Early Childhood Education
As developing countries around the world strive to enroll more children in school, they are plagued by high dropout and repetition rates. Often students are not prepared—mentally, socially, or physically—for the schedule and demands of school. IDD designs and implements early childhood and school readiness programs to develop pre-school children's socio-emotional abilities, psychomotor skills, academic preparedness, and sound health and nutrition practices. Our early childhood development (ECD) programs also help children who speak dialects or different languages at home adjust more quickly to the language of instruction.
Our programs encourage family and community participation. We make information sharing a priority and continually solicit suggestions, feedback, and involvement. Increased awareness of parents and community members is critical to the growth and sustainability of our ECD programs. In projects in Honduras and El Salvador, for example, such support led to community sponsorship of mentors and construction of additional classrooms.
Combining the strengths of children, families, and communities leads to significant payoffs—children enroll in primary school earlier, in greater numbers, and stay longer.
Information on the IDD projects involved in Early Childhood Education.
