In 2022, the Government of Tanzania launched the National Multisectoral Early Childhood Development Programme (NM-ECDP) to coordinate efforts across ministries and stakeholders to improve early childhood development outcomes, guided by the Nurturing Care Framework. While this reflects strong political commitment, Thrive’s early findings highlight institutional and systemic challenges to delivering quality early childhood development services at scale.
To support the sustainability and scale-up of interventions—including parenting programmes, unconditional cash transfers, and daycare centres—this study examines the finances and systems required for effective national implementation. It contributes to strengthening the evidence base for the NM-ECDP and helps identify where Thrive can strategically support its rollout.
Key Activities:
- Literature review of early childhood development policies, programmes, and practices.
- Stakeholder interviews at national and sub-national levels.
- Diagnostic workshops with government and non-government stakeholders to explore barriers and opportunities in early childhood development delivery.
- Public financing and policy alignment studies to examine how services could be strengthened and whether budgets could support the scaling of new initiatives.
- Development of a conceptual framework to support the design and development of a national multisectoral ECD scorecard.
These efforts aim to inform the scaling of Thrive’s long-term initiatives like Kizazi Kijacho and ECD centres, while also building a more robust national system for delivering high-quality ECD services across Tanzania.