Where are the four year olds? Evidence from three Indian states

Where are the four year olds? Evidence from three Indian states SumanBhattacharjea ASER Centre, New Delhi August 28, 2012

Study objectives • Longitudinal study of four year olds in 3 states that aims to: • Estimate participation in ECCE over the course of one year • Analyze curriculum, delivery of ECCE programs • Assess children’s school readiness and early grade learning • Identify elements of ECCE that have the desired impact.

Study design Strand A Large scale rapid assessment, longitudinal survey methods, key indicators District level estimates of participation, school readiness 360 villages 1,600 centres 14,000 children Strand B Smaller scale, more detail Survey + observations of facility content, processes Identification of elements that demonstrate significant impact 60 villages 300 centres 3,000 children Strand C Case studies Qualitative methods In depth analysis of selected programs/facilities 8 case studies across the country

Sample – Strand A • Baseline field visit in Oct-Dec 2011. • 2 districts in each of 3 states • 60 villages per district with pop > 2,000 hab. • 50 randomly selected four year olds per village • All ECCE centres in sampled villages – avg 3-5 per village

Methodology – Strand A • School Readiness test of all sampled children • Basic concepts and vocabulary • Basic cognitive skills • Basic language skills • Pre literacy • Detailed household information for each sampled child • Detailed household roster • Socioeconomic indicators • Learning support at home • Rapid Facilities Survey for each ECCE centre in the village • Infrastructure • People – adults and children • Play and learning materials • Activities observed • Tracking visits to better estimate ‘dosage’ • Enrolment ≠ attendance. Therefore, children’s observed attendance tracked every quarter. 2nd tracking visit currently in progress.

ECCE Participation • Key Strand A findings so far… ECCE Provisioning School Readiness

Availability of ECCE facilities Andhra Pradesh Assam Rajasthan % sampled villages with at least one Govt ECCE facility % sampled villages with at least one private/other ECCE facility % sampled villages with at least as many ECCE facilities as hamlets

Infrastructure in ECCE facilities Pvt/ Other Govt % Centres with physical infrastructure, by management type % Centres with visual and learning materials, by management type

ECCE Participation Key Strand A findings so far… ECCE Provisioning School Readiness

Who is enrolled where? • Enrollment information provided by families

Enrollment patterns by gender • Enrollment information provided by families

Dimensions of ‘participation’ How often does your child go to the centre? How many hours does she usually spend there?

Children’s observed attendance % Children observed present across 2 visits* % sampled children observed present on: * Children were not tracked to centres which were located outside the village.

ECCE Participation Key Strand A findings so far… ECCE Provisioning School Readiness

Mastery of competencies SRI inventory: language and cognitive abilities

SRI scores by age group Children born in:

School readiness and HH factors Mean SR baseline scores by: AP RJ HH Asset index Mother’s schooling Learning support at home Did not attend Attended No learning support Learning support Did not attend Attended Did not attend Attended No learning support Learning support No learning support Learning support Above Median Below Median Above Median Below Median Below Median Above Median Above Median Below Median Did not attend Attended No learning support Learning support No learning support Learning support Did not attend Attended

School readiness and ECCE participation: Rajasthan Did not attend Attended No learning support Learning support Did not attend Attended Did not attend Attended No learning support Learning support No learning support Learning support Above Median Below Median Above Median Below Median Above Median Below Median Did not attend Attended No learning support Learning support Children in RJ who are:

Coming soon… • Endline school readiness test: Oct-Dec 2012 • Major questions to be addressed subsequently: • Controlling for household characteristics, how much and in what competencies does children’s school readiness improve over the course of a year? • What factors lead to better ECCE participation? • Does better ECCE participation lead to improved school readiness? • Are specific ECCE facility characteristics associated with improved school readiness? • Does ‘school readiness’ as measured in this study affect participation and learning in early grades of primary school?

For more information: • SumanBhattacharjea • sbhattacharjea@gmail.com • ASER Centre • B 4/54 Safdarjung Enclave • New Delhi 110 029 • +91 11 26716084 • +91 11 46023612 • www.asercentre.org

Where are the four year olds? Evidence from three Indian states