Professional Learning & Product Development: ECDiE Guidance Note
Collaborating for Quality in Crisis Contexts
Childhood Education International (CE International) collaborated closely with the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) and its Early Childhood Development Working Group to design and develop a high-quality, practitioner-facing Guidance Note tailored for Early Childhood Development in Emergencies (ECDiE) contexts. INEE is a global network of more than 22,000 members from over 4,000 organisations across 190 countries, serving as a critical community of practice in the education-in-emergencies field.
The Global Challenge: Early Learning Under Threat
In humanitarian settings—whether protracted conflict, natural disaster, or displacement—young children are among the most vulnerable. According to UNESCO, some 127 million children of primary and secondary school age living in crisis-affected countries were out of school in 2019—nearly half of the global out-of-school population. In parallel, extreme climate events in 2024 disrupted schooling for at least 242 million children across 85 countries, underscoring how overlapping shocks are compounding the education emergency.
Turning Evidence into Actionable Guidance
Against this backdrop, the Guidance Note serves as both a professional learning tool and a product development deliverable within CE International’s consulting portfolio. Organized around the emergency cycle phases of preparedness, response, and recovery, it provides concrete guidance for planning, designing, implementing, and evaluating inclusive, multi-sectoral ECDiE interventions.
Key features include:
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A clear definition and breakdown of what “quality, inclusive ECDiE programming” looks like in practice;
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Suggested entry-points for early childhood interventions in emergency settings;
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Needs-assessment tools and preparedness planning checklists;
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Psychosocial support approaches and techniques for creating child-friendly, safe learning/play spaces;
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Stakeholder-mapping and coordination frameworks;
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Monitoring plans, indicators, and lessons-learned documentation templates.
Building Capacity and Advancing Quality
By co-developing the Early Childhood Development in Emergencies (ECDiE) Programming Guidance Note, CE International helped transform global research and standards into a practical, practitioner-friendly resource that drives quality improvement on the ground. Designed as both a learning tool and an implementation guide, the publication equips educators, NGOs, and policymakers with step-by-step approaches to build responsive, inclusive programs for young children in crisis contexts.
Available in multiple languages, the Guidance Note makes cutting-edge expertise accessible to practitioners everywhere—reinforcing CE International’s commitment to building capacity, advancing quality, and ensuring every child, even in emergencies, has the chance to learn, play, and thrive.
