Senegal establishes national ECD network

The National Network for Early Childhood Development (ECD) held its constitutive general meeting on October 30 and 31, 2014, at the National Center for Educational Resources in Dakar, under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Mahammad Boun Abdallah Dionne.

The objectives of the general meeting were as follows:

  • Establish the decision-making bodies of the network;
  • Validate the statutes;
  • Pool experiences;
  • Step up advocacy in favor of ECD.

The network connects more than 60 organizations, institutions and individuals who are active in early childhood development and seek to improve the protection and education of young children through better coordination of their activities. It will help address issues such as the low level of staff qualification, insufficient support from local authorities, and the low levels of investment in the sector.

The constitution of the network has been driven by the ADEA Working Group on ECD and has received  support from the National Agency for Early Childhood and the Case des Tout-Petits (the “toddlers’ corner”), the Department of Preschool Education, UNESCO, UNICEF, ChildFund and a number of civil society organizations.

For more information, contact Rokhaya Diawara, Coordinator, Working Group on Early Childhood Development (WGECD), r.diawara@unesco.org