Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja launched the Nairobi Early Childhood Development Programme.
This is in line with the governor’s vision of making Nairobi a city of order, dignity, hope, and opportunity to all.
The Nairobi City County Government is committed to delivering an integrated, multisectoral Early Childhood Development Programme (ECD) that leverages on existing systems to deliver strategic interventions that would ensure all children in Nairobi develop to their optimal potential.
The transformative goal of the Nairobi ECD Programme is to ensure that 95% of children under six years are developmentally on track in health, learning, and social-emotional well-being by 2030.
The key objectives of the programme are; to promote the provision of quality, stimulating, and nurturing childrencare services for all children under 3 years within health centres, communities and households, to provide opportunities for early learning through equitable access to quality and intergrated play-based learning for 3-6 year old children in pre-school, to improve children’s adequate nutrition, school enrollment, retention and performance through school feeding programme (Dishi na County), to create opportunities for outdoor play in communal spaces to impact children’s physical, cognitive, and social-emotional wellbeing, and to create awareness and support for the provision of nurturing care among parents and caregivers through social behavioural change communication.
Speaking during the launch, Sakaja reassured his commitment to making Nairobi a city of opportunities to all.
“Nairobi loves its children. I am very passionate about children welfare.
Early childhood development is a good equaliser, and it offers every child an opportunity to achieve their dreams. No child will be left behind.”
“We have to invest in our children for a greater future. We are committed to bringing up healthy and well developed children. I am championing for this, and Nairobi will be an example of how to take care of children.
It’s a paradigm shift on how we look at our children and their future.” Sakaja said.
The governor also revealed the plans to make this programme a success.
“We will train our 7820 Community Health Promoters (CHPs) to deliver parental coaching on nurturing care.
800 public health workers will also be trained to facilitate mainstreaming of the teaching of nurturing care practices in all 122 health centres.
Another 10,000 childcare providers will be trained to provide and stimulate and nurture childcare services.
To create communal spaces to impact physical, cognitive, and social-emotional wellbeing, we will construct 3 playgrounds in every ward, “Sakaja added.
Sakaja also revealed plans to expand Dishi na County Programme,
“To solve malnutrition problems in our schools, we will scale up Dishi na County to informal schools as we increase capacity in our public schools.
This programme has full support from my government.
The governor also thanked all the stakeholders in the programme, including The Agakhan Foundation and Big Win Philanthropy.
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