

Key Points The 'World Conference on Education for All' held in Jomtien, Thailand in 1990 emphasized that ‘learning begins at birth’ and promoted early care and education as a must that needs to be provided through the involvement of families and communities. 

• In addition, the 'World Education Forum' held in Dakar, Senegal in April 2000 also reiterated the importance of ECCE. It reaffirmed that education is a fundamental human right, and set objectives for achieving 'Education For All' (EFA) goals to ensure basic education for all children.
• 'World Education Forum' held in 2015 at Incheon, Republic of Korea, set up the goal for sustainable development recognizing the important role of education as a main driver of development by 2030. The Sustainable Development Goal 4 targets that, “by 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education, so that they are ready for primary education”.

Hence, we conclude that for the first time, in the global context, the ECCE got recognition with ​United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development formulated a comprehensive training strategy for different functionaries of ICDS such as Anganwadi Workers, Supervisors, Child Development Project Officers, Medical Officers, Paramedical Staff, etc.

Important Points

The ECCE functionary who provides ICDS services at Anganwadi Centre is known as Anganwadi Worker.

• Services in the Anganwadi center, which runs with the help of the Anganwadi worker.
• The Anganwadi worker assists the health functionaries in the coverage of the target population for immunization.
• She helps in the organization of fixed day immunization sessions, which now have become "Mother-Child Protection Days".
• She maintains immunization records of ICDS beneficiaries and follows up to ensure full coverage. 
• The Anganwadi worker is assisted by a helper in the implementation of the program.
• The activities at the center are supervised by a supervisor who reports to the Child Development Project Officer who is overall in charge of the implementation of the program in the community development block.

Hence, we can conclude that The ECCE functionary who provides ICDS services at Anganwadi Centre is known as Anganwadi Worker.

National Education Policy 2020 (ECCE)

The overarching goal will be to ensure universal access to high-quality ECCE across the country in a phased manner. Special attention and priority will be given to districts and locations that are particularly socio-economically disadvantaged.

Key Points

ECCE shall be delivered through a significantly expanded and strengthened system of early-childhood education institutions consisting of

• Standalone Anganwadis;
• Anganwadis co-located with primary schools;
• Pre-primary schools/sections covering at least age 3 to 6 years co-located with existing primary schools; and
• Stand-alone pre-schools - all of which would recruit workers/teachers specially trained in the curriculum and pedagogy of ECCE.

Hence, we can conclude that both statements are true.

Key Points

Early Childhood Care & Education with  new Curricular and Pedagogical Structure: 

• With an emphasis on Early Childhood Care and Education, the 10+2 structure of school curricula is to be replaced by a 5+3+3+4 curricular structure corresponding to ages 3-8, 8-11, 11-14, and 14-18 years respectively.  
• This will bring the hitherto uncovered age group of 3-6 years under the school curriculum, which has been recognized globally as the crucial stage for the development of the mental faculties of a child.
• The new system will have 12 years of schooling with three years of Anganwadi/ pre-schooling.
• NCERT will develop a National Curricular and Pedagogical Framework for Early Childhood Care and Education (NCPFECCE) for children up to the age of 8 .
• ECCE will be delivered through a significantly expanded and strengthened system of institutions including Anganwadis and pre-schools that will have teachers and Anganwadi workers trained in the ECCE pedagogy and curriculum.
• The planning and implementation of ECCE will be carried out jointly by the Ministries of HRD, Women and Child Development (WCD), Health and Family Welfare (HFW), and Tribal Affairs.

Hence, a 5+3+3+4 curricular structure will be the correct answer.

Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme: The scheme was launched on 2nd October 1975. The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme is one of the flagship programs of the Government of India and represents one of the world’s largest and unique programs for early childhood care and development.

Important Points

In the government sector, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) is the world‟s largest program imparting ECCE. 

