‘Navchetana - National Framework for Early Childhood Stimulation (ECS)’ released | Current Affairs

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Framework document aims to fill the conceptual and practical gaps in understanding and implementing care and stimulation from birth until the first three years of a child’s growth.

Childhood Stimulation: Stimulation activities involve intentional efforts to activate the child’s early development.

Need of ECS
- At this age baby’s brain is twice as active as an adult’s brain and patterns of thinking and responding are established.
- At birth only 25% of the eventual brain is formed, while 75% develops in the first 3 years of a child’s life.

Key highlights of the ECS Framework
- Objective: To empower caregivers and Anganwadi Workers for holistic early stimulation, through responsive caregiving and opportunities for early learning, for optimal development of children.
- Document emphasizes on two of the five components of nurturing care framework: ‘responsive caregiving’ and ‘creating opportunities for early learning’.
  - Nurturing care framework for Early Childhood Development was provided by WHO in 2018.
- Entails 36 sets of activities for children from months 0 to 36 for holistic stimulation of child’s cognitive, socio-emotional, language, physical, and creative development.

Article 45: Directs the State to provide ECCE for all children until they complete the age of six years.
Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009: Provides that appropriate government may make necessary arrangements for pre-school education.
National Education Policy, 2020: Recommended a sub-framework for 0-3 years old under National Curricular and Pedagogical Framework for Early Childhood Care and Education.
Others: India is also a signatory to the International Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) 1989.

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