(GIST OF KURUKSHETRA) ECCE Initiatives under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan

(OCTOBER-2025)

ECCE Initiatives under Mission Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan

Introduction:

Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) is the first foundation of human capital. It refers to the holistic development of children from birth to six years, encompassing their physical and motor development, cognitive development, the development of communication, early language, literacy, and numeracy.

Key highlights:

It consists of flexible, activity-based, and inquiry-based learning, comprising of alphabets, languages, numbers, colours, and shapes.
Global evidence establishes that nearly 90% of brain growth completed by the age of six and the first 1000 days from gestation to age two represents a critical window of opportunity for holistic development of a child.
ECCE is not limited to early literacy and numeracy. Truly holistic development includes character development, including understanding the self and other (socio-emotional skills) and cultural and aesthetic development.

ECCE Interventions for Children below six years

The Constitution of India, under the Directive Principles of State Policy (Article forty-five) directs the State to “endeavor to provide early childhood care and education for all children until they complete the age of six years,” thereby recognising Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE).
The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act in 2009, mandated free and compulsory education to children from six to fourteen years.
However, Section eleven of the RTE Act mandated the appropriate governments to make necessary arrangements for provision of free pre-school education, with a view to prepare children above the age of three years and to provide ECCE for all children until they complete the age of six years.

At the programmatic level, the Anganwadi System is the world’s largest integrated early childhood development programme, with 14 lakh Anganwadis (1.4 million public childcare centres) across India.

The program provides free, universal childcare and pre-primary education, reaching over 46% of India’s children under the age of six). Originally targeted at Below Poverty Line households, Anganwadi became universal in 2009 to ensure no child is excluded.

Community engagement and Social and Behaviour Change Communication

Community engagement and Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) are central to this cause.
Fixed monthly ECCE Days, like Sports Day, Annual Day, Creativity Day are organised at AWCs to engage families and communities.
Large-scale advocacy is undertaken during Poshan Maah in September and Poshan Pakhwada in March. These campaigns have facilitated awareness activities nationwide, focusing on ECCE, nutrition, and early stimulation including Shiksha Chaupal, play-based learning demonstrations, DIY toy fairs, and special home visits.
We must reach every parent through every possible touch point, to encourage positive caregiving behaviours, and highlighting that fundamentally- play is learning. This will transform the parenting paradigm, and help a generation of young learners approach the future with confidence, skill and joy.

Conclusion:

Recognising human capital as the cornerstone of economic growth, innovation, and social progress, a holistic vision for early learning in India calls for integrated and sustained investments in health, nutrition, education, and skills. By building a unified and future-ready ecosystem that empowers every individual from birth to adulthood, India can position itself as a global knowledge superpower and realise the aspiration of Viksit Bharat by 2047.