Education & Healthcare for 1250 children in India

Over the years the expectation of high quality outcomes in ECCE centers has increased dramatically. This is one of the key reasons for the parents to opt for private schools against the existing Anganwadi center in the village/urban area and this trend is only growing. Therefore understanding the current needs and engaging children in diverse activities in the center to enhance their abilities is essential and the current requirement. According to J Krishmurthy, the eminent educator -“Education can be transformed only by educating the educator, and not merely creating a new pattern, a new system of action.” Prajayatna with its engagement in the field for twenty years has been successful in designing teachers and assistant teachers’ collectives (from the basic orientation level to advanced level) to cater to the ongoing needs of teachers to function effectively in the centers and the same has been implemented in the field and it’s impact can be seen in the children and the teachers.

In Yelahanka circle, considering the present abilities of  teachers and in order to strengthen them further Prajayatna has been conducting collective meetings for both teachers and assistant teachers. Through these meetings, a basic understanding of the child’s physical and cognitive development, importance of nurturing the child within certain age and its impact, learning activities do and don’ts with these children, etc and to engage children in activities to enhance overall growth of each child in the center. In the previous collective held on 5^th May 2017, the attention was on equipping the assistant teachers, providing input for them on understand the expectation of parents, what are the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders including parents, department, local community and teachers, relooking at learning objectives, learning practices in the center, role of a teacher and how to evaluate child’s progress etc. As a result of input received in the collective meeting, the assistant teachers have become much more confident and active in engaging children in learning activities, assist teacher as per the center requirement and on the whole they have become capable of handling children in the absence of teachers as well.  

The Center Observation Process

The teacher and assistant teacher at LBS Nagar anganwadi now enjoy the learning process as much as the children do. As the teacher is busy teaching action songs to the children - Baro illi Giri and Chikka Putta Jeda, the assistant teacher observes each child and encourages the non participative child to participate in the singing process.  The coordinated engagement of teacher and assistant teacher in encouraging children to learn in a joyful manner has resulted in their regular attendance to the center. The new child as old as one month to the center is able to sing the rhyme which the teacher has taught in the center, and can narrate few lines from a story told by the teacher.  This can be considered as an indicator of the child’s learning in the center. This development became possible through Classroom Observation and Feedback mechanism of Prajayatna. The center observation process of Prajayatna serves as feedback mechanism and onsite support to the teachers to enhance their ability. When the Prajayatna team member visited the LBS Nagar center and observed the whole day process, based on the observation, provided certain input for the teacher and assistant teacher on the aspects of voice modulation, actions while narrating a story or action songs and the way of observing the child and encouraging each child to engage in the activity by knowing the context in which each child has come to the center etc., along with practical examples. The given feedback is taken seriously by both teacher and the assistant teacher, which can be seen in their efforts to improve and implement the center activities. The result of this is visible in enhanced learning level of children in the center.

 Turning empty walls of Anganwadi into colorful pictures

The group of 12 volunteers from Cognizant Software Company have come to support Anganwadi children and their learning through converting the Anganwadi center’s empty walls into colorful pictures. Rama from Cognizant came in contact of Prajayatna team members, and conveyed that the team of volunteers are ready to work for Anganwadi. Prajayatna team member guided her in leading her to team do wall painting in the Pramila Anganwadi center at Yalahanka Upanaga. Subsequently 12 volunteers lead by Rama visited the center and spoke to the Pramila teacher about the kind of pictures that would be suitable for children’s learning, considering her suggestion; they have painted beautiful pictures, numbers and alphabets and hence, indirectly supported children learning. 

• Volunteers involvement (DOCX)