Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 13 : Aiming to strengthen early childhood care and education (ECCE] in Maharashtra, a network of 24 Anganwadi Learning Labs was launched on Friday at an event in Rayte village in Kalyan.
This is a part of Reliance Foundation's strategic partnership with the Government of Maharashtra in early childhood care and education in the state. The launch of the network of Anganwadi Learning Labs is an important milestone in this direction to foster age-appropriate development outcomes among three to six-year-old children.
Over 250 parents, children and Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme officials
were part of the formal launch on Friday, sharing their aspirations and perspectives for the centre.
Reliance Foundation is dedicated to enhancing ECCE. Through this partnership in Maharashtra, to improve the learning and development of young children, in addition to capacity building efforts, Reliance Foundation is also creating Anganwadi Learning Labs as demonstration, training and innovation spaces.
At the event, Kailash Pagare, I.A.S., Commissioner, ICDS, Government of Maharashtra, said, "Reliance Foundation has partnered with ICDS Maharashtra on the Early Childhood Care and Education Initiative. Through this partnership, we are leveraging their expertise and resources for all-round development of children. We strongly believe, this initiative will improve the quality of Early Childhood Care and Education services in the Anganwadi centres, ensuring a strong foundation for our children's future."
"We are privileged to partner with the Government of Maharashtra to empower frontline Anganwadi workers, who play a crucial role in early childhood development, and recognising the role of parents, especially a mother in a child's early years. The launch of the Anganwadi Learning Labs is an important moment in this direction. Reliance Foundation will continue to work with the government to build on these initiatives," said a spokesperson from Reliance Foundation.
Reliance Foundation will provide capacity building on play-based learning techniques for 700 Anganwadi Workers and Supervisors as well as focusing on parental and community engagement activities for development of the child. Age-appropriate books, digital and learning infrastructure, besides child-friendly WASH facilities, aligned to Saksham Anganwadi guidelines are being provided in revamped Anganwadi spaces.
These efforts aim to enhance children's "school readiness, as well as their numeracy and literacy skills and the opportunity to reach their full potential."
Rigorous training programmes and continuous support will reach over 10,000 children across Maharashtra. This aligns with Reliance Foundation's vision to provide world-class early childhood care and education to over 10 million children from disadvantaged communities across India. Reliance Foundation is working intensively on ECCE across India, with various state governments through models for capacity building, community engagement and enabling environments to lay a strong foundation for lifelong learning and development for India's children and youth.
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