OVERVIEW FOR FACILITATORS

Early Childhood
Development Curriculum:
PURPOSE
The purpose of the six-part series of manuals is to strengthen the technical
capacity of women religious and congregations in Kenya, Malawi, and
Zambia that are involved in Early Childhood Development (ECD). The
curriculum was created within the CRS-led project called “Strengthening
the Capacity of Women Religious in Early Childhood Development,” or
“SCORE-ECD,” funded by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and led by
Catholic Relief Services (CRS). CRS is a partner in the Hilton Foundation’s
strategy to improve the developmental outcomes of the youngest children
affected by HIV/AIDS.

This curriculum is intended for use with children ages 0-5. It is tailored to
the needs of ECD service providers, especially congregations, and includes
case studies based on sisters’ experiences. It serves SCORE ECD countries,
Kenya, Malawi and Zambia as an ECD training resource. For example, the
government of Malawi utilizes this curriculum in its regional training of ECD
workers and caregivers (See Foreword Letter).

The curriculum consists of six ECD resource guides for sisters and
congregations, with corresponding guides for the facilitators who carry out
the training. It also has a pre-posttest document for gauging the knowledge
and skills of trainees before and after the sessions. The six manuals cover:

• Approaches to Early Childhood Development

• Early Childhood Development
• Assessing Young Children
• Quality Early Childhood Environments for Young Children
• Children with Special Needs and Child Protection
• Health, Safety, and Nutrition.
GOALS
The goals of the curriculum are to ensure that young children:

• Have high-quality, consistent, and safe relationships with their caregivers.

• Are treated holistically by their caregivers, with attention to their health, nutrition,
safety and protection, as well as all areas of their development: spiritual-moral,
physical-motor, cognitive-language, and social-emotional.
• Are protected from psychological and physical harm, and that their rights to survival,
growth, and participation are fully met, with special attention to children with special
needs such as orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and children with disabilities.
• Are cared for in a culturally appropriate manner, with respect for their values,
beliefs, experiences, and language, as well as those of their caregivers, families,
and communities.
• Grow up and learn in a safe, healthy, nutritious, inclusive, and stimulating
environment, with sufficient opportunities for play, creativity, exploration, physical
movement and sensory manipulation of objects, and social and individual activities
for indoor and outdoor play.
• Receive care from responsive and sensitive caregivers and teachers who manage
their behavior in a loving way rather than through harsh punishment.
• Are regularly observed so that their progress can be documented and they receive a
timely and appropriate interventions.

TOPICS
The guides cover the following topics:

Resource Guide 1: Approaches to Early Childhood Programs

Session1: Standards for Quality Early Childhood Programs
Session 2: Understanding Young Children
Session 3: Supporting Child Development through Holistic Approach and Play

Resource Guide 2: Introduction to Early Childhood Development

Session 1: Early Childhood Development
Session 2: Development and Intervention of Infants and Toddlers
Session 3: Development and Intervention of Preschool-age Children

Resource Guide 3: Assessment of Young Children’s Development

Session Topic: Using Observation and Documentation for Ongoing Assessment of
Young Children

Resource Guide 4: Quality Early Childhood Environment for Young Children

Session 1: The Physical Environment
Session 2: Group Activities in Early Childhood Environments
Session 3: Program Planning in Early Childhood Environments
Session 4: Supporting Young Children in Language and Literacy
Session 5: Supporting Young Children in Early Mathematics
Session 6: Administration of Early Childhood Programs

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Resource Guide 5: Young Children with Special Needs and Protection
Session 1: Young Children and Disabilities
Session 2: Vulnerable Children: Young Children Living with and Affected by HIV and AIDS
Session 3: Child Protection

Resource Guide 6: Health, Safety, and Nutrition

Session 1: Health and Safety of Young Children
Session 2: Growth and Nutrition of Young Children

