Early Childhood Development (ECD) in brief refers to unfolding the full potential of child’s emotional, cognitive, social and linguistic skills. Focus of programs for children during early childhood period is given primarily on survival and physical growth with very little attention on ECD. To overcome this situation, the ECD project was launched by The Bangladesh Shishu Academy, under the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MOWCA) as part of the current five-year (2001-2005) Country Program of Cooperation between the Government of Bangladesh (GOB) and UNICEF. The project aims to enhance the capacity of caregivers to support the mental development of children from conception to five years of age. The project has four main components or sub-projects: Advocacy, Social Mobilization and Communication; Caregiver’s Education on ECD; Research and Innovation; and Networking and Capacity Building of Partners. One of the main strategies is to reach families directly through existing Government and Non Government (NGO) field level workers (FLWs) at the time of their routine contacts/interactions (e.g. home visits, fixed service delivery facility) with caregivers/family members. More than 13,400 FLWs of Government (FWAs and HAs), Para Workers in CHT districts, BRAC and Grameen Shikhkha have been trained in caregivers’ education through the training outlets of NIPORT (FWAs, HAs and PWs: 3931), BRAC (Shastha Sebika, Shastha Kormi and BEP teachers: 8749) and GS (Group Leaders: 720) to disseminate ECD messages at family and community levels as well as at fixed facilities during service delivery. The project is now in its fifth year of operation. Current study is an attempt to assess the impact of Training on the frontline workers (Govt. and NGO workers) on their levels of knowledge acquired, skills acquired and practiced during post training periods on their abilities to disseminate messages related to ECD to care givers during household visits or other contact points in their respectively assigned communities. The specific objectives of the formative evaluation are to: a) Assessment of knowledge & skill of FLWs (HA/FWA and NGO workers) on ECD and their ability to disseminate messages related to ECD to caregivers during household visits or other contract points; b) Status of dissemination of ECD messages (both quantity & quality) to the caregivers/family members by the FLWs in their assigned catchments area; c) Status of caregivers’ knowledge & understanding on importance of age appropriate interactive care in a safe & enabling environment for promotion of child development; d) Outcome of caregivers education in terms of practice of age appropriate interactive care by caregivers (mother, father, older siblings, grandparent) and creation of safe & enabling home environment; f) Effectiveness of various supportive activities e.g. TOT, FLWs training, Orientation of Upazila level managers and union level supervisors carried out so far.

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