Research from fields ranging from neuroscience to economics, supported by rigorous studies of health, nutrition, parenting, play, and early learning interventions, have made it clear that investments in play-based early childhood development (ECD) are effective and offer a robust return on investment.
BRAC and Right to Play embrace this and have long pioneered and championed the importance of ECD and learning through play.
BRAC’s play-based ECD interventions are high-quality, low-cost, scalable, and tailored to different contexts. BRAC’s flagship model, Play Labs, is designed based on cutting-edge research in child development and in collaboration with local communities using a participatory approach.
BRAC’s strategy for systemic impact emphasizes the active participation of local stakeholders and community members, especially families, communities, and educators in program design and implementation. Play Leaders, who are usually young women from the local area are trained to promote and lead child-centered activities. Caregivers and communities partake in sessions including those on play-based learning and gender transformative curricula and also support with developing play materials. The panel will share the key factors behind the sustainability of the model, which includes working with government partners to integrate play-based ECD into the national education systems and co-locate Play Labs in government schools, curriculum development, teacher learning and training manuals in addition to incorporating pedagogy and activities from the Play Lab curriculum.
Currently being piloted in seven refugee and urban communities in Uganda and Tanzania, Play to Grow, Right to Play’s new parenting model, works with parents and caregivers of children aged three to six, empowering them with strategies and support to foster their children’s social and emotional skills and early literacy and numeracy through play. A parent equipped to respond to early developmental and educational needs can strengthen the foundation of their children’s future learning and growth. Through Play to Grow, parents learn about more than their children’s social-emotional and educational developmental needs, they learn skills and strategies to address those needs themselves.
This fireside chat, along with discussing the sustainability and systemic impact of the Play Lab model and the Play to Grow Parenting program, will also emphasize that this work is core to ensuring that every child receives high-quality ECD services, providing the foundation for them to continue learning and thriving as resilient and adaptable adults for the rest of their lives.