DOCUMENTS NEEDED DURING THE TRAINING

• Trainees and facilitators must have a copy of the ECD Resource Guides.
• Facilitators must have a copy of the facilitator’s guides (Note: If the training is for
master trainers, each one of the master trainers/trainees will receive the facilitator’s
guide upon completing the training).
• Facilitators need to have the following resources for the training:
• Pre-posttest questionnaire to be administered before the training begins and after
the training is completed (The organizer of the training must prepare copies of
these materials).
• National ECD Policy documents of trainees’ country for Resource Guides 1 & 4 (For
example, for SCORE project trainees, national policy documents of Malawi, Kenya,
and Zambia are used).
• Care for Child Development (2012) by UNICEF-WHO Resource link: http://www.
who.int/maternal_child_adolescent/documents/care_child_development/en/
• Play for Growing Smart Children: Things You Can Do and Toys You Can Make
Manual Resource Link: http://www.crs.org/our-work-overseas/research-
publications/using-play-growing-smart-children
• Copies of CRS Lesotho “Whose Child Is This?” Positive Parenting Counselling Flip
Book (Note: The organizer of the training needs to make copies of these tools)
http://www.crs.org/our-work-overseas/research-publications/ngoana-eo-ke-oa-mang
• UNICEF’s Integrated Management of Childhood Illness: Caring for the child’s
healthy growth and development—A training course for community health workers
(2012). (The organizer of the training must prepare copies of these materials).

EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT CURRICULUM 3

SUMMARY OF TRAINING ACTIVITIES IN THE FACILITATOR’S GUIDE
SUGGESTED SUGGESTED
FACILITATOR’S
SESSION TOPIC LENGTH TRAINING
GUIDE TOPIC
OF SESSION DAY

Adult Learning How to Work with Groups 2 hours Day 1

1 hour & 30
Pre-posttest Introduction and Pre-test Day 1
Minutes

Session 1. Standards for Quality Early Childhood Programs 5 hours & 15

Day 1
Resource Guide Closure: Session and Training Evaluation Minutes
1. Approaches to
Early Childhood Session 2. Understanding Young Children 3 Hours & 30
Development Closure: Session and Training Evaluation Minutes

Session 3. Supporting Child Development through Holistic Day 2

Approach and Play 4 Hours
Closure: Session and Training Evaluation

Session 1: Early Childhood Development 3 hours & 45

Day 3
Closure: Session and Training Evaluation minutes
Resource Guide
2. Introduction to Session 2: Development and Intervention of Infants and Toddlers
6 hours
Early Childhood Closure: Session and Training Evaluation
Development Day 4
Session 3: Development and Intervention of Preschool-age Children 4 hours & 30
Closure: Session and Training Evaluation minutes

Resource Guide Session 1. Using Observation and Documentation for Ongoing

3. Assessment of Assessment of Young Children 6 hours & 15
Day 5
Young Children’s minutes
Development Closure: Session and Training Evaluation

Session 1.The Physical Environment 6 hours & 15

Day 6
Closure: Session and Training Evaluation minutes

3 hours & 45
Session 2. Group Activities in Early Childhood Environment
minutes
Day 7
Session 3. Program Planning in Early Childhood Environment 3 hours & 30
Resource Guide
4. Quality Early Closure: Session and Training Evaluation minutes
Childhood
Environment for Session 4. Supporting Young Children in Language and Literacy 6 hours & 15
Young Children Closure: Session and Training Evaluation minutes Day 8

Session 5. Supporting Young Children in Early Mathematics 6 hours & 30

Closure: Session and Training Evaluation minutes

Session 6. Administration of Early Childhood Program 2 hours & 30 Day 9

Closure: Session and Training Evaluation minutes

Session 1. Young Children and Disability 5 hours & 15

Day 10
Closure: Session and Training Evaluation minutes
Resource
Guide 5. Young Session 2. Vulnerable Children: Young Children Living With and
Children with Affected by HIV and AIDS 3 hours & 45
Special Needs minutes
Closure: Session and Training Evaluation
and Protection Day 11
3 hours & 45
Session 3. Rights and Protection of Young Children
minutes

