The Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) HOCAI Tool serves as Chapter 11 of CRS’s Holistic Organizational Capacity Strengthening Instrument (HOCAI). It is essential for organizations (including CRS and its partners) working in inclusive ECDE to ensure that their leaders and staff possess a robust understanding of relationship-based, holistic, and developmentally and culturally appropriate inclusive ECDE interventions for children aged 0-8. It is also important for organizations to provide comprehensive, sustainable programs that cater to all children, including those with special needs, while maintaining high standards of service quality. Additionally, they should be engaged in grassroots, county, national, and international dialogues and collaborations addressing issues related to children's holistic well-being in areas such as health, nutrition, early learning and education, rights, and safety and protection.
To support these efforts, CRS and its partners can utilize the ECDE HOCAI Tool for self-assessment of their organizational capacity across five key components, encompassing 41 items:
- ECDE Program Policies, Strategy, Human and Financial Resources
- ECDE Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes
- ECDE Services Coverage
- ECDE Service Quality
- ECDE Advocacy and Networking
Depending on the organization's goals and priority capacity-building needs, users can choose to apply all or select parts of the five components of the tool. For instance, if a program is focused on developing the capacity of staff and program implementers in relation to ECDE knowledge and skills, Component 2: ECDE Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes would be especially relevant. This flexible approach not only saves time but also fosters in-depth discussions and effective action planning.