Early Childhood Education Boosts English Skills

Its 8:30 am. Sounds of squeaky voices stumbling over the ABCs float from the library acting as the first sign that TCF’s Early Childhood Care and Education Initiative is kicking off for the day.  

For a community plagued by generational poverty, child-care is non-existent, forcing parents to make the difficult decision of leaving their young child home without supervision or providing for their family. By providing a free, sustainable alternative we are opening the door to economic opportunity. Operating at RVCV, our Early Childhood Care and Education Initiative provides full-day learning experiences to all of the toddlers from RVCV as well as 29 children from our local community.

While parents are hard at work, 38 toddlers are led through a structured curriculum that aims to set these bright young minds up for future academic success. While the curriculum ranges from an introduction to numbers, letters and literacy skills, one of the integral pieces of this program is the early exposure to the English language. 

In Tanzania, primary school education is taught entirely in Swahili, but when students matriculate to secondary school, the curriculum switches entirely into English. Kids who pass through our daycare program, develop a strong English foundation at an early age. This year, to further bolster English skills, we have introduced a formal reading initiative, where volunteers read with the children every afternoon.  

Not only are we seeing the results each day, but parents are reporting just how much their children have grown since spending their days at RVCV. 

Helen, a vibrant and giggly three-year-old, enrolled in our initiative a year ago, with no knowledge of the English language. “Now she knows English, she is speaking and drawing a lot,” Mama Helen says. “The program will help Helen when she is older,” she nods, wrapping her arms around her daughter.

While Brilliant, a bright eyed two-year-old, is making also making major strides. “In just six months, I see changes,” smiles Mama Brilliant. “The confidence, she is learning English, now she sings a lot of songs at home,” she continues. 

It is incredible to watch the toddlers come out of their shells and speak more and more English every day. We cannot wait to watch them succeed in primary and secondary school.