• A child’s journey begins at home — and parents and caregivers are their first and most important teachers. That’s why our Responsive and Protective Parenting program equips families with the tools they need to nurture their children’s development from the start. 
• Delivered through home visits, group sessions, and radio broadcasts, our programs prioritize quality parent-child play activities and promote “positive” or “responsive” parenting practices: ensuring that children have adequate supervision as well as proper nutrition, hygiene and sanitation. We train trusted community facilitators to lead parenting sessions on brain development, child safety, and positive parenting. Families facing additional challenges receive personalized support, including home-based coaching and referrals to essential services. 
• These interventions transform homes into safe, stimulating environments where children's earliest developmental needs are met with love and understanding.

Learn More:

•  The Busia Maternal Newborn & Childhood Survival Project | Uganda 
• This intervention contributed to improved knowledge of positive pregnancy, postpartum and family health care, including the importance of early childhood immunization. Women aged 15-49 who knew at least four maternal danger signs during pregnancy increased by 13%, and mothers aware of at least four key child family health care practices (such as immunization) increased by 29%. Learn More | Evidence Snapshot

• As children grow, we support their development through structured, play-based learning for ages 3–5. We construct ECD centers, rehabilitate infrastructure, supply age-appropriate play materials, and train caregivers on early learning. Our play-based approach aligns with Uganda’s National Learning Framework, promoting holistic growth—cognitive, emotional, physical, and social—while nurturing a love for learning. Knowing that well-nourished children learn better, we work closely with parents to provide nutritious midday meals that support healthy development. Through mentorship and strong community involvement, we build sustainable early learning environments that lay a solid foundation for children’s future success in school and life.

The transition from early childhood to primary school is a pivotal moment — one where a child’s early gains can be sustained or lost. We work hand in hand with primary schools to ensure children aged 6 to 8 continue to thrive by equipping teachers with child-centered teaching methods and strengthening collaboration between ECD centers and primary schools for smooth, supportive transitions.

This ensures that children enter primary school with confidence, in environments that nurture their curiosity and build on their early learning foundations. This continuity reduces dropout rates, helping every child stay on track with their education.

In FY24, all 80 ChildFund-supported ECD centres in 32 districts registered a 100% transition to primary school

Recognizing that strong systems are key to lasting change, we align our work with the Ministry of Education and Sports’ ECD policy. This ensures our interventions — from teacher training to curriculum support — uphold national standards and contribute to the creation of cohesive, inclusive, and sustainable systems.

We work closely with the Ministry, particularly district education departments, to enhance the skills and capacity of ECD caregivers and teachers. We support Centre Coordinating Tutors (CCTs) and District Inspectors of Schools (DIS) to mentor and coach educators on the use of the national Learning Framework and developmentally appropriate daily routines.

Additionally, we collaborate with partners like Madrasa ECD centers to train caregivers in creating play and learning materials using locally available resources, ensuring that quality ECD is contextually relevant and effective.

Beyond program delivery, we are also advancing policy reforms, promoting innovation in ECD practices, advocating for efficient resource allocation, and promoting meaningful engagement with a broad range of stakeholders to strengthen systems and scale sustainable change.

Sustainable transformation requires systemic change. We actively shape ECCE policy through participation in national working groups, the African Early Childhood Network, and Uganda's Learning Through Play Community of Practice. By bringing grassroots experience to policy discussions and advocating for play-based learning methodologies, we help create an enabling environment for early childhood development nationwide.

Key advocacy engagements include:

• ChildFund supports the National Curriculum Development Center to develop appropriate learning materials for children in ECD centers.
• We are collaborating with the Ministry of Health in the development of a responsive and protective parenting curriculum rooted in the Nurturing Care Framework.
• ChildFund supports the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MoGLSD) in the implementation and dissemination of the National Integrated ECD Policy. This is through building capacities of IECD structures to be able to perform their roles besides direct implementation of the policy guidelines.