Shillong, March 27: The state government and Sesame Workshop India have announced their partnership for an Early Childhood Development (ECD) project in the state. The objective of this partnership is to provide technical and implementation support to the Meghalaya Health Systems Strengthening Project (MHSSP) to develop, design, and implement an integrated ECD model to improve outcomes as envisaged in the state’s ECD mission.
Sampath Kumar, Principal Secretary Health & Family Welfare, commented on the partnership, explaining that Meghalaya is carrying out an Early Childhood Development Mission, which is the first of its kind. The main goal of the mission is to maximize the potential of children from conception to eight years of age. The initiative is a collaborative effort with Sesame Workshop India and various government departments, including education, women and child development, and social welfare. The aim is to convert all Anganwadi Centers into ECD Centers to provide comprehensive support to children. Additionally, there is a significant focus on community-based ECD interventions. The plan is to engage women’s self-help groups formed under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission to promote positive parenting within the community.
Ramkumar. S, Secretary to DoH&FW, and Project Director, Meghalaya Health Systems Strengthening Project, explained about the partnership, “The state of Meghalaya faces a unique challenge due to its very young population and high total fertility rate, requiring a focus on young parents and children for their overall development. He believes that the ECD mission is crucial to the state’s human development.”
He said, “Under this partnership Sesame Workshop India will provide technical and implementation support to the MHSSP to develop, design, and implement an integrated ECD model to improve outcomes as envisaged in the state’s ECD mission. The expected beneficiaries of the assignment are caregivers, children between the ages of 0-8 years (including those with disabilities), pregnant women and lactating mothers and Village Health Councils.”
This is not the first time Sesame Workshop India has worked in Meghalaya. In 2020, they partnered with SBI Foundation to launch “Learn Play Grow” in 4 districts, benefitting 90,000 children in 3000 Anganwadi Centres. The programme continues to enhance the quality of early childhood development by training Anganwadi workers to provide child-centered play/activity-based curricula, pedagogical processes, and effective techniques,which can be further developed to support the Early Childhood Development Project in Meghalaya.