Key Points

• Objectives of the scheme-
  • Improvement in the health and nutritional status of children 0-6 years and pregnant and lactating mothers.
  • Reduction in the incidence of their mortality and school drop out.
  • Provision of a firm foundation for proper psychological, physical and social development of the child.
  • Enhancement of the maternal education and capacity to look after her own health and nutrition and that of her family.
  • Effective co-ordination of the policy and implementation among various departments and programs aimed to promote child development.
• Beneficiaries are- 
  • Children 0-6 years
  • Pregnant and Lactating mothers
  • Women 15 - 44 years 

Hence, we can conclude that the largest government-run program for Early Childhood Care and Education is Integrated Child Development Services Scheme.

Additional Information

• The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), the latest of all such programs, subsumes the strategies and programs, aimed at achieving universal elementary education of eight years.
• Rajiv Gandhi National Crèche Scheme for the Children of Working Mothers which provides daycare facilities to the children in the age group of 0-6 years from families with a monthly income of less than Rs. 12,000/-
• Meal Programme (MDM) is also called the school lunch or school meal program. As the name indicates, the children attending elementary sections of schools are the chief beneficiaries. 

Education is fundamental for achieving full human potential, developing an equitable and just society, and promoting national development. The National Education Policy emphasizes the development of each individual's creative potential, in all its richness and complexity.

• It is based on the principle that education must develop not only cognitive skills - both ‘foundational skills’ of literacy and numeracy and ‘higher-order’ cognitive skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving – but also social and emotional skills - also referred to as ‘soft skills’ - including cultural awareness and empathy, perseverance and grit, teamwork, leadership, communication, among others.

Key Points 

• The rest of the policy will be largely irrelevant for such a large portion of our students if this most basic learning (reading, writing, and arithmetic at the foundational level) is not first achieved.” 
• The national FLN Mission is an important step of the Government of India towards ensuring that our children attain literacy and numeracy skills by Class III.
• There is a set deadline of 2026-27 to achieve Foundational Literacy Numeracy Mission targets.
• For this, the learning outcomes have been defined for six years in a continuum in six levels from Preschool to grade 3 (3-9 years).
• It has also set the ‘Lakshya’ (targets) for each class from Balvatika onwards.
• The mission guidelines recommend shifting towards competency-based education and using school-based assessment for providing continuous guidance to teachers.  

Thus, is concluded that in the 2026-2027 year, the FLN (Foundational Literacy and Numeracy) must be achieved.

DIKSHA (Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing) is a national platform for school education, an initiative of the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT), under the Ministry of Education (MoE). It was launched in 2017 by the Honourable Vice President of India Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu. 

Key Points

• The Committee observed that a large proportion of the students currently enrolled in elementary school (over five crores) have not attained foundational literacy and numeracy (the ability to read and understand the basic text and carry out basic addition and subtraction).
• It recommends that every student should attain foundational literacy and numeracy by grade three.  
• To achieve this goal, a National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy will be set up under the MHRD. 
• All state governments must prepare implementation plans to achieve these goals by 2025. 
• A national repository of high-quality resources on foundational literacy and numeracy will be made available on the government’s e-learning platform (DIKSHA). 
• DIKSHA has been adopted by almost all the States, Union Territories, and central autonomous bodies/boards including CBSE. 
• During the pandemic, the massive teacher’s professional development program NISHTHA 1.0 (National Initiatives for School Heads and Teacher’s Holistic Advancement) for Elementary grades was launched online through DIKSHA.

Thus, it is concluded that the national repository of high-quality resources on foundational literacy and numeracy will be  DIKSHA.

National Education Policy is the first education policy of the 21st century and aims to address the many growing developmental imperatives of this country. This Policy proposes the revision and revamping of all aspects of the education structure, including its regulation and governance, to create a new system that is aligned with the aspirational goals of 21st-century education, while remaining consistent with India’s traditions and value systems.

• The National Education Policy emphasizes the development of each individual's creative potential, in all its richness and complexity.

Key Points

The National Education Policy 2020 has set an ambitious goal of achieving universal foundational literacy and numeracy for primary school children by 2025. This means that by the time children reach grade 3, they will be able to read a grade 3 language textbook and attain essential addition and subtraction skills.

