Supporting communities advocate for improvements in education

It is widely recognised that there is an urgent need to expand and improve ECCE, especially for the world’s most disadvantaged children. But despite a growing awareness that such interventions are crucial to improving children’s present well being and future-development coverage remains very low.

First Read has the potential to make an important contribution to the development of ECCE by exposing
parents, carers and decision makers to the benefits of care and education programmes that focus on the early years and by stimulating the interest in and demand for other early years interventions.

First Read wants to play an active part in growing the community interest and political will necessary to scale up ECCE in low income countries. We believe that having benefited from ECCE in the form of First Read that participants in First Read groups will be well placed to begin identifying and articulating what other ECCE services would be of benefit and to play a part in organising for them.

First Read wants to play a part in raising the awareness of parents and carers of their rights and entitlements and that of their children with a view to developing local movements committed to improving ECCE services.