Early childhood development: the role of community based childcare centres in Malawi

Abstract

BackgroundSomatic changes including growth and development of the brain of a human being occur very early in life. Programmes that enhance early childhood development (ECD) therefore should be part of the national agenda. Cognizant of this fact, the Malawi Government together with development partners facilitated the establishment of community-based child care centres (CBCCs) which are owned and managed by community members. This study was aimed at understanding how CBCCs operated and their core functions.MethodsUsing information from databases kept by the District Social Welfare Officers from all the 28 districts in Malawi, coupled with snowballing, all functioning CBCCs were enumerated. A questionnaire was administered to the head of the CBCC or a care giver. Highly trained Research Assistants also carried our observations of the structures around the centres and the activities that actually happened. Data was analysed using a Statistical Package for Social Sciences.ResultsCommunities provide structures, support for care givers, food, utensils, labour and play materials for the children in CBCCs. The first ECD centre was established in 1966 but the real surge in establishing these happened towards the end of the 1990s and by 2007 there were 5,665 CBCCs in Malawi caring for 407,468 children aged between 3 and 5 years. CBCCs were established to provide pre-primary school learning, and in some cases provide special care to orphans and other vulnerable.ConclusionsDespite the fact that most CBCC premises and structures fell short of the standards laid down by the CBCC profile, the activities and services provided were mostly to the book. Children were provided with nutritious foods and subjected to play that stimulated their cognitive and mental development. Despite the fact that some members of the community do not realize the value of the CBCCs, the existence of these institutions is an opportunity for the community to take care of their children communally, a task that has become imperative as a result of the upsurge in the number of orphans as a result of the HIV and AIDS epidemic. The study recommends that Malawi should take investments in ECD programmes as a priority.

Care for Child Development in rural Malawi: a model feasibility and pilot study

“…Some supervision by senior HSAs does exist but is not incentivized or competency based. Malawi is one of the first African countries to have ECD support through Community‐Based Child Care Centers for 3–5 years old supported by Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare . This does not support children younger than 3 …”

Supporting Children with Disabilities in Low- and Middle- Income Countries: Promoting Inclusive Practice within Community-Based Childcare Centres in Malawi through a Bioecological Systems Perspective

“…As an example, Munthali et al (2014) found that CBCCs were reluctant to enrol children with 'special needs' because of a 'lack of appropriate training and resources' (p. 4). Further, they report that caregivers did not register children who were unable to communicate 'mainly because [they] may fail to interact well with his or her friends and caregivers' (p. 5) and tended to turn away children who they considered to have behaviour problems.…”

“…Malawi was one of the first African countries to have a network of CBCCs for young children (3-5 years) supported by Ministry of Gender, Disability and Social Welfare (MGCDSW). Whilst CBCCs provide an early learning environment to children living nearby, it is reported that the quality of most of the CBCCs, measured in terms of buildings, sanitation facilities, staff numbers, capacity, materials and equipment, has fallen short of the early childhood development Monitoring and Evaluation Framework set out by the MGCDSW (Munthali et al 2008).…”

Estimated prevalence of disability and developmental delay among preschool children in rural Malawi: Findings from “Tikule Limodzi,” a cross‐sectional survey

“…The recent government Growth and Development Strategy addresses the need for integrated ECD and aims to increase the number of CBCCs and children with disabilities attending CBCCs (The Ministry of Economic Planning and Development, ). At present, there is little evidence on how they support children with disabilities or special needs who attend (Munthali & Silo, ).…”