Session 1. Health and Safety of Young Children 3 hours & 30

Resource Guide Day 12
6. Health, Safety Closure: Session and Training Evaluation minutes
and Nutrition
Session 2. Growth and Nutrition of Young Children Day 13, 14,
1 – 3 days
Closure: Session and Training Evaluation & 15

Conclusion of 1 hour & 30

Posttest: Closing the Training and Administering Posttest Day 15
Training minutes

Total 15 days

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REFERENCE DOCUMENTS
CRS referred to a wide range of documents in preparing this curriculum. It especially
draws on materials developed by the CRS office in Lesotho in their “Whose Child is
This?” project, with generous support from the Better Way Foundation. We would like to
acknowledge Carmen Randall who provided the illustrations, as well as the original authors
of the “Whose Child is This?” Teacher Resource Guide: Sue Connolly, Edith Sebatane
and Dr. Pulane Lefoka. Special thanks to CRS staff who supported the development
of the Lesotho materials (Chandreyee Banerjee, Rita Billingsley, Sarah Cashore, Anne
Sellers, Ana Maria Ferraz de Campos, Ashley Rytter, Setungoane Letsatsi-Kojoana
and Blain Cerney), as well as UNICEF, the Lesotho Ministry of Education and Training
ECCD Unit, and the Lesotho Ministry of Health.” Below are these main resources. (Note:
Detailed references are provided in the bibliography sections of each resource guide).

CRS Lesotho Ngoana Eo Ke Oa Mang? ECD Teachers Resource Guide (2012)

CRS Lesotho Ngoana Eo Ke Oa Mang? Parent and Caregiver Training Manual (2012)

CRS Lesotho Ngoana Eo Ke Oa Mang? Early Learning Flip Book (Counseling Card) (n.d.)

CRS-THRIVE Using Play For Growing Smart Children: Things You Can Do and Toys You Can Make Manual (2014)

CRS THRIVE Malawi Kaleredwe Kabwino Ka Mwana-Positive Parenting Counseling Card (2015)

CRS Training Curriculum on Psychosocial Care and Counseling for HIV-Infected Children and Adolescents (2009).

CRS India Teaching Guide For Early Child Development Interventions For The Missionaries of Charity (n.d.)

CRS Theory of Change in Early Childhood Development: The CRS Global ECD Model (2014)

CRS Parenting Support in Africa: A Facilitator’s Manual (2014)

CRS Policy on Protection (2014/2015)

CRS Partnership and Capacity Strengthening Basic Training Guide: Adult Learning Basics, CRS Institute for Capacity
Strengthening (2015)

WHO-UNICEF Care for Child Development (2012)

WHO-UNICEF IMCI Caring for the Child’s Healthy Growth and Development-Training Course for Community Health
Workers (2012)

Essential Package-CARE, Save the Children and the Consultative Group on Early
Childhood Care and Development (CG) (2012)

Case Stories from the Catholic Sisters’ Lived Experience with Young Children, Families, and Communities in Zambia,
Kenya, and Malawi.

Pact-Yekokeb Berhan Volunteer Orientation Guide: How to Care for Children with Disabilities (2014)

Catholic AIDS Action Building Resilience in Children Affected by HIV/AIDS, Namibia (2003).

Concern International Say and Play Project (2009)

National ECD Policy Documents of Kenya (2006), Malawi (2008), and Zambia (n.d).

Archdiocese of Hartford Catholic Schools-Early Childhood Curriculum Standards (2012).

Republic of Malawi National ECD Advanced Training Manual (2012).

Association of Childhood Education International Global Guidelines Assessment/ACEI-GGA (2011).

National Association for the Education of Young Children (naeyc.org). Early Childhood Program Standards for
Accreditation (2009).

National Association for the Education of Young Children (naeyc.org). Developmentally and Culturally Appropriate
Practice (2009).

Johns Hopkins University and Maryland State Department of Education-Healthy Beginnings: Supporting Development
and Learning from Birth Through Three years of Age (2010).

