Rethinking Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE)

India’s silent but severe employment crisis is rooted not just in the lack of jobs, but in the lottery of birth that disadvantages millions of children from the outset. The lottery of birth refers to the idea that a child’s future is largely shaped by the circumstances into which they are born, such as family income, geographical location, caste, gender or religion, access to health, nutrition and education. These are factors beyond the child’s control but can determine their opportunities , development , and life out comes. So meticulous planning and investment on early childhood education with active cooperation from parents will support young children in learning better.

Access to basic needs early on: A child born into poverty lacks access to adequate nutrition, healthcare and early learning, which are essential for cognitive and physical development. For example a child born in a poor rural household may suffer from malnutrition and poor school readiness, thereby limiting his long term potential.

Creates early learning and earning gaps: By age 5, differences in language, numeracy and motivation are already visible, making it harder for disadvantaged children to catch up in school and later in life. For example only 15% of pre-primary children could match basic objects and only 30% could identify larger and smaller numbers, indicating early learning gaps.

Perpetuates intergenerational poverty: Children born into poverty often remain trapped in low- opportunity environments, repeating the cycle into adulthood due to limited human capital development . Without quality early education , a poor child is far less likely to complete schooling or access skilled employment, thus continuing the poverty cycle.

India faces a critical gap in work place readiness despite producing over a crore graduates annually, highlighting the urgent need to prioritize early childhood education. Research indicates that investments in early learning yield significant returns, yet many disadvantaged children start school with weak foundations. UNESCO warns that 37% of children globally will lack basic reading skills by 2030 , underscoring an urgent need to prioritize early learning. For India , with its vast working –age population, bridging this gap is critical to harnessing its demographic dividend.

The science of early investment: Neuroscience and economics agree – the first six years shape cognitive, emotional and social capabilities of children. Nobel laureate James Heckman’s research shows that investments in early childhood programs yield the highest returns on investment –as high as 13%, driven by lasting gains manifested through improved education , health and employability .

Skills beget skills-early nurturing builds the foundation for future learning. Yet , children from disadvantaged backgrounds often enter school with limited opportunities and therefore weak foundations , perpetuating cycles of inequality . By the time they reach grade 3, many struggle to keep up , highlighting the need for early stimulation and quality care from birth for children to thrive.

NEP2020 and ECCE: The NEP 2020 has introduced significant changes in India’s educational Landscape , particularly in ECCE. Historically Government schools started admitting children only from grade 1^st, leading to inequality. The NEP 2020 aims to address this by introducing preschool classes for children aged 3-6 years in government schools, previously served by Anganwadis only. The NEP plans to universalize ECCE by 2020.The existing 14 lakh Anganwadi centres will expand the introduction of three pre-school classes ( Balvatika 1, 2 and 3) in government schools. The NEP 2020 strongly believes in avoiding schoolification and maintain play as a central element of pre-school education. The NEP 2020 has sown the seeds for a transformative change in India’s ECCE frame work, emphasizing focus, and age-appropriate care. However, successful implementation depends on addressing practical challenges and ensuring adequate resource allocation.

Role of Anganwadi centers in early childhood care education: The year 2025 marks fifty years of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), the government of India’s largest programme for comprehensive services for children under 6 years through Anganwadis under the Ministry of Women and Child Development. This milestone calls for a renewed emphasis on strengthening Anganwadis and advancing the vision of Poshan bhi Padhai bhi. The reality, however, is the Poshan bhi domain has been taken care of by the Anganwadi centers but the Padhai bhi section has been neglected and has therefore created a learning vacuum in children enrolled in Anganwadi centers. At the very onset, this requires a systemic, long term, and well planned investment in capacity building of Anganwadi workers and helpers. Bite-sized, hands-on professional development of frontline workers, along with a network of support, can go a long way in making Anganwadi centers hubs of play, learning and nutrition for young children.

Re-designing pedagogy at the pre-primary level: The traditional pedagogical approach wouldn’t meaningfully engage the learner in the Balvatika classes. The teacher has to be versatile in innovating new pedagogical tools and deeply get connected with his learners and become centre of attraction in the classroom to ensure students remain glued to him. There is dire need of recruiting teachers with specialization in ECCE at the pre-primary level. There are innumerable success stories were in teachers have carved a niche for themselves in being versatile kindergarten educators of highest pedigree. Tariq Manzoor Khan of GMS New Colony Pulwama has made a name for himself by his innovative teaching techniques and is reckoned as a great teaching professional in teaching community.

His kindergarten class has more than 127 students. Like wise Rehanna Quassar, master of a government middle in Budgam has brought laurels to the education department of Jammu and Kashmir at the national level by bagging the best leadership award in new Delhi in 2025. She received this award for doing exemplary work in revolutionizing the kindergarten section by investing in FLN driven NIPUN Bharat initiative. Recently an NEP Conclave was held at SKICC Srinagar and the kindergarten students from her school had one on one interaction with CM Omar Abdullah. Grounded in child development theories, the approach needs to focus on planning and implementing ECCE centred around play, hands-on learning and appropriate use of teaching learning material to support child’s growth.

Way forward: UNESCO’s 2024 report emphasizes investing in high quality early interventions. While initiatives like NIPUN Bharat have brought much needed focus on foundational learning, more needs to be done to ensure that pre-school and early primary grade experiences are empowering for all children. The age band of 3 to 8 years is also critical for building children’s linguistic repertoire through multilingual education, rooted in mother tongue during the early years. Our country stands at a crossroads where strategic investments in foundational learning can unlock human potential or squander a demographic advantage. Nations prioritizing foundational education now will reap long term benefits. The science is clear the evidence is irrefutable . The seeds of tomorrow’s workforce are planted today-in Anganwadis, pre-schools and homes. The evidence from India’s classrooms lights the path forward. What is required is the collective will for action.

Dr. Mushtaq Rather, Educator,

Mattan Anantnag