Putting the “fun” in fun-ding early childhood education

School’s out for summer in Canada, a time children have always cherished. That happy time when they can put their pencils down and can play outside in the warmth and sunshine. This kind of play is something Canadian parents openly encourage because it’s not only enjoyable, it’s recognized and remembered as an essential part of the childhood experience.

But play is far more powerful than that. Play helps children learn better, both inside and outside the classroom. Studies have proven that education systems that incorporate both structured and unstructured play can dramatically increase childhood development, especially for children under five. Play effectively stimulates cognitive development and the ability to learn while also strengthening children emotionally against negative experiences, like violence or hunger, that can limit their mental growth. Indeed, a World Bank study last year revealed that every dollar spent on early childhood development can yield as much as $13 in long term benefit.

Unfortunately, a young child’s choice to play and learn is often stolen from them in the countries where Children Believe works. My heart breaks when I think of Abiba from northern Ghana, a mother and grandmother whose family has been caught in the grip of poverty and chronic malnutrition. Abiba told us recently:

“Because we have so little money for food and other things we need, we can’t afford our children’s school fees and many times they have to drop out until we have enough.” 

Even when her family can afford to send their children to school, they often go to class too hungry to concentrate and have very little energy to learn or play. Early childhood education centres, which Canadians, would refer to more commonly as pre-schools, aren’t even an option in this community. It’s an area where Children Believe work is just getting started and we hope to help change all that.

Barriers to children, especially early childhood education, is a cross-cutting challenge everywhere we work. Sadly, many children in Ghana are forced into doing the very opposite of play. Nearly a third of children, 28%, of children under age-18 are engaged in child labour, often in dirty, dangerous and degrading conditions. And in Ethiopia, more than half, 55%, of preschool children do not have access to Early Childhood Education programs. For these children who are marginalized because of barriers like poverty and discrimination, they are often left feeling excluded and vulnerable with no control over their lives. Instead of getting a strong start, these vulnerable children face a higher risk of having learning difficulties as they grow older, limiting their future potential.

That’s why Children Believe recognizes the importance of investing in early childhood development and its positive impact on protecting and fulfilling the survival, growth and development of all children, especially in fragile environments and humanitarian settings. A key pillar of our early childhood programs, working alongside local authorities, fully unleashes the power of play across our six countries of operation. Our program builds on the Learning Through Play approach first developed by the Gary Hurvitz Centre for Community Mental Health at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto along with the City of Toronto Public Health Department. By applying this methodology, we have been able to make a huge impact on childhood growth and development everywhere Children Believe works.

I have had the joy of experiencing our early childhood programs bolstered by the Learning Through Play on a number of recent trips. Late last year in Ethiopia I got a chance to drop in on one centre that had been up and running for a number of years through our local partner Ratson. Not only did I see the laughter and excitement of children playing learning games in the classroom, I saw them having some great free play time on the playground outside. Even better, teachers told me that this preschool has really boosted the academic performance of these children when they started primary school. These children were all getting a much stronger start to their education. And education means a lifetime of choices. Who knew that success could be this much fun?

We are certainly committed to putting the “fun” in fun-ding early childhood education! In recent years, Children Believe has successfully renovated, equipped, or constructed over 360 early childhood centres to provide play and learn opportunities for over 48,000 children, including 24,400 girls. The numbers all add up. About 89% of the children enrolled in these centres are right on track with their physical, social, emotional and basic learning skills – significantly higher than national averages. And because the programs also increase parental participation and interaction, the nurturing bond between parents and children has also led to great relational strides for thousands of families.

And we’re ready to take this to a whole new level. Children Believe recently published “Education Upfront” a new report on the value of Early Childhood Education and Learning Through Play. We interviewed 32 education workers, 160 parents and had our researchers sped many hours in the classroom to improve the effectiveness of these programs. A key takeaway is to advocate strongly with local communities and authorities to completely integrate this model into local and national education systems to magnify the benefits and opportunities for every child. While positive steps have been taken in Ethiopia and Ghana there are strong opportunities to build more momentum including:

• Stronger coordination between key partners to improve educational accessibility, inclusiveness and quality. In other words, a lot more can be achieved if NGO’s like Children Believe, local partners, communities, governments and other actors like UN agencies work closer together.
• Greater attention to cultural and other sensitivities when building the curriculum can go a long way to foster the proper inclusion of marginalized groups such as the indigenous population.
• Increasing investments into Early Childhood Community Development to fully seize that critical cognitive development window for children under five.

At Children Believe, we won’t every stop until every child has the chance to grow up and live the choice they choose to live. I hope you’ll continue to take this journey with us to create lasting, positive change. Thank you for your ongoing support and the difference you are making.

Learn more about the power of play.

About Children Believe

Children Believe works globally to empower children to dream fearlessly, stand up for what they believe in — and be heard. For 60+ years, we’ve brought together brave young dreamers, caring supporters and partners, and unabashed idealists. Together, we’re driven by a common belief: creating access to education — inside and outside of classrooms — is the most powerful tool children can use to change their world.

About Childfund Alliance:

A member of ChildFund Alliance, Children Believe is part of a global network of child-focused development organizations working to create opportunities for children and youth, their families and communities. ChildFund helps nearly 23-million children and their families in 70 countries overcome poverty and underlying conditions that prevent children from achieving their full potential. We work to end violence against children; provide expertise in emergencies and disasters to ease the harmful impact on children and their communities; and engage children and youth to create lasting change and elevate their voices in decisions that affect their lives.