Early Childhood Care and Education in Kenya
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Date
2012-10-05
Authors
Mbugua, Tata J.
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Abstract
Recent years have seen a global endeavor to prioritize early childhood care and education as a
foundation for later learning and development, as evidenced by the Global Guidelines for Early
Childhood Education and Care in the 21st Century (Association for Childhood Education
International/World Organization for Early Childhood, 1999). Such efforts are a response to a
variety of complex social issues and economic trends. These forces, which are referred to here as
"complex family stressors," include, but are not limited to, societal changes due to
industrialization, the increased number of women with young children entering the labor force,
families with two working parents, a rise in the number of single parents, and the demise of
traditional systems of child care and extended family support systems (Driscoll & Nagel, 2002;
Graves, Gargiulo, & Sluder, 1996).
This article will provide an overview of early childhood care and education (ECCE) in Kenya.
Specific emphasis is placed on the historical development of ECCE, the administrative
organization, the collaboration among various agencies in Kenya, ECCE curriculum, and
teachers' professional training. A relatively young profession in Kenya, ECCE has experienced
tremendous growth at all levels.
Definitions of early childhood care and education differ around the world (Swiniarski,
Breitborde, & Murphy, 1999). The more industrialized nations consider early childhood to be the
period from birth through age 8 (Essa, 1999; Wortham, 2000), while developing nations focus on
birth through age 6 (Eville-Lo & Mbugua, 2001; UNICEF, 2002). Regardless of such
determinations, the increased interest in early childhood education around the world reflects
respective nations' and/or societies' particular philosophical beliefs about children (Graves et al.,
1996). Accordingly, children may be viewed as: growing plants that need nurturance, miniature
adults, natural and national resources that need to be nurtured, and/or as future investments
critical to the sustenance of a society and its ability to compete in the technological age (Essa,
1999).
The belief that early learning begets later learning and success, just like early failure breeds later
failure, has been validated in both economic and educational research (Boocock, 1995;
Heckman, 1999). According to the World Development Report (Jaycox, 1992), education and
economic development are positively correlated, making education intrinsic to development.
Therefore, the potential long-term benefits for children's cognitive and social development
(Barnett, 1995; Gonzalez-Mena, 2000) have inspired increased interest in early childhood
education and care. This interest continues to be championed by UNICEF's health and nutrition
programs (UNICEF, 2002).
The Historical Development of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE)
Situated on the eastern coast of Africa, Kenya gained its independence from British colonial rule
in 1963. Nearly half of Kenya's population of 30 million is below the age of 15 (World Fact
Book, 2001). The infant mortality rate is 67.99 per 1,000 live births, while the life expectancy is
46.5 years for men and 48.4 years for women (World Almanac, 2002). Kenya is a multilingual
and multicultural nation, with 42 different languages spoken, including Bantu, Arabic, and
Nilotic (Bogonko, 1992). English is the official language and the main medium of instruction
from preschool to tertiary levels of education. Ki-Swahili is the national language and is taught
from preschool to high school. As a result, most children in Kenya are fluent in both languages,
in addition to the vernacular spoken at home. This multilingualism heightens Kenyans'
understanding of other cultures.
Kenya is the only African nation with an established early childhood education program, and the
initiative has had a significant impact on its citizens. Kenyans perceive education as a key to
success in life, facilitating social mobility and personal development (Nkinyangi, 1982). A
number of theoretical perspectives focus on education's pivotal role in human growth and
development (Mbugua-Murithi, 1997). The modernization theorists contend that education
transforms individual values, beliefs, and behaviors, which leads to development (Benavot,
1992). As a result, Kenya has seen a clamoring for and expansion of education at all levels
(Mutero, 2001; Mwiria, 1990), including nursery schools, child care centers, kindergartens, and
preschools.
The first recorded school for young children in Kenya was founded at Rabai (a coastal province)
in 1886 by the Church Missionary Societies (Bogonko, 1992; Eshiwani, 1989). The first early
care centers can be traced to the 1940s, when British colonists established centers to serve both
European and Asian children. During the same period, the colonial government established early
childhood care centers for Kenyan children living on the tea, coffee, and sugar plantations. These
centers were set up in response to Mau Mau ...