Introduction
Infants are precious and vulnerable; therefore, they need a lot of love, attention and quality time with caregivers. Parents have known this instinctively for centuries and research continues to confirm that “a human infant cannot survive without someone providing food, protection and affection. Because of this, human babies are born with a very strong instinct and need to bond with a caregiver”. Numerous studies have demonstrated that the first five years of a child’s life are the most important for brain development especially within the first three years when the brain’s architecture is formed. This period constitutes their early years and children learn more quickly at this stage than at any other time of their lives.
Throughout this initial three (3) year period, a child develops physically, socioemotionally and cognitively. The child also learns to communicate with others and establishes the basis for his or her future life in school and thereafter. It is therefore imperative that during these early years of their lives, children are supported to receive careful nurturing, love and attention as well as good nutrition, all in a stimulating and safe environment.
Clearly the responsibility of achieving these desired results lies mainly with caregivers including parents, siblings, other family members, pre-school teachers and househelps. The ability of these various caregivers to stimulate positive cognitive, emotional and physical growth experiences also depends on their knowledge related to:
1. Child care and development,
2. Child-rearing practices, and
3. Beliefs related to these practices, usually imbibed through socialization.
Early Childhood Development policies play a very important role in the provision of development opportunities for children and in providing knowledge on what young children need from caregivers. These policies help to provide priority attention by adults, including political, social and religious leaders to children, as an investment into a country’s future. The provision of requisite infrastructure and interventions for the care and development of the child is often captured in such national policies. In addition, many countries that have demonstrated great commitment towards their children’s development including Rwanda and South Africa who have developed policies and proceeded to establish rules, regulations and minimum standards that are required for early childhood care and development in line with their policies. These minimum standards are set to ensure that as much as possible, uniform care and support are extended to all children irrespective of their race, ethnicity, age and family’s social status.
It is within this context that Ghana developed an Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Policy in 2004, and subsequently developed Early Learning Standards and Indicators for 4 - 5-year olds. The Standards and Indicators are being used at the kindergarten level to provide guidance on recommended support for achieving the developmental milestones of children in different domains.6 To fill the gap in relation to standards and indicators for children within the age range of 0-3, the Government of Ghana, commissioned (i) a baseline study on child competencies and the quality of care services provided to children aged 0 – 3 in Ghana and (ii) the development of standards for children aged 0 – 3. The baseline report therefore formed the basis for developing the document containing standards for children aged 0-3 in Ghana.
Consequently, this document on 0 – 3 years standards was developed to complement the other existing ECCD documents which provide guidelines for caregivers, including parents, towards achieving the developmental milestones or competencies within the age bracket 0-3. It also provides recommendations on over-arching strategies and support practices for state and non-state actors towards the achievement of these competencies. These standards will help parents and other caregivers to effectively provide the quality care and attention that these precious and vulnerable children need in their early childhood years.
