Save the Children supports the Ethiopian government to strengthen Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) in Tigray, Oromia, Gondar (Amhara), Afar, and the Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR) through both grants and sponsorship funding.

Save the Children invests in ECCD programming because it is fundamental to the optimal development of children, school success as well as an overall lifetime achievement. Participation in these programs results in improvements in quality of education, reduction of drop out and repetition rates at later stages of schooling and leads to higher enrolments in primary school, particularly of girls. Moreover, the early years are the optimal time to support children’s school readiness for school.

This study presents findings based on collected baseline and endline information for students and one of their caretakers (typically a parent) at baseline (October 2014) and endline (June 2015).