Prospects of the ECCD Projects in Nigeria

Since its inception in 1987, the ECCD project has been accepted by the various communities as a low-cost community- based informal pre-school intervention programme aimed at promoting the complete development of children. The programme adopted a comprehensive multi-purpose cooperative strategy which is child-centred, and culturally acceptable. It was targeted at improved health, nutrition, psychomotor and cognitive development activities for children. The output objectives of the project were to:

• Set up 920 low-cost community-based ECCD centres 
• Provide early stimulation through non-formal learning opportunities to 92,000 children aged between 3 and 5 years. · Support and promote health and nutrition services to 50,000 children under two years of age, 
• Train 5,000 child-care providers, 700 trainers and supervisors in improved ECCD techniques and practices 
•  Orient 2,000 personnel from the existing day-care centres (Akinbote et al 2001, p. 156). 

The ECCD strategy is to catch/reach children wherever they are. As noted by an anonymous writer on the project, about 2,045 ECCD facilities in ten UNICEF assisted states have been established. The facilities are located in market places, churches, mosques, community halls/centres, pouches and as annexes in primary schools. Home based facilities in rural and urban poor areas are also being supported.

There has been a great interest in the project by the various communities. This is demonstrated by the 175,000 children under -six years who benefited from the ECCD project. Moreover, about 7,000 pre-school age children have been de-wormed through the cooperation of some other agencies. The ECCD has made some achievements which have been summarised as follows:

1. the project developed a number of materials for training various categories of ECCD personnel 
2. training manual and guide 
3. early child care curriculum guidelines 
4.  a book on child health and nutrition in Nigeria 
5. Child Development: A module for training Early Childhood Education Teachers and care-givers 
6.  20 titles of pre-school readers 
7. ECC prototype learning packages/kits 
8.  caring for the African child: a manual for caregivers 
9.  a child assessment instrument and developmental chart for validation. 

Generally speaking, the ECCD project has been helpful in the provision of child care facilities. It has been able to raise the level of awareness of parents, particularly in the rural areas on why and how to stimulate their children's social, psychomotor and cognitive development. The ECCD project has also shown that collaboration and co-projects development are possible for the proper development of children; it is therefore not good enough for the government as you learnt in the last unit to encourage private efforts in the provision of pre-school establishments. With the FGN/UNICEF initiatives, many children who could have been deprived of the stimulation and care necessary for their development have benefited from early childcare and development programmes. It is only hoped that the programme will not be abandoned. The programme must be sustained so that millions of other deprived children could benefit from it.

The Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO)

OMEP Nigeria-Background

Organization Mondiale pour l'Education Prescolaire (OMEP) is a World Organization for Early Childhood Education. As the name implies, it is an international organization which is aimed at promoting the well-being, development and happiness of every child in the family, school, society and the world at large. It is a Non-Government Organization hence it is financed through private individuals. It was founded in 1948 to benefit children under- 8 years throughout the world. The Organization is represented in more than fifty countries and it cooperates with other international organization with similar aims.

OMEP (Nigeria) was accepted as a National preparatory committee at the 16th World Congress of OMEP International in Quabec, Canada in 1980. It was however formerly recognized as a full member of OMEP International at the 17th World Congress in Geneva, August 1983. The objectives of OMEP Nigeria are to:

1. Promote and coordinate research in Early Childhood Education. 
2.  Collect and disseminate information on Early Childhood Education. 
3.  Encourage the provision of pre-school institutions 
4.  Promote the education of parents and adults in charge of children. 
5. Encourage the production of suitable books and other educational materials. 
6.  Encourage educational institutions to develop courses for the training of teachers of pre-school children. 
7.  Liaise with governments and any organizations with concern for children 
8. Promote conferences, seminars, workshops, etc on childcare and education 
9.  Encourage the preparation and publication of pamphlets, journals, etc for parents and the public on childcare and education. 
10. Encourage the formation of suitable educational programmes adequate for Nigerian pre-school children. 

Membership of OMEP is open to everyone who works for or with children or has influence on the lives, happiness and development of our children either as parents, educators or members of other professional bodies. In short no one may be excluded from membership by reason of race, creed or political opinion.