Evaluating access, quality and equity in ECD with IDELA

• In Event: Highlighted Session: Global Partnerships in Early Learning Evaluation with IDELA

Proposal

International Development and Early Learning Assessment (IDELA) was developed with an aim to support continuous program improvement across Save the Children’s numerous country sites, to increase accountability among ECD initiatives globally, and to offer data and evidence about children’s learning and development across countries that can help governments and global actors bring successful ECD programs to scale. Since its public release in 2014, the IDELA has been used for evaluations by Save the Children and numerous partner organizations in 33 countries. IDELA is a holistic, rigorous, open source assessment that is easily adapted and used in different national and cultural contexts. ,
Recent studies using global indicator data have clearly shown the need for more attention and support for ECD programs that better support children’s early learning and development, but little is known about what programs are actually the most effective, especially for the world’s neediest children. This paper will present an overview of recent IDELA evidence collected by Save the Children and global partners to investigate which ECD approaches are most impactful for children in LMICs based on data from actual programs. Specifically, we will present evidence related to who is in enrolled in ECD programs, what they are learning and who is at the most risk of being left behind. Thus we will address issues of the access, quality and equity of ECD programs in LMICs.
First we will present data from Save the Children program areas in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Cambodia, Ethiopia and Rwanda which corroborates the global statistics that highlight the fact that the world’s most disadvantaged children also tend to be the ones without access to ECD programs and therefore are the most in need for stronger early learning support. Next, evidence from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Nepal display the importance of high quality learning environments both in center-based programs and in homes. Finally, study results from Bhutan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Laos, Lebanon, and Vietnam highlight the need for a continued focus on equity in ECD, and specific support for the neediest children in any community.
Discuss of results will be framed around Sustainable Development Goal 4, which stipulates that “no education target should be considered met unless met by all.” Thus striving to improve the wellbeing of children overall is a noble goal, but is insufficient in itself. ECD programming that helps wealthier, majority language/ethnicity, or urban children more so than poorer, minority, or rural children could actually exacerbate inequities, and identifying existing gaps is the first step to resolving them.

Pisani, L., Borisova, I., & Dowd, A. J. (2015). International Development and Early Learning Assessment Technical Working Paper. Save the Children. Washington, DC. Available at: http://resourcecentre.savethechildren.se/library/international-development-and-early-learning-assessment-technical-paper
Wolf, S., Halpin, P., Yoshikawa, H., Dowd, A., Pisani, L, Borisova, A. (2015). Measuring school readiness globally: Assessing the construct validity and measurement invariance of the International Development and Early Learning Assessment (IDELA) in Ethiopia. New York University. New York, NY. Available at: http://resourcecentre.savethechildren.se/library/assessing-construct-validity-save-childrens-international-development-and-early-learning

Authors

• Sara Poehlman, Save the Children

• Lauren Pisani, Save the Children

• Amy Jo Dowd, Save the Children

• Jonathan Michael Seiden, Save the Children