First Principles
Designing Effective Education Programs for Early Childhood Development
by Rachel Christina
This First Principles: Designing Effective Education Program for Early Childhood Development provides strategies that support the expansion of early childhood development (ECD) programming in countries where counterpart governments request it. The principles, steps, and indicators are primarily meant to guide program designs, including the development of requests for and subsequent review of proposals, the implementation of program activities, and the development of performance management plans, evaluations, and research studies. The First Principles are intended to help USAID education officers specifically, as well as other stakeholders– including staff in donor agencies, government officials, and staff working for international and national non-governmental organizations–who may be tasked with promoting, developing, and implementing ECD programs funded through education streams. The guidance provided in this document is meant to be used and adapted for a variety of settings to help educators overcome the numerous challenges in supporting this youngest population. The last section provides references and resources for those who would like to learn more about issues and methods for supporting early childhood programming. The Digest version provides a brief overview of key considerations for quality early childhood programming. For those who are interested in knowing more, the Compendium provides greater depth on this topic.