Page 1 - LESSION 15.pmd

Profile of an ECCE Centre

Notes
15

PROFILE OF AN ECCE

CENTRE

Three-year-old Geeta enters an Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE)
Centre for the first time. She looks around and is attracted to the colours,
textures, the well-arranged space, toys and the teacher. She finds the place
interesting and feels happy about spending her days here. For the next three
hours she plays and listens to stories. She also reads, learns new things,
works with crayons and pastels. She has her meal with her new friends. At
the end of the day, she returns home with a smile on her face and is eager to
go back to the school the next day.

What qualities of the ECCE centre made Geeta feel happy at the end of the day?

An ECCE centre should be a place for joyful learning for children between the
ages of three to eight years. Young children strive to make sense of the world in
which they live. They try to organise the visual images and concrete objects in
their environment into meaningful systems. For this to happen, children need a
safe environment where they are encouraged to explore their surroundings and
get rewarded for exploring. They need an environment that is rich in sensory
stimulations and which provides opportunities for using their imagination and
creativity.
In this lesson, we will try to find out what elements make an ECCE centre an
inviting, stimulating and engaging learning place. This lesson is divided into four
sections. The first section is on identification of location dealing with space
management. The second section is on infrastructural facilities. The third section
is on recruitment of ECCE personnel; types of ECCE staff, their recruitment,
supervision and monitoring. The fourth section deals with mobilisation and
utilisation of financial resources.

EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION 93