Last date for nomination: May 12, 2025
About This Course
Course Objective
The objective of this course on ECE is to enable the participants to build a good understanding of how children develop and learn, the process of setting up and running play-based ECE centres, and the development of language and literacy.
Course Outcomes
The course would help participant develop their knowledge, skills, perspective, mindset and practices, so that the participants would be able to:
- Understand how young children develop and learn;
- Create environments in which children thrive;
- Develop respectful family and community relationships;
- Responsible and effective assessment through observation and documentation;
- Teach to promote learning, using varied and effective practices, and knowledge content;
- Become an advocate for children and their rights.
Pre-requisites
Coordinators, supervisors, project officers, project associates and field staff of government (ICDS) and non-government organizations working in early childhood education can opt for this course. Openness to learn, unlearn, experiment and reflect is necessary.Expected Commitment
| Phases | Module | Activity/No of hours | Mode of Delivery | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Four-days residential workshop [Jul 1st-4th] | Face to Face | Pune | |
| Phase 2 | Assignment |
|
Face to Face | At participant's work location |
| Phase 3 | Online sessions and meetings | |
Online | |
| Phase 4 | Four-days residential workshop [Sep 10th-13th] | |
Face to Face | Pune |
Course Details
The course will have five modules: How children develop and learn, social emotional development, language and communication, integrated learning through play, and teaching practices. Two in-person contact sessions of four days each will cover the modules. The workshops will be held in Pune. The exposure visit will be held in Phaltan. There will be a gap of two months between each contact session. Small tasks to be carried out with children will be given every month to maintain continuity between the contact sessions. The discussions will take place online.About The Resource Organization
Pragat Shikshan Sanstha (PSS) is an educational enterprise. PSS firmly believes in disseminating its innovative practices and in reaching out to various stakeholders in the education system and the community at large. It has been actively involved in promoting early literacy in Municipal and Zilla Parishad Schools through the Reading Writing Improvement Programs managed by its Educational Outreach Unit. It has also been carrying out several programs since 1994, reaching thousands of children from government schools in Maharashtra. Apart from running its own educational programs, PSS is a resource organization offering courses, capacity building workshops and resources in the form of films, posters, videos and books.
Details of the organization are available on the website https://pssphaltan.org/Facilitators
Dr Neelima Gokhale
Neelima Gokhale has a B.Ed. (Hon) ECE and a Ph.D. in ECE from University of South Australia. She has been a kindergarten teacher for 10 years in Hong Kong and an ECE teacher, principal, teacher trainer and curriculum developer in Singapore for 13 years. She headed the team at PSS to develop the Pragat Early Childhood Educators' Course for Rural India in 2007 as the Head of the Department of Early Childhood Education at PSS. She has been responsible for setting up, mentoring and monitoring a lively ECE program at PSS from 2009 to 2012. She has carried out an impact study for CmF (Centre for Microfinance) Rajasthan, as a part of the Nurturing Early Literacy Project.
Manjiri Nimbkar
Manjiri Nimbkar is a medical doctor. After 10 years of medical practice, she became a teacher at Pragat Shikshan Sanstha's Kamala Nimbkar Balbhavan in Phaltan, Maharashtra. She was also the headmaster of the primary section and treasurer, secretary and director of PSS. She did her MA in Elementary Education, winning the gold medal. She, with her team, developed 'Pragat Curriculum for Early Childhood Educators in Rural India', supported by seven (7) booklets, 16 films and 44 posters. In her capacity as an ECE technical partner for Centre for Microfinance, Rajasthan, she gave inputs for setting up model AWCs in Pindwada block.
Anjali Gokhale
Anjali Gokhale has worked with diversified communities and people in Maharashtra and New Delhi. Her major ECE work includes documentation of a five-year initiative to strengthen ECE in Dharni, Tribal Block in Melghat by Centre for Learning Resources (Pune), process documentation of the rolling out of the ECE curriculum in Maharashtra, along with training of State-level Master Trainers in West Bengal. She has developed ECE material and programs for UNICEF in different parts of India and also taken part in extensive training, documentation and systematic monitoring. She has developed several booklets and manuals for nutrition and growth monitoring of children for several state governments.
Dr. Vrushali Dehadray
Dr. Vrushali Dehadray holds an M.Phil. and Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from SNDT Women's University. She served as a faculty member at Indian Institute of Education for 22 years, during which she conducted research projects, organized workshops on Early Childhood Education (ECE), and led national seminars, Since 2022, she has been working as a freelance consultant, providing expertise to renowned NGOs in the field of ECE, including Vikramshila Education Research Society (VERS), Aga Khan Foundation, and QUEST. She is also the President of Maharashtra Balshikshan Parishad's Pune Center.