Young Child: Development from Pre-Birth Through Adolescence by Wittmer, Petersen, and Puckett (2013).

Infants, Toddlers and Caregivers: A Curriculum of Respectful, Responsive Care and Education by Gonzalez-Mena &
Widmeyer Eyer (2012).

The Lancet Series on Nutrition and ECD

EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT CURRICULUM 5

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This curriculum is the product of a team effort by CRS colleagues and partners who
shared their expertise and time to review the document and contribute key resources,
including granting copyright permission.

The individuals named below all deserve special and deep appreciation with a special
thank you to the CRS country program in Lesotho

CRS TEAM MAJOR CONTRIBUTION (IN DEVELOPMENT)

CRS Regional Office Team

Ana Maria Ferraz de Campos and CRS Lesotho Whose Resource contribution Whose Child Is This? Adopted into
Child Is This Project Team the ECD curriculum

Emily Doogue Input on initial SCORE ECD gaps/needs analysis

CRS Headquarters Team

Shannon Senefeld Resources on positive parenting

Reviewed Resource Guide 5: Children Affected and

Caroline Bishop
Infected by HIV; contributed resources on OVC

Reviewed Resource Guide 5: Children Affected and

Jean Claude Kazadi Mwayabo
Infected by HIV; contributed resources on OVC

Reviewed Resource Guide 5: Children with Disabilities

Lucy Steinitz and Child Protection; contributed various resources with
copyright permission for Resource Guide 5

Sensitivity review of the full set of resource and

Leia Isanhart
facilitator’s guides;

Reviewed Resource Guide 2: The Beginning of Child

Development; Resource Guide 6: Health and Safety
Elena McEwan of Young Children and Growth and Nutrition of Young
Children; contributed resources on maternal and newborn
care and complimentary feeding

Reviewed Resource Guide 2: Infant and Toddler

Anne Sellers
Development and Preschooler’s Development

Mary Hennigan Contributed articles on nutrition and brain development

Reviewed Rights and Protection section of Resource

Jackie Ogega
Guide 5

Reviewed Resource Guide 1: Approaches to ECD;

contributed resources: THRIVE’s organizational
assessment tool-ECD HOCAI; THRIVE’s Things You Can
Adele Clark
Do and Toys You Can Make Manual, Essential Package;
Malawi Positive Parenting Counseling Card; pictures
and illustrations

Reviewed pre-posttest questionnaire of the curriculum;

John Hembling
reviewed curriculum session and training evaluation forms

Reviewed Resource Guide 4: Administration and Finance

Eshetu Kassa
of ECD Program

Meghan Armistead Reviewed Adult Learning and contributed related resources

Facilitated typing, converted pdf files to text, printed

Mary Riddick various copies of the draft curriculum and shipped it on
time to country programs

6 EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT CURRICULUM

CRS SCORE ECD Project

Reviewed curriculum and contributed ECD links and

Michelle Gilfillan resources from CRS peer organizations e.g. WHO’s Care
for Child Development

Reviewed and provided input on guidelines for Spiritual

Care and Support of Young Children; facilitated
Sr. Pauline Silver Acayo the review of the ECD curriculum by government
representatives, SCORE national ECD Advisory
Committee, sisters associations, and ACWECA

Wrote the six-module CRS-SCORE ECD Curriculum,

Selamawit Tadesse, CRS-SCORE Technical Advisor, ECD including pre-posttest and session and training
evaluation forms

