Delivered through home visits and group sessions, our ECD programs prioritize quality parent-child play activities and promote “positive” or “responsive” parenting practices: ensuring that children have adequate supervision as well as proper nutrition, hygiene and sanitation. By transforming their relationships with their children through play, parents can build, repair and strengthen the bonds with their children, and with the broader community. These connections are social, but also deeply rooted in the cognitive and emotional development of young children. Through consistent and responsive interactions, caregivers and service providers can develop more secure attachments, making children feel safer. This sense of security and belonging is crucial for exploration and learning, as it gives children the confidence to engage with their environment and new experiences.

See how ChildFund builds responsive and protective parenting skills among families affected by HIV/AIDS in Homa Bay and Busia counties.

To create a more equitable, accessible and high-quality ECD system that supports the holistic development of every child, our approach encompasses a broad range of activities, from policy reform and practice innovation to shifts in resource allocation and stakeholder engagement. We partner with local organizations and government-funded ECD services to ensure a comprehensive support network for facilitators, and to reinforce the local- and national-level infrastructure necessary for children’s development.

ChildFund’s Responsive and Protective Parenting program model uses a cascading approach to build and strengthen the nurturing care capacity of governments, local organizations, community stakeholders and caregivers. Our implementing partners gain deep insight into the importance of nurturing care for children, how to facilitate training and work with adults, mobilize community leaders, and promote positive child-rearing behaviors in caregivers.

The focus here is on the first 1,000 days of a child's life (from conception to 2 years). This is a vulnerable period because it’s when rapid growth and development occur, and it lays the foundations for their entire future. We purpose to create protective, nurturing, and stimulating environments for infants and young children by strengthening their caregivers’ capacity (knowledge, attitudes, practices) for nurturing care to support children’s holistic growth and development.

This component targets children 3 – 6 years. The entry point is public ECD centers. Currently, we collaborate with over 1,270 ECD centers reaching some 80,000 children enrolled in these preprimary schools benefitting from various interventions including improved learning environments, infrastructure development, health and nutrition, and WASH interventions.

We collaborate with primary caregivers, communities, national and county governments, and Local Implementing Partners to enhance the health, safety, and well-being of infants and young children. Through integrated ECD services aligned with the Nurturing Care Framework, we support families and communities to create nurturing environments for children to thrive. Using a strength-based approach, we focus on building and supporting locally-led initiatives that reinforce families' and communities' capacity to break the cycle of poverty and uphold children's rights.

Advocacy plays a vital role in promoting new legislation and policies, particularly in the realm of ECD. ChildFund is an active member of various ECD-related professional networks and Technical Working Groups (TWG) including:

• The ECD Network for Kenya where ChildFund is the Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors.
• The African Union (AU) Early Childhood Education and Development where, on behalf of ChildFund Africa Region, ChildFund is the Co-convenor of Access to Quality ECED Services TWG. The Cluster was established to support the implementation of the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA) 16-25 objectives related to the early years.
• The National Nurturing Care TWG convened by the Ministry of Health - Division of Newborn and Child Health on nurturing care policy and practice.
• Collaborative Action for Childcare – this coalition brings together an ever-expanding number of partners who, together, respond to the challenges affecting the provision of quality childcare services.