Summary - Consultative Group on Early Childhood Care and ...

The Use and Impact of ECD Kits
Post-Earthquake Haiti 2010
<strong>Summary</strong> Document
© UNICEF/J. Paris 2011
© UNICEF/NYHQ2010-0167/Noorani
© UNICEF/HTIA2011-00361/Dormino

© UNICEF/HTIA2011-00383/Marco Dormino
Children play with Early
Childhood Development (ECD)
kits inside a UNICEF tent at St
Benedict school, within an IDP
camp located in a former golf
course.
INTRODUCTION
The UNICEF Early Childhood Development Kit (ECD Kit) was developed to focus attention to the needs of young
children in humanitarian and conflict-related emergencies, and to support the development of play and learning
environments under extreme conditions (UNICEF, 2011). Each kit contains play materials and goods for up to 50
children ages 0-6 years. The contents are housed in a heavy metal suitcase which will not be easily destroyed under
treacherous conditions. The kits contain dominoes, colouring pencils, blocks, hand puppets, memory games, and similar
equipment designed to encourage social interactions and cognitive stimulation. A Caregiver’s Guide with activities is
also included. The kit was piloted under emergency and fragile conditions in Chad, Liberia, the Republic of Congo,
Jamaica, Guyana, Maldives, and Iraq and was officially launched in Geneva in July 2009.
When Haiti was hit with a devastating earthquake in 2010, ECD kits became a vital commodity during the relief
and recovery stages. Over 1,540 ECD kits were distributed within the first two months following the disaster and an
additional 4,485 kits were distributed between June 2010 and December 2011.
This unprecedented and extensive distribution provided an opportunity to assess the processes and impact of ECD kits
in emergency and disaster situations, and to formulate recommendations for future use and dissemination of kits.
Assessment of ECD Kits
A study to assess the use and benefits of ECD kits in Haiti was commissioned by UNICEF and the <strong>Consultative</strong> <strong>Group</strong>
on Early Childhood Care and Development in late 2010. Information was gathered from key stakeholders, practitioners,
and kit users through surveys, interviews, and focus group discussions (n=223 respondents). Findings from the study
address the processes and impact of distributing UNICEF ECD kits in the early phases of the post-emergency situation
in Haiti. Processes includes information about logistics and use of the kit. Impact addresses intended and unintended
outcomes of the kit at the micro (child-focused) level and the broader community and policy levels.
The Use and Impact of ECD Kits Post-Earthquake Haiti 2010 <strong>Summary</strong> Document | 1

FINDINGS
ECD kits are used for myriad purposes in diverse settings.
The main finding from this study was that ECD kits can serve a myriad of purposes. Because schooling was a priority in the
Haitian context, the ECD kits were valued for their perceived role in promoting school readiness for children whose preschools
had been destroyed and for those who had not had previous access to early childhood programs. Meanwhile, alternate sectors
applied for kits and used them in diverse ways. Beyond providing opportunities for play, interaction, and stimulation of the
young children, the kits served as entry points for facilitating access to child protection, health, nutrition, and sanitation services.
Kits were fundamental in developing safe spaces for provision of psychosocial support to young children and caregivers. Graph 1
shows psychosocial outcomes of the kits for children, as reported by respondents.
Graph 1: Reported psychosocial outcomes related to kit use.
No. of Respondents
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Happiness Security Positive Attitude Self Esteem Well-being Social Interaction Other
Reported positive outcomes
Beyond psychosocial outcomes, respondents also reported that kits were associated with support for all developmental domains
in young children.
Graph 2 shows the extent to which respondents identified kit usage with outcomes in five developmental domains: mental,
intellectual, creative, physical, and social.
Graph 2: Reported association of kit usage with developmental outcomes in young children.
No. of Respondents
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Mental Intellectural Creative Physical Social
Developmental domins
The Use and Impact of ECD Kits Post-Earthquake Haiti 2010 <strong>Summary</strong> Document | 2

Meanwhile, the use of kits was not limited to educational settings.
Graph 3 shows the distribution of respondents from the study, reflecting the diverse settings in which kits were used.
Graph 3: Distribution of respondents.
% of respondents representing environments using kits
Orphanage
Baby space/nutrition tent
Child friendly space
Pediatric/Baby clinic
Formal preschool
Informal preschool
No answer
The use of kits in a range of settings meant that nutrition, health, child protection, education and water and sanitation sectors
came to offer and promote ECD activities, facilitating an integrated response to the needs of young children and caregivers.
Other outcomes included facilitating attention to the needs of children and supporting other program outcomes by providing
visible resources to attract participants. As a result, users sought ideas and supports beyond those offered in the accompanying
Caregiver’s Guide.
Outcome depends on pre-emergency conditions.
A significant finding was that outcomes associated with kit use are highly dependent upon the ECD environment or context
which existed prior to the emergency. Thus broad generalisations about impact and effectiveness of ECD kits need to take
into account the prevailing ECD environment and related policy, infrastructure, and attitudinal context. For this reason, the
recommendations from the Haitian study may need to be tempered for situations with differing attitudes and approaches to
ECD in the pre-emergency state.
A number of factors contribute to successful outcomes of ECD kits.
While generalisations beyond the study parameters are cautioned, some implications for responding to early childhood
development needs have been noted. The study revealed that ECD intervention in a post-emergency situation are most likely to
be effective when ECD responses are (1) integrated and use multisectoral approaches; (2) have been sanctioned and approved by
the community; and (3) are associated with investment in human resources. Beyond this, the following critical issues were noted:
distribution of kits needs a coordinating body or process with governmental ownership; training is critical for kit effectiveness;
and, when ECD initiatives incorporate local ownership, they can facilitate long-term plans for enhancing ECD in the affected
region.
The Use and Impact of ECD Kits Post-Earthquake Haiti 2010 <strong>Summary</strong> Document | 3