• Attaining foundational literacy and numeracy for all children must receive urgent national attention, with immediate measures to be taken on many fronts and with clear goals that will be attained in the short term (including that every student must achieve foundational literacy and numeracy by Grade 3).
• The very highest priority of the education system will be to achieve universal foundational literacy and numeracy in primary school and beyond by 2025.
• If we specifically talk about  Universal foundation numeracy then the first objective of NEP 2020 to achieve Universal foundation numeracy by 2025 is to achieve build the Number sense in children.
• The rest of this Policy will be largely irrelevant for such a large portion of our students if this most basic learning requirement (i.e., reading, writing, and arithmetic at the foundational level) is not first achieved.
• To this end, all State/UT governments will immediately prepare an implementation plan for attaining universal foundational literacy and numeracy in all primary and middle schools, identifying stage-wise targets and goals to be achieved by 2025, and closely tracking and monitoring the progress of the same.

Thus, it is concluded that the first objective of NEP 2020 to achieve Universal foundation numeracy by 2025 is number sense.    

FLN refers to FOUNDATIONAL LITERACY AND NUMERACY which is the highest priority of National Education Policy 2020. The National Education Policy 2020 states that “Our highest priority must be to achieve universal foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) in primary school and beyond by 2025.

Key Points

The Education system aims to achieve Foundational Literacy and Numeracy by 2026-27, where, by Grade 3 every child can Read with Comprehension, Write, Basic Mathematical Operations, and Learn basic life skills.

• The program will be implemented in mission mode, with the use and strengthening of the existing mainstream structures.
• The Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education (MoE) will be the implementing agency at the national level and will be headed by a Mission Director.
• A National Book Promotion Policy will be launched for the achievement of foundational Literacy and Numeracy.
• The pre-existing knowledge of the language helps in building literacy skills in languages. The key components in Foundational Language and Literacy are Oral Language Development, deciphering written words, Reading Fluency, Reading Comprehension, and competencies of writing.
• Foundational Numeracy means the ability to reason and to apply simple numerical concepts in daily life problem-solving. The major aspects and components of early mathematics are Pre-number concepts, Numbers and operations on numbers, space, and spatial understanding and measurement skills.

Hence, we conclude that the National Book Promotion Policy was recommended by NEP 2020 for FLN achievement.

FLN refers to Foundational Literacy and Numeracy launched under the National Education Policy 2020. The “Foundational Literacy and Numeracy is a Pre-requisite to Learning and ECCE”.

Key Points

• The NEP had recommended a 3-month play-based School Preparatory Module (SPM) developed by NCERT.
• The teachers need to focus on reading first and foremost.
• It recommended the pupil-teacher ratio for the primary level as 30:1 for more focus on each child.
• The three developmental goals of FLN are for children to maintain good health and well-being; children become effective communicators and children become involved learners and connect with their immediate environment.
• FLN Framework in NIPUN Bharat Guidelines stated that the holistic development of children encompasses: good health and well-being, effective communication, and connecting with the immediate environment.

Hence we conclude that the pupil-teacher ratio for the primary level is 30:1.

Pedagogy relates to the “how”, or practice of educating. It refers to the interactive process between teacher and learner and the learning environment”.

Key Points

• The interactions between learner and teacher and the experiences of the learners are one of the most significant factors explaining the effects of care and early education on children’s learning and development.
• Pedagogy must remain child-centered, and developmentally appropriate, with an emphasis on play-based learning.
• Play-based learning is found to be a highly effective method in enhancing children’s socio-emotional and academic development.
• The play has been found to mostly contribute to a child’s development when it is regarded as meaningful, i.e. has the explicit purpose to teach a child something such as a puzzle or constructional materials.
• Research indicates that unguided free play is often less effective in stimulating early learning as compared to guided free space. 
• Implementing a child-centered pedagogy, combined with specific teacher-managed activities and a high level of assistance, stimulates the development of academic skills such as numeracy and literacy, and children also demonstrate higher levels of well-being and motivation to learn.

Hence, we conclude that the Playway method is the best pedagogical process in early literacy.

Recognizing the importance of early learning, the National Education Policy 2020 states that “Our highest priority must be to achieve universal foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) in primary school and beyond by 2025.

