The Releasing Confidence and Creativity: Early Childhood Development Programme in Pakistan (RCC: ECD programme) is the work of a team of hundreds of talented, imaginative and dedicated people who have come together to work on facilitating and implementing a holistic approach to Early Childhood Development (ECD) in the targeted communities. The RCC: ECD programme works to influence the environments affecting the child, family, community, school and policy, so that they are supportive of young children’s overall development.

The idea of RCC: ECD programme was initiated by the Aga Khan Foundation, Pakistan [AKF(P)] in 2002, when it was observed that the kachi (pre-primary class) had become mere child minding space for young children and their younger siblings, rather than a place for learning. The RCC: ECD programme began as a way to initiate efforts on ECD that focuses on children from 0-8 age group. The RCC: ECD programme, with the financial aid and support of the Royal Netherlands Embassy (RNE), currently has seven partner organizations. RNE continues to facilitate and expand the work on ECD with three implementing partners and works directly in schools and communities in the targeted districts, while the rest provide technical support in the form of teachers’ training, curriculum and material development, health and nutrition, community participation in education as well as overall development of a child, dissemination component (including Pakistan’s first ECD magazine and on-line resources), research into the various dimensions of ECD, and assistance to diverse needs of the programme as and when required. Each partner works towards a common goal. The distinct responsibilities of each organization help ensure that the partnerships stay strong and focused.

The family seems to be the most effective and economical system for fostering and sustaining the child’s development initiatives therefore, RCC: ECD programme also aims to work with parents/care-givers to increase their knowledge, skills and confidence in their abilities to support their children’s development in the critical early years period from pre-conception to three years. Moreover RCC also focuses on the health and nutrition of young children along with their mothers either through awareness raising sessions for parents or activities such as regular growth monitoring and health camps activities within the schools and communities.

Seeing an RCC classroom in progress is really interesting as the government teacher and an RCC community teacher work together to bring about an innovative change within their classroom. The teaching techniques adopted by them are developmentally appropriate for enhanced learning; gone are the desks, rote learning and the threats of physical punishment. Instead, the focus is on active learning, encouragement, learning corners, attention to diverse learning styles of the children, large and small group work along with independent work. Each classroom has designated learning areas that include language, home, math, life skills, arts, book corners and more. The daily routine has been divided in such a manner that each day children can participate in planning for their work and also in carrying out their plans. Children then sit with the teacher and recall what tasks they had decided to do and why. During such discussions, conflicts do arise at times between them, but this gives children the opportunities to solve conflicts amongst one another with little teacher intervention. During review time, children recall where they spent their work time, in what corners and the kind of materials that they played with. This helps generate discussions amongst the children as well and helps them become focused on tasks that they have accomplished.

The RCC: ECD programme reaches out to more than 250 schools and thousands of children and community members. The benefits of the programme span the entire community: Children touched by the programme are healthy and excited about their learning while teachers enthuse about new ways of teaching, fathers are proud and happy with the progress of their children and mothers knowing about their health and nutrition participate in classrooms and awareness sessions. In the wider communities, government education officers take pride in bringing in visitors to see the RCC classroom in action. The programme continues its efforts to live up to its name of Releasing Confidence and Creativity within everyone who is a part of the programme.