The policy alignment review highlights that many parts of the recommended service package for early childhood development are being delivered in Tanzania. Alongside looking at new services and delivery models, it is vital to consider how existing services are being funded, organised and delivered, and how they could be strengthened.
Early childhood, particularly the period from pregnancy to age 3, is a critical period for children’s development, with life-long impacts on health, productivity and wellbeing.1 Tanzania has an ambitious goal of ensuring that, by 2026, all children aged 0–8 are on track to develop to their full potential. The 2022 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) indicates the degree of progress needed to meet this goal. The DHS found that less than half of children (47%) aged 24–59 months living with their biological mother were developmentally on track in terms of health, learning and psychosocial wellbeing.
A critical question for the government and its partners is: what are the possible pathways or routes to improving early childhood development outcomes? To help answer this question, Thrive is reviewing public services related to early childhood development. The first part of this review focuses on policy commitments. The second will look at how well these services are resourced and delivered. This briefing paper outlines our headline findings from the first phase of this work. The detailed policy alignment review will be published on Thrive’s website in June 2024.