Early Childhood Development
We include the views of young children in research and evaluation through play-based methods.
Featured Project
UNICEF Evaluation Office
Global Evaluation Synthesis of UNICEF’s Early Childhood Development Kits
The ECD Kits were created by UNICEF in 2009 to strengthen the response for young children caught in conflict or emergencies. Since that time, the ECD kits have also been used more broadly in UNICEF supported early childhood education programming to encourage play-based teaching and learning.
Our Contributions
Conduct desk research to understand the scope and programmatic components of the ECD kits globally for UNICEF programming.
Design participatory and mixed methods data collection tools to compare case studies from Uganda, Senegal and South Sudan.
Conduct field work to gather data from ECD kit users, including parents of children 5 and under, service providers and children in refugee settlements and remote areas.
Develop an interactive map of ECD kit use cases from UNICEF Country Offices around the world.
Evaluation Products
Laos Case Study
My Village ECD TV Evaluation
Example Publications
UNICEF. (2021). Evaluation of “Achieving Healthy Growth, Learning and Development for Young Children of the Sahel”. Evaluation Office and UNICEF West and Central Africa Regional Office.
UNICEF. (2021). Global Evaluation of Early Childhood Development and Early Stimulation and Responsive Care, 2014-2021. Co-authored with Philip Zelazo, Caroline Frobel, Conrad Barberton, and Jonathan Carter.
UNICEF. (2019). Early Childhood Development Kit for Emergencies: Evaluation Synthesis and Policy Brief. UNICEF Evaluation Office, New York.
UNICEF. (2019). Impact Evaluation on Play-Based Early Learning and Development through UNICEF’s Early Childhood Development (ECD) Kit. UNICEF Evaluation Office, New York. Co-authored with the American Institute of Research.
UNICEF. (2019). Early Childhood Development Kit Humanitarian Evaluation. UNICEF Uganda Country Office, Kampala.
UNICEF. (2018). Evaluability Assessment of UNICEF’s Global #EarlyMomentsMatter Campaign. UNICEF Division of Communication, New York.
UNICEF. (2018). #EarlyMomentsMatter Integrated Campaign: Monitoring and Evaluation Guide. UNICEF Division of Communication, New York.
UNICEF. (2014). Review of Evidence on P.L.A.Y., Play and Learning Activity for Youth in Haiti and Bangladesh. UNICEF Evaluation Office, New York.