Key Points

• According to FLN, about 85 % of the cumulative brain develops at 6 years of age, so it is important to provide the child with a stimulating environment for the development of literacy and numeracy.
• NEP-2020 has recommended the development of a „3-month play-based „school preparation module‟ for all Grade 1 Students‟ by the NCERT, as an interim measure to ensure that all children are in school ready till universal provisioning of quality preschool education is achieved.
• A School Preparation Module (SPM) is essentially around 12 weeks of developmentally appropriate instruction at the beginning of Class I designed to bolster a child‟s pre-literacy, pre-numeracy, cognitive and social skills. 
• This module would consist of activities and workbooks around the learning of alphabets, sounds, words, colors, shapes, and numbers, and involving collaborations with peers and parents.

Hence we conclude that according to FLN, 85% of a child's brain develops before the age of 6.

The National Education Policy 2020 aims to launch the NIPUN Bharat program to ensure Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) which states that “Our highest priority must be to achieve universal foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) in primary school and beyond by 2025.

Key Points

• Pedagogy according to FLN means to lead the child.
• The Education system aims to achieve Foundational Literacy and Numeracy by 2026-27, where, by Grade 3 every child can Read with Comprehension Write Basic Mathematical Operations Learn basic life skills.
• It aims to create an enabling environment to ensure the universal acquisition of foundational literacy and numeracy.
• To achieve the goals of NLM
  • Emphasis on Child-Centred Pedagogy
  • Emphasis on interactive classroom including authentic, appropriate, and accessible toys and materials.
  • Toy-based pedagogy
  • Activity-based/ experiential learning
  • Play-based
  • Art-integrated/sport-integrated
  • Story-telling-based and ICT-integrated learning

Hence we conclude that Pedagogy according to FLN means to lead the child.

Early Childhood Education (also known as pre-primary or preschool education) traditionally refers to the education of children aged three to six years before entering the formal school setup.

Key Points

• NEP 2020 prescribed five years of the foundational stage of education from which 3 years of education include preschool or early childcare education and 2 years of early primary education which includes classes 1 and 2.
• It also suggests that there should be continuity between the ECE curriculum and Grade 1 and 2 curricula.
• The three years of pre-schooling is made mandatory to ensure Foundational Literacy and Numeracy among children.
• The highest priority of school education will be “Universal acquisition of Foundational learning skills by Grade 3.
• Foundational Literacy means the ability to read and write and comprehend. The key components in Foundational Language and Literacy are Oral Language Development, deciphering written words, Reading Fluency, Reading Comprehension, and competencies of writing.
• Foundational Numeracy means the ability to reason and to apply simple numerical concepts in daily life problem-solving. The major aspects and components of early mathematics are Pre-number concepts, Numbers and operations on numbers, space, and spatial understanding and measurement skills.

Hence, we conclude that 3 years of pre-schooling is mandatory for children according to NEP 2020.

National Curriculum Framework for the Foundational Stage (NCF), on behalf of the National Steering Committee for National Curriculum Frameworks, submits its report to Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Hon’ble Minister of Education, Government of India. To ensure that this NCF is responsive to the needs and aspirations of our people, and the nation, and is also informed by the very best experience and knowledge, we have conducted widespread consultations across the country.

Key Points 

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is a transformative initiative to usher India to prepare itself to meet the challenging demands of a 21st-century knowledge society.

• The NCF is one of the key components of NEP 2020, that enables and energizes this transformation, informed by the aims, principles, and approach of NEP 2020.
• Its objective is to realize the highest quality education for all our children, consistent with realizing an equitable, inclusive, and plural society as envisaged by our Constitution.
• This is the first-ever integrated Curriculum Framework for children between ages 3-8 in India.
• It is a direct outcome of the 5+3+3+4 ‘curricular and pedagogical structure that NEP 2020 has come out with for School Education.
• The Foundational Stage envisions an integrated approach to Early Childhood Care and Education; for children between ages 3-8.
• The transformative nature of this phase of education is expected to qualitatively improve the contents and outcomes of education, thereby, impacting the lives of our children toward a better future.
• All studies and research related to the early period of development of a child unambiguously lead to the conclusion that high-quality care and education during this period has a lifetime of positive consequences for all individuals and thus, the nation.

Thus, it is concluded that 3-8 years is the exact age of the foundational stage.