Interventions that Matter Start with Local Cultures: Issues and Strategies in Early Childhood Care and Education Interventions in Africa
Child development is a biocultural project, as caregivers seek to raise their children to be successful in their unique cultural environment. Developmental milestones, dynamics, and pathways vary across cultures. As such, early childhood care and education (ECCE) programs have a responsibility to ensure relevance to, and ownership by, beneficiary children and caregivers. The rise of so-called global frameworks for ECCE often inadvertently serve to characterize communities in non-Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) countries (and in Africa in particular) as lacking conducive home environments and knowledge to support optimal child development. The research underpinning these frameworks largely originated from WEIRD contexts. We assert that basing ECCE programming on these frameworks neglects indigenous wisdom and replicates cultural imperialism. Community ownership in ECCE programming helps promote respect for human agency of the beneficiaries, avoid colonialism of concepts and procedures, build upon local resources, and meet real community needs. This ultimately bolsters the success and sustainability of ECCE programmes. Read more…