| dc.description.abstract | Low access levels can be explained by lack of adequate funding to ECDE
centres and failure to mainstream ECD education to the education system in
Kenya inspite of being critical in laying the foundation for performance in the
subsequent levels of education. The purpose of this study was to investigate
whether community support grants enhanced children’s access to early
childhood development education centres in Nyandarua South Sub County.
Specifically, the study aimed to examine the relationship between Community
Support Grants and enrolment rate in ECDE; establish the relationship
between Community Support Grants provided and children’s retention rate;
investigate the relationship between Community Support Grants provided to
ECDE centres and the availability of teaching/learning materials in ECDE
centres and investigate the relationship between the Community Support
Grants and infrastructure provided in the ECDE centres in Nyandarua South
Sub County. This study used descriptive survey and targeted 56 Public ECDE
centres, 56 ECDE teachers, 48 headteachers and 3 DICECE officers in
Nyandarua South Sub County, a total of 163 respondents. Stratified Random
Sampling was used to sample 48 headteachers, 56 teachers and 3 programme
officers. Data was collected using questionnaires, observation checklists and
school records. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse data. Most (55%) of
the teachers indicated that they could attribute the higher enrolment of
children in their ECD centre as a result of Community Support Grants.
Majority of the teachers (76%) of the teachers indicated that they had no
problem of absenteeism in their ECD class. Majority (60%) indicated that
attendance of children had been positively affected by availability of CSG. A
significant number (87%) of the headteachers indicated that the available
teaching and learning materials were inadequate considering the number of
children in the ECD centres. A significant number 87% of teachers in the
study indicated that the facilities in the ECDE centres were inadequate in
relationship to the school population. The researcher concluded that
Community Support Grants had enhanced children’s access to Early
Childhood Development Education Centres in Nyandarua South Sub-County.
However the researcher noted that the improvement in access to ECD
education has only been to a small extent. The study identified a number of
strategies that can be employed to mitigate the challenges facing ECD centres
such as increasing CSG funding, mainstreaming ECD centres in the Ministry
of Education, employment of ECD teachers by the government, prompt
releasing of CSGs to schools and initiating income generating projects to
supplement CSG in the respective schools. Questionnaires were administered
to respondents and the following conclusions were made; underpayment of
ECD teachers was noted and teachers’ salaries were paid in bits.
xv
The researcher recommended that school fees for ECD children should be
reduced and subsidised by the government, inclusion of ECD centres in Free
Primary Education Programme, employment of teachers by the government
and initiating income generating projects to supplement Community Support
Grants to increase access to children from poor households. | en_US |
