The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Anganwadi programme was launched in Diyun, Changlang district, on Wednesday, marking the beginning of a three-year partnership among the Department of Women and Child Development, India Foundation for Education Transformation (IFET), and Ugam Education Foundation.
The collaboration aims to strengthen the preschool education component of Anganwadi centres through capacity building of Anganwadi workers, continuous mentoring, development of teaching-learning materials, improvement of classroom environments, regular school readiness assessments, and community engagement. The programme will initially cover all 69 Anganwadi centres in Diyun block, with 10 centres being developed as model demonstration centres to pilot intensive mentoring and best practices before scaling them across the block.
An orientation programme was conducted for Anganwadi workers from across the Diyun block, focusing on the importance of the first six years of a child’s life, school readiness, play-based learning, the role of Anganwadi workers in early childhood education, and the vision of NEP 2020 and Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi. Participants were also oriented on school readiness assessment, classroom organisation, teaching-learning materials, and structured classroom activities to strengthen preschool education.
ICDS deputy director Onyok Panyang highlighted the need to strengthen early childhood education alongside nutrition and health services and assured the department’s full support for the successful implementation of the programme. He also sensitised Anganwadi workers on child protection, the POCSO Act and the Juvenile Justice Act, emphasising their responsibility to remain vigilant, report cases of abuse or neglect, and safeguard the rights and well-being of children.
Bordumsa-Diyun CDPO K.T Tungkhang encouraged Anganwadi workers to actively participate in the initiative and make effective use of the training and mentoring support provided under the programme. She stressed the importance of regular review, timely reporting, and continuous monitoring to ensure effective implementation and measurable progress.
The programme is expected to strengthen school readiness among young children while developing a sustainable and scalable model of quality Early Childhood Care and Education that can be expanded to other ICDS projects across Changlang district.
