Play-Based Early Learning for Children 3-6 Years Among the Marginalized Communities

Early Start Africa works with parents, teachers and communities to mobilize children’s access to quality early learning at the earliest recommended age. We advocate for families to play and communicate with their children from conception to birth and until they are ready to transition from home to school. Considering we focus on underserved communities, we assess to identify children from highly challenged backgrounds that need support for tuition and place them in our learning centres and some in institutions that meet our standards in areas where we do not have centres. We supplement our outreach with mobile early learning library that promotes literacy with a collection of age appropriate books on a rotational basis.

Our early childhood programs are holistic with broad attention on parenting, nutrition, play-based learning and inclusion. Our mantra is “every child regardless of their contexts”. No child should be left behind. At the advocacy level, we work with county and national government to define quality and innovate around cost-effective quality early learning. We also advocate for program designs that respond to the community’s needs, parents’ circumstances while delivering unquestionable competency-based education integrated with intentionally proven pedagogies.

Our children have access to two nutritious meals every day of school ensuring that they are ready to learn and healthy. Our parenting engagement initiatives are aimed at building the capacity of parents and grandparents to supporting children education at the earliest opportune. We support and encourage parent-livelihood activities and link them with empowerment opportunities to ensure they can afford meals for their children, medical care and tuition.

Early Start Africa is also a lead organization in the promotion of play by being a voice for protection of public play spaces within communities, integration of play in curriculum and teacher training aimed at enhancing play. We have hosted, together with other partners, including UNICEF, the International Day of Play for the last three years and intend to continue doing so in the coming days. We currently work in Nairobi, Kiambu, Kajiado, Nakuru and Marsabit counties with plans to expand to five other counties in the next 3 years. Our work model is built on partnership with communities, like-minded organizations and governments ministries.