Overview > The ELMA Foundation > Early Childhood Development > Strengthening ECD in Uganda
Special Initiative:
Strengthening Early Childhood Development in Uganda
The ELMA Foundation’s emerging Early Childhood Development (ECD) strategy in Uganda aims to expand access to and improve the quality of early childhood services, and to improve government capacity and its resources to deliver, measure, and improve child development and learning. ELMA is seeking co-funding partners to evolve this strategy, and bring it to scale.
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ELMA’s strategy entails:
Building a community of practice so that grantees and other stakeholders will work collaboratively and share solutions and lessons learned through the course of developing and implementing their programs. Rather than a competitive approach, this community of practice aims to develop best practices and models suited for the Ugandan context and move the entire ECD sector forward.
Strengthening the ECD workforce by supporting and expanding the institutional capacity of key ECD teacher training entities, so that the sector will have more certified early childhood practitioners who will be officially recognized by the Ministry of Education.
Supporting grantees’ learning through the community of practice and establishing sound measurement approaches early in our engagement with grantees. Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) will be a partner in learning and evaluation through the course of the investments.
Current Investments

Project support to plan, deliver, supervise, and provide access to quality ECD services for 6,366 children aged 3-6 years and to strengthen the capacity of government at the national level
General support to an organization that coordinates civil society stakeholders and strengthens the capacity of key government entities to develop and implement policies and guidelines for the ECD sector
Project support to train and certify 90 ECD tutors at diploma level and 1,000 caregivers at certificate level, and provide technical assistance to 10 teacher training institutions to deliver an accelerated pre-service and in-service ECD caregiver training
General support to an organization focused on expanding its home‐based ECD model through direct service delivery and technical assistance to partners, in order to reach 10,275 children in 14 districts with quality ECD services
Project support to improve quality, consistency, and coverage of parenting programs by institutionalizing a technical training resource hub and expanding the evidence-based Parenting for Respectability program to five districts
Project support to improve access to quality ECD services for 7,000 children, strengthen parent and caregiver knowledge and skills, and replicate best practices of a community-based ECD model
General support for an organization focused on advancing the quality of ECD teacher education
Project support to provide technical assistance to the National Childhood Development Agency to analyze current ECD financing and plan for increased ECD investment and coordination
