More than 200 million children are at risk of not reaching their developmental potential in the early years due to poverty and lack of access to healthcare, good nutrition and responsive care. Addressing the gaps in knowledge and skills of ECD workforce and caregivers could contribute to the improvement in the wellbeing of children.
The ECD Workforce Hub is an initiative of the Aga Khan Development Network, and is led and hosted by the Institute for Human Development at the Aga Khan University (AKU IHD). The Hub builds on previous work undertaken by AKU IHD since its inception in 2014 through its Hilton Phase I and II projects (2014–2019), World Bank Early Years Fellowship project (2017-2018), and the UNICEF/LEGO Foundation Scaling Up Playful Parenting Project (2019-2021).
Watch the launch event of the ECD Workforce Hub here:
Underpinned by the Nurturing Care Framework and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the ECD Workforce Hub is intended to advance the wellbeing of children and families by strengthening the capacity of the ECD workforce to deliver high-quality programs and policies. The Hub aims to provide:
- Evidence-based professional development courses to caregivers, frontline workers, policy makers, and practitioners in delivering effective ECD care and services.
- Technical advisory services to meso- and senior-level government officials, policymakers, and practitioners working in the ECD sector to make decisions on priority investments to advance holistic child development.
- Knowledge into action services by translating scientific research from the region and global levels into accessible resources for specific target audiences including, but not limited to, policymakers, frontline workers, programme practitioners, and parents/caregivers.
Since its inception, AKU IHD has delivered programmes in multiple countries.
