Intending to provide integrated services for the holistic development of all children from the pre-natal period to six years, the government is all set to declare a national policy for early childhood care and education.
The draft policy, prepared by the ministry of women and child development, is high on the agenda of the meeting Union Cabinet for its consideration, which will meet on Thursday.
Informing this, sources in the government said the National Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) policy, which lays down the way forward for a comprehensive approach towards ensuring a sound foundation for every child, is likely to be approved at the meeting of the Union Cabinet, which will be chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. India has 158.7 million children in the 0-6 age group as per the 2011 census.
Broadly, the policy focuses on re-structuring the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme and integrating early childhood education with the Right to Education Act to ensure a smooth transition into formal schooling.
All service providers will have to be registered with the state governments to ensure quality of services provided. Early childhood is acknowledged as the most crucial period in a person’s life, when the rate of development is very high and foundations are laid for cumulative lifelong learning and human development.