Early Childhood Development Mission (ECD)

Nurturing Meghalaya’s future, the Meghalaya Early Childhood Development (ECD) Mission is a transformative journey unlocking the potential of children (0-8 years) through holistic care, play-based learning, and community-driven support—building a brighter tomorrow, one child at a time.

In a bid to tackle low-performing indicators related to Early Childhood Development (ECD), the Government of Meghalaya launched the Early Childhood Development (ECD) Mission as an integrated mission. It is a pioneering mission that aims at the holistic development of children starting from conception till the age of 8 years.

Children enrolled under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme

4,67,979

Children enrolled under Mid-Day Meal Program (MDM)

3,83,186

in 2018-19

90%

children receive immunization from the health department, apart from other essential health services

Imagine building a strong house. You will first need a solid foundation. Well, ECD is just like a foundation for a child’s life. It shapes their health, their ability to learn, and their overall happiness. When kids get the right care and support during these early years, they’re more likely to succeed in school and later in life.

The Mission has been designed to address inter-generational poverty by blending the science of early childhood with the concept of women’s Self-Help Groups.

The Mission is an all-inclusive programme where shortcomings and disabilities in children can be identified at an early stage, to detect developmental delays so that effective measures are taken to address their issues more effectively.

Meghalaya’s ECD Mission understands that children can face challenges related to health, nutrition, education, and poverty. To tackle these challenges holistically, the mission has a smart plan:

Responsive Caregiving

Providing nurturing and responsive care to children

Good Health

Ensuring the child’s health and well-being

Adequate Nutrition

Providing proper nutrition to support growth

Opportunities for Early Learning

Creating an environment for early learning

Ensuring the child’s safety and security

Safety and Security

Meghalaya’s Implementation Plan for ECD

Meghalaya’s Early Childhood Development (ECD) Mission encompasses several key areas for intervention to address the holistic development of children.

ECD

at Home

Pregnant and Lactating Mothers:

Providing guidance on pregnancy do’s and don’ts, health, nutrition, and post-pregnancy symptoms.

Children (0 to 8):

Educating new parents on nurturing practices, emphasizing the importance of play and caregiver engagement.

Mothers, Fathers, and Caregivers:

Facilitating sessions during home visits to teach concepts of early childhood development, the role of fathers, and fostering responsive parenting

Centre-Based

Interventions

Play-Based Learning:

Training workers to engage children through play targeting physical, cognitive, social, emotional, and language development.

Nutrition:

Providing nutritious meals and training workers to prepare them

Growth Monitoring

Training on effective growth monitoring for children.

Parents involvement

Weekly meetings between parents, workers, and volunteers to share children’s progress and teach parents and caregivers key concepts.

ECD

at Community

Community Events:

Promoting community activities that strengthen family bonds and child upbringing through picnics, celebrations, and food festivals

Caregiver Circles:

Facilitating caregiver sessions to share parenting insights, child behavior management, and safe environments, among other topics.

The significance of the Meghalaya ECD Mission lies in its focus on addressing the challenges faced by young children in the state. It recognizes that health, nutrition, education, and poverty are interconnected factors that can significantly impact a child’s well-being and future prospects.