This was our initiative for Children of pre-primary age who were left in the care of vulnerable girls who themselves required adequate looking after, nutrition and health services.  These children were often inactive due to low weight, anemia and lack of malnourishment and mental and physical stimulus.

Many girls who came to our remedial educational centres were accompanied by their younger siblings who were below six years. To encourage these girls for education we allowed them to come with their siblings though this caused distraction and girls were not able to concentrate on their studies.

ABHAS set up its Early Childhood Care and Development Centre- Pehla Kadam  to not only provide learning and educational opportunities to children  3-5 years of age  but also to educate mothers and community women about Early Childhood Care and create educational opportunities for Girls who are unable to access education and school due to sibling care, household responsibilities.

Our experience in the field makes us feel strongly about the importance of pre-primary education not only for improving enrollment of girls in primary school and sustaining girls in schools but also providing early childhood care development opportunities to underprivileged children and also encouraging girls to attend schools.

These education interventions act as a strong incentive for girls to go to school, continue to stay in school, and also provide security and support to girls and their younger siblings who often grow up in a very uncertain environment. The program has encouraged mothers to understand the importance of early childhood development and early schooling.