Dr Dehadray was a nominated member of the committee set up by Department of Education, Government of Maharashtra, to design the State Curriculum Framework for the Foundational Stage. On the behalf of VERS, she has facilitated a three-month online course for AWWs designed by State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Maharashtra. She is also a member of the committee that developed a six-month course for AWWs. Additionally, she contributed to the development of the state counterpart of the document 'Adharshila' (Maitri Balmananshi). She has contributed to the five handbooks developed by SCERT for AWWs as well. She has been working with PSS as a resource person since April 2024. She has designed a parent orientation module and a module on numeracy for Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) and has conducted two training programs for Centre for MicroFinance on behalf of PSS in Rajasthan.
Vidya Ghugari
Vidya Ghugari has a background of social work, child development and education. She has carried out several impact assessment studies in the area of ECE. She has worked for designing module for capacity building of early childhood educators in both government and non-government sectors, working especially for underprivileged children. She has experience in capacity building, mentoring and monitoring, especially in the tribal areas. She has prepared theme-based manuals for teachers. She was a member of the curriculum design team for Chhattisgarh's ECE Program.
Shalaka Deshmukh
Shalaka Deshmukh is an artist who has been associated with young children's education for the past 30 years. She brings the aspect of art and creativity into children's education as a natural pedagogical tool. She is Assistant Secretary and Head of Centre for Quality Education at The Shikshan Mandal, Goregaon, which has been a sister organization of PSS. She has worked with PSS in ECE and language in primary schools. Shalaka practises PSS's pedagogy in her balwadis since 2015 and has found it very rewarding. She also supports PSS in the 'Pustak Maitri' course, talking about illustrations, and bringing print to life through pictures.
Testimonials
"We thoroughly enjoyed learning about ECE. The course was well-structured, focusing on child-centered and experiential learning. I particularly appreciated the emphasis on the importance of free play. The course also helped me engage with problem-solving approaches to be able to shift from rote learning to activity-based learning, and to foster children's holistic development. Moreover, I gained valuable insights into the significance of empathy in teaching and its positive impact on students. Thank you for the enriching experience."- Jyoti, Vimukti Girls School, Jaipur.
"Attending the workshop has completely transformed my vision for early childhood education (ECE). I am deeply grateful to Nilima tai, Shalaka tai, Manjari tai, and Anjali tai for providing me with a clear and inspiring perspective on ECE. The visit to Pragat Shikshan Sanstha was also incredibly enlightening, as I saw first-hand how children learn invaluable lessons through play-based activities.
Implementing the concepts learned from the workshop has been a resounding success. We have introduced read-aloud sessions, established classroom rules, and created routines for the children. We have also assigned duties and developed a step-by-step approach to letter recognition. I am delighted to report that these initiatives are not only running smoothly in our Anganwadi centers but also bringing immense joy and learning to the children. Thank you once again to the entire PSS team for this transformative experience!" - Zankhana Panchal, Neev Shiksha Samiti, Baroda.
"इस कोर्स में सभी चीजें बहुत अच्छी थी, मेरे लिए सभी चीजें बहुत उपयोगी रही। मुझे सबसे ज्यादा जो प्रभावित किया वो था बच्चों के साथ खेलना और उनकी रिस्पेक्ट करना जो मैंने इसको अपने जीवन में उतरा और यह बहुत उपयोगी रहा। बच्चा की भाषा को समझ के उनके शब्दों में एक्टिविटी को बनाना, यह तरीके ने भी मेरे काम को काफी आसान और मजेदार बनाया जिससे मैं और बच्चे आपस में एक दूसरे से जुड़ पाए। मुझे ऐसे लगा कि एक चीज को और बेहतर किया जा सकता है जहां पर सिर्फ और सिर्फ थ्योरी हुई वहां पर अगर कुछ एक्टिविटीज भी होती तो और अच्छे से जुड़ पाते। पूरा एक दिन सिर्फ थ्योरी का नहीं होना चाहिए। सारी प्लानिंग और एक्टिविटी एक सही रूप में थी, जो मेरे को बहुत उपयोगी लगी और उनसे मैंने अपने जीवन में बच्चों के साथ अच्छा रिश्ता बना पाया और उनके साथ मिलकर काम कर पाया।" - Kuldeep Kannojiya, Swatantra Talim, Lucknow.
