Parenting Practices for Early Childhood Development (ECD) in The Gambia

Country: The Gambia
Date: Jul 2017 - Dec 2019
Program Type: Early Childhood Development and Education
Partner: United Nation Children's Fund (UNICEF)
Direct Beneficiaries: 10,305

Dubai Cares worked to improve parenting knowledge and practices to help parents better support the development of young children aged 0 to 3 years in safe and nurturing environments, ensuring their health and educational needs were met. The program aimed to contribute to the development of an integrated Early Childhood Development (ECD) framework through parenting education by raising awareness about the rights of pre-school-aged children, clarifying the responsibilities of both mothers and fathers in fulfilling those rights, and documenting and replicating effective practices that were easy to understand, culturally appropriate, scalable, and beneficial for both parents and children. The program also sought to raise awareness among young parents so they could apply their knowledge of children’s rights and parenting skills, to engage communities in accepting improved child care and nurturing practices through social and behavior change communication, and to provide 30 communities with enhanced ECD outdoor playground equipment and facilities.

Location

Dubai Cares is committed to enhancing parenting knowledge and practices to better support the early development of children aged 0 to 3. By equipping parents with the tools to nurture their children in safe, supportive environments, the program ensures that both health and educational needs are met during this critical stage of life.

This initiative contributes to the development of a comprehensive Early Childhood Development (ECD) program by promoting parenting education. It raises awareness about the rights of pre-school-aged children and emphasizes the vital role of both mothers and fathers in upholding these rights. The program also documents and replicates proven, culturally relevant practices that are easy to adopt, scalable, and beneficial for both children and parents.

Key objectives of the program include:

Empowering young parents with knowledge and skills to uphold children’s rights and apply effective parenting techniques.
Engaging communities to foster acceptance of improved childcare, development, and nurturing practices through targeted social and behavior change communication.
Enhancing community infrastructure by equipping 30 communities with upgraded outdoor playgrounds and ECD facilities to support children’s growth and learning through play.