Alliance for Early Childhood
Development Nepal (AECDN)
In Nepal, there has recently been an unprecedented expansion of early childhood care and education services. The Government of Nepal is committed to expand access and increase the quality of early childcare and education services nationwide. Its commitments are visibly reflected in the new Constitution of Nepal, eighth amendment of the Education Act and the School Sector Development Plan (SSDP). However, the major challenges associated with the development of consistent, quality early childcare and education in the country are related to: lack of an integrated program for holistic development of children; lack of childcare program for children from conception to below 4 years of age; inadequate professional training and low level of motivation of the facilitators; and more importantly, lack of a strong network between the government, communities, NGOs and INGOs to advocate for integrated holistic early childcare and education programs, and lack of activities to undertake coordinated actions.
A national level early childhood network has been formed with an aim of bringing together all the relevant stakeholders from the Government ministries and their line agencies; members of national and international non-governmental organizations; community-based organizations; and private sector and individuals working in the field of early childhood in Nepal.
In this context, a national level early childhood network has been formed with an aim of bringing together all the relevant stakeholders from the Government ministries and their line agencies; members of national and international non-governmental organizations; community-based organizations; and private sector and individuals working in the field of early childhood in Nepal. It is a professional membership organization that strives to congregate the program activities of various organizations in order to promote high-quality early childhood development services for all young children in the country. It provides a platform for sharing ideas, experiences and evidences among all the stakeholders.