RECOMMENDATIONS
The full report lists 22 recommendations under headings of process recommendations, impact recommendations, and
recommendations related to bottlenecks (or constraints which affect kit effectiveness). Here we summarise the major
recommendations.
Process recommendations (n=9)
These refer to the need for coordination and record keeping in terms of kit distribution, especially when multiple kits are distributed
to partners and organisations. In cases where kits are scarce, distribution to disadvantaged NGOs and local organisations should
have priority above distribution to international NGOs who have greater access to resources and experience. The involvement of
education ministries in kit distribution and usage was seen to be an important factor for sustained ECD.
Information that accompanies the kits should emphasise the benefits of consulting with local practitioners and community
leaders to ensure that key cultural factors are incorporated within the delivery and design processes. Recommendations for
information to accompany the kit include ideas for securing local materials to enhance and expand the kits’ contents and goals,
and suggestions for parental involvement and potential transfer of responsibility for ECD programming to parent groups.
Some recommendations address the kits’ contents. Users would appreciate more toys and ideas for stimulating activities for
children aged 0-3 years. Respondents suggested that information about making musical toys and developing ‘books’ that reflect
children’s immediate environment would be useful additions to the kit.
Impact recommendations (n=10)
Kits not only address immediate needs of children but can have long term sustained effects on a population. However two
qualifications were given: training was seen as a critical need to ensure appropriate use of kits and to facilitate extended usage as
entry points for a number of services; and adaptation of the kit to the current culture, setting, type and other contextual issues
was seen as vital in order to ensure relevance and sustainability. Training and documentation associated with kits could address
how the kit can be used in diverse ways. For example, kits can be used:
√√
√√
√√
√√
√√
√√
√√
to promote school readiness and/or as a substitute for formal schooling when none is available.
to support parent education.
to support fathers in post-emergency contexts.
to enhance disaster risk reduction strategies (development of an additional activity book that focuses on DRR and young
children was recommended).
to facilitate long-term care-giving habits, such as early stimulation.
to support the viability of local, community-based programs as sustained ECD service providers.
to facilitate coordination and networking among related sectors and advocate for government involvement to meet longterm
ECD goals.
Further research was also called for to identify effective training practices and to document successful adaptations of the kit and
how these impact long-term ECD sector development in diverse contexts.
The Use and Impact of ECD Kits Post-Earthquake Haiti 2010 <strong>Summary</strong> Document | 4

© UNICEF/HTIA2011-00375/Dormino
Beyond providing opportunities
for play, interaction, and
stimulation of young children,
the kits serve as entry points
for facilitating access to child
protection, health, nutrition, and
sanitation services.
CONCLUSION
ECD kits have been shown to have great potential in emergency situations to foster the values of infant stimulation, to
raise awareness about the needs of children in all developmental domains, and to encourage play and learning within
families, structured ECD environments and communities.
Major benefits can be garnered when training is consistent among all stakeholders at all levels and in all spheres (i.e.,
caregiver, family, community). Benefits and usage are also associated with opportunities to adapt kit materials to
reflect local ways of working with children. Consulting with local practitioners and community leaders to ensure that
key cultural factors are incorporated into ECD programs is highly recommended. The study indicated that, without
training or capacity building, and without adaptations to reflect local concerns and issues, ECD programs are not
likely to be sustainable beyond the life of the kits.
The Use and Impact of ECD Kits Post-Earthquake Haiti 2010 <strong>Summary</strong> Document | 5

© UNICEF/HTIA2011-00389/Dormino
Children play with Early Childhood Development (ECD) kits at Paradis des Petits school in Gressier, a small city in
a rural areas south Port au Prince.
This report is based on a research project developed and designed under the auspice of Macquarie University, Australia and the <strong>Consultative</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on Early Childhood Care
and Development including the ECCD in Emergencies Working <strong>Group</strong> and sub group on research, with the assistance of the UNICEF Haiti country office and UNICEF
New York. Financial support was provided by the UBS Optimus Foundation.
Jacqueline Hayden, Lisa Deters, Kathy Cologon, and Emma Pearson from Macquarie University are the chief investigators. Lisa Deters was responsible for data collection in
Haiti, with logistical support from UNICEF NY and Haiti County Office.
The report was authored by Jacqueline Hayden and Lisa Deters.