Missing the foundation: Why Kenya’s Pre-school Childcare Demands Urgent Action

The Early Childhood Development (ECD) conversation has not only gained momentum in Kenya but has also led to shifts in investment in the sub-sector, as evidenced by improved investment in Early Childhood Education centres, the recruitment of ECD teachers, reduced mortality rates, increased immunization uptake, and the creation or adoption of policy frameworks in ECD. However, beneath this great progress lies a critical crisis affecting children below age four, specifically those aged 0-3 years, who are the youngest and often forgotten.

Despite overwhelming evidence on the benefits of investing in early years and the critical nature of the “first a thousand days” for brain development, emotional well-being, and lifelong learning, children aged 0-3 years continue to be neglected in Kenya’s childcare system. Nearly all the counties in Kenya have not set policies to ensure the provision of quality standards in the formal childcare spaces.

Most childcare spaces are informal, with untrained and unsupported caregivers who provide nurturing care services that fail to meet the developmental needs of these children. These uncomfortable truths were laid bare by different stakeholders during the 2025 6th ECD conference in Kenya, held in Garissa, which brought together government officials, policymakers, researchers, practitioners, and partners in the ECD space. Since childcare is the foundation to equity, education, and economic growth of a society, investment in it does not support only the children but builds stronger families, which in turn supports the care environment for young children. Some of the learnings from the ECD Conference in reshaping childcare systems are: