Abstract
Community-based programs are a major service delivery outlet for early childhood programs, especially in underresourced and developing contexts. They provide scope for identifying and analyzing specific community issues and for prioritizing, designing, and managing activities at the local level. As such, they are often associated with grassroots accountability, efficiency, community participation, empowerment, and sustainability. However, there are potential pitfalls. The reliance on voluntary participation can result in skewed representation and exclusion of marginalized groups; there may be difficulties in building capacity and overreliance on imported technical assistance; and there is a danger that agencies directing community-based programs can misrepresent true community needs and/or reduce issues to fit their own terms of reference. Perhaps most concerning, community-based programs can mask government inattention and perpetuate marginalization. We provide a list of investigating questions to guide the assessment of early childhood development (ECD) programs according to principles that transcend governing structure, auspice, and/or label.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Handbook of Early Childhood Development Research and Its Impact on Global Policy |
Editors | Pia Rebello Britto, Patrice L. Engle, Charles M. Super |
Place of Publication | Oxford |
Publisher | Oxford University Press |
Pages | 275-289 |
Number of pages | 15 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9780199980420 |
ISBN (Print) | 9780199922994 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 24 Jan 2013 |