CRS SCORE ECD Curriculum Review Committee

Sr. Pauline Silver Acayo, SCORE ECD Project Coordinator Needs/gaps assessment and analysis of sister
congregations’ technical ECD capacity
Daniel Oloo, SCORE Program Manager/Kenya
Needs/gaps assessment and analysis of individual sisters’
Sr. Jane Wanjiru, SCORE Program Coordinator, ECD technical knowledge and skills capacity
Association of Sisterhood Kenya (AOSK) Identified and selected ECD materials, including national
ECD policy documents
Bertha Phiri, SCORE Program Manager /Zambia
Reviewed the ECD curriculum with particular attention
Sr. Astridah Banda, SCORE Program Coordinator, Zambia to children aged zero to two, spirituality, inclusiveness,
Association of Sisters (ZAS) cultural appropriateness, and practicality of training
objectives, activities, materials, and duration of training
Clara Joaki & Monica Chiwalo SCORE Program Managers/
sessions
Malawi
Contributed case stories from sisters’ lived experiences
Sr. Rebecca Mathole, SCORE program Coordinator, with young children, families, and communities
Association of Women Religious in Malawi (AWRIM)
Reviewed the curriculum’s pre-posttest questionnaire
Reviewed the session and training evaluation form
Selamawit Tadesse, CRS-SCORE Technical Advisor, ECD
Piloted the ECD curriculum

Sister Congregations Associations

Sr. Eneless Chimbali - Secretary General, Association of Reviewed the ECD curriculum with special focus on ECD
Consecrated women in East & Central Africa (ACWECA) spiritual guidelines

Reviewed all resource guides with special attention

Sr. Agnes Wamuyu Ngure Executive Secretary –
to Resource Guide 1: Guideline for Spiritual Care and
Association of Sisterhoods of Kenya (AOSK)
Development of Young Children

Reviewed all resource guides with special attention

Sr. Mary Magdalen Ndawala T.S., Executive Secretary –
to Resource Guide 1: Guideline for Spiritual Care and
Association of Women Religious in Malawi (AWRIM)
Development of Young Children

Reviewed all resource guides with special attention

Sr. Anne Phiri Executive Secretary – Zambia Association
to Resource Guide 1: Guideline for Spiritual Care and
of Sisterhoods (ZAS)
Development of Young Children

EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT CURRICULUM 7

 SCORE ECD Global Advisory Committee

Sr. Susan Calre Ndezo Vice Cahir of Association of

Religious Women in Uganda (ARU)
Sr. Eneless Chimbali – Secretary General, Association of
Consecrated women in East & Central Africa (ACWECA)
Sr. Prisca Matengo – Chairperson of ACWECA
Sr. Anne Christine Kizza – Superior General of Our Lady
of Reparatrix
Sr. Jane Wakahiu – Executive Director, Association of
Sisters Educational Collaborative (ASEC) and Sisters Reviewed all of the resource and facilitation guides of the
Leadership Development Initiative (SLDI). ECD curriculum
Sr. Jane Kailu Thomas – Program Officer Human
Rights Program and National AOSK Justice and Peace
Commission
Sr. Mariana Bbalo – Member of ACWECA Executive
Nancy Freeman, Member of Global Advisory Committee
based in U.S.A.

UNICEF, Zambia

Provided UNICEF resources: Integrated Management of

Given Daka – Education Specialist (ECD) UNICEF Childhood Illness
Gibson Nchimunya – Education Officer-ECD UNICEF Caring for the child’s healthy growth and development
adopted in Resource Guide 6

Save the Children, Zambia

Facilitated a MOU between CRS Zambia and Save the

Brighton Nchimunya – Essential Package Specialist
Children, Zambia to adapt the Essential Package into
Save the Children
SCORE ECD curriculum and train sisters on the EP.

National ECD Office

Ms. Wenyaa Nasaba – Assistant Director – Quality and Contributed ECD policy documents and standards for
Standards; Ministry of Education, Nairobi Kenya. quality early childhood environment

Accredited the CRS-SCORE ECD Curriculum to be used

Malawi Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and
a national resource for training ECD service providers
Social Welfare
including sisters.

SCORE ECD National Advisory Board

Francis Chalamanda – Ministry of Gender, ECD, Children,

disability and social welfare – Malawi
Reviewed all of the resource and facilitation guides of the
Mike Maulidi – District social welfare officer – Malawi ECD curriculum
Martha Sitali – Ministry of Education and ECD in Zambia

8 EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT CURRICULUM

Foreword

EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT CURRICULUM 9

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