An evaluation of community support grant on access to early childhood education in public pre-schools in Isiolo District, Isiolo county Kenya

Abstract

The government is committed in enhancing access to early childhood education by provision of Community Support Grant to some selected ECDE centres across the country. CSG, a KESSP programme, was scheduled to run from 2005-2010. This study was conducted in Isiolo District and sought to evaluate the influence of Community Support Grants in the ECDE centres. The literature review outlined access, community support grants, regional concerns, poverty concerns, policy framework concerns and challenges of the ECDE programme in Kenya. The theoretical framework borrowed from Non-profit finance theory and in particular uses subsidy theory and affordability models of the same. The target population of the study was the 111 public ECDE centres, 111 ECDE head teachers and 151 preschool teachers. The sampling technique used was simple random sampling to calculate a sample of 33 head teachers and 46 pre-school teachers. The instrument that was used was questionnaires for head teachers and interview schedule for pre-school teachers. The data was analyzed and presented inform of tables and percentages. Majority (61%) of the head teachers indicated that community grants always increased access to pre-school education. A significant number (84%) of the preschool teachers attributed the low enrolment of the children in their centres to the unavailability of money. A significant number (80%) agreed that lack of policy framework created a mismatch for children‘s entry behaviour to primary schools. Majority (76%) of the teachers indicated that preschool fess should be reduced. A significant number (98%) indicated that schools should provide a feeding programme. The study concluded that community support grants have increased enrollment. The study also concluded that community support grants have not been able to achieve optimum enrollment of students in public pre-schools mainly because of poverty in the Isiolo area and lack of adequate facilities on the part of the schools. The researcher concluded that non-governmental organizations should strive to supplement government efforts in raising preschool enrollment for children in rural areas. The researcher also concluded that the central government as well as the county governments should initiative sustainable poverty eradication schemes to raise the livelihoods of people; this will enable more parents pay preschool fees.