Unravelling the narratives of parents and district education officials regarding educare in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The experiences young children encounter from the time of their birth shape their future. As such, the best legacy to give a child is a sound education, hence there is a need to increase access to the varied early childhood development services so that more children can benefit. The study sought to unravel the narratives of parents and district education officials regarding educare in Zimbabwe. The motivation for carrying out the study was the seemingly wide gap, where birth to three educare in Zimbabwe was limited and did not have the same status as other ECD programmes for three- to five-year-olds that are easily accessible and found in both private and public school centres. The current status of educare means Zimbabwe is lagging behind in providing early year services for all young children. The theoretical framework is guided by the attachment theory of Bowlby and Epstein’s School-Family-Community Partnership model. The inquiry is rooted in the interpretivist paradigm and is qualitative in nature. The sample comprised of 16 participants, which consisted of 10 parents with children between birth and three years, five each from Mutoko and Murewa districts and six district education officials, three from each district mentioned. Data generation was through narrative inquiry, document analysis and qualitative questionnaire. Thematic analysis was used to present and analyse the findings. The findings of the study revealed that, despite there being less activity in birth to three educare provisions, parents and education officials were convinced that children could immensely benefit from accessing and participating in the programme. A major finding was that holistic development of children is enhanced through participation in educare and opportunities for early identification and intervention on developmental delays are among other benefits. It was also found that the government of Zimbabwe is facing some challenges regarding educare provisions. Chief among these concerns is lack of a comprehensive early childhood development policy, lack of an approved educare curriculum and infrastructure, among others. Hope is, however, not lost regarding educare provisions. It is believed that the results of the study can lead to a paradigm shift in early childhood development programmes, where the significance of educare can be realised and promoted.