Playful Futures: Integrating Play and Data for Improved Early Childhood Education

• In Event: Developing Digitized Tools for LtP ECE Programming

Proposal

Between 2021 and 2025, Plan International implemented the Playful Futures project across six districts in Uganda, aiming to improve pre-primary education through play-based and gender-responsive teaching methods. The project developed comprehensive interventions for teachers, mentors, community leaders, and parents, creating a holistic learning environment for children aged 3-6.

The key Playful Futures intervention is a four-day, hands-on training for pre-primary teachers and mentors, focused on Learning through Play (LtP) and gender-responsive teaching. This initial training is supplemented by three additional sessions throughout the year to reinforce teachers' knowledge, skills, and confidence. Mentors receive a separate three-day training on effective mentoring. Additionally, peer-learning circles and one-on-one mentoring at ECE centers provide ongoing professional support. Community leaders promote LtP within their communities, while parents contribute by collecting local play materials for use in ECE centers.

During the pilot phase, the project was implemented in 40 ECE centers, engaging 133 pre-primary teachers and 54 mentors. While waiting for results from a randomized control trial (RCT), the project team monitored how well LtP practices were being adopted by teachers. Although changes to the overall project model were not feasible mid-RCT, training content could be adjusted based on classroom observations, allowing the team to identify and address areas where teachers needed further support.

Using learning loops enabled data-driven decision-making by providing real-time, easily accessible intervention data. A tailored classroom observation tool, adapted from the LEGO Foundation’s PLAY tool, was used to measure LtP practices used by teachers. The tool featured simple scoring metrics, facilitating accurate and timely data collection, and providing the project team with actionable insights that were easy to interpret.

Enumerators recorded observations using pen and paper, which allowed for detailed, organic observations of classroom dynamics. Afterward, they scored and digitized the data for analysis.

To enhance data accessibility and visualization, we developed a Power BI dashboard. Not only did this dashboard provide real-time analysis of critical metrics such as trends in LtP and gender-responsive practices across districts and academic terms, but it also made data interaction playful and engaging for project staff. The intuitive, interactive features of the dashboard encouraged exploration, making it fun for the team to disaggregate data by various parameters and see the impact instantly. The dashboard’s design fostered excitement around data engagement, making the learning process feel dynamic and enjoyable.

This real-time data engagement resolved a common issue in M&E, where delays in analyzing and utilizing data hinder effective project adjustments. It also enabled the project team to triangulate classroom observation results with insights gathered from mentors and teachers. This integration of multiple data sources helped fine-tune the training content and activities.

During the Adapt phase, the full set of M&E data, displayed through the dashboard, facilitated discussions among staff and allowed district-based officers to contribute insights. These inputs informed adjustments to content and delivery methods before the project was scaled.

This iterative process ensured the intervention remained flexible and responsive to the needs of teachers, ultimately enhancing the effectiveness of the project.

Authors

• Lucy Barnett, Plan Bornefonden

• Maria Andreina Cantele