JOB DESCRIPTION – EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION (ECCE) SPECIALIST

Job Title: Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) specialist

Department: Technical Programmes

Reports To: Technical Programme Manager

Job summary

The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Specialist is responsible for supporting the design, development, testing, and continuous improvement of high-quality ECCE learning and teaching resources for young children.

The role focuses on developing ECCE learning materials, activity books, teacher’s guides, storybooks, play-based learning resources, 3D learning models/aids, user manuals, practical activities, and ICT-supported resources that promote holistic child development, creativity, exploration, communication, early literacy, early numeracy, social-emotional development, physical development, and learning through play.

The role supports innovation, prototype development, teacher training, school and community outreach programmes, demonstrations, exhibitions, competitions, and effective utilisation of ECCE learning materials. It also ensures that resources are developmentally appropriate, inclusive, safe, engaging, culturally relevant, and aligned with applicable national ECCE curriculum and education standards.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Curriculum-Aligned ECCE Content Development

• Develop ECCE activity books, storybooks, picture books, and teacher’s guides, and other learning resources aligned with applicable national ECCE curriculum requirements and standards.
• Develop ECCE 3D learning models, manipulatives, play materials, puzzles, games, flashcards, charts, picture resources, and other learning aids.
• Develop user manuals and teacher guidance materials to support effective utilisation of ECCE learning resources.
• Incorporate locally relevant contexts, materials, examples, stories, games, songs, and cultural experiences into ECCE learning resources.

2. Prototype Design, Testing & Innovation

• Support the design, development, testing, and improvement of ECCE learning aids, play materials, 3D models, manipulatives, games, puzzles, and other innovative learning prototypes.
• Test ECCE prototypes with appropriate users and document observations, feedback, usability, safety, durability, developmental appropriateness, and learning effectiveness.
• Recommend modifications and improvements to ECCE prototypes based on testing results and user feedback.
• Promote innovative approaches to play-based, experiential, child-centred, and hands-on learning.
• Support the development of low-cost, locally available, environmentally friendly, and sustainable ECCE learning materials.

3. ICT & Digital Learning Integration

• Support the development of digital ECCE learning resources, including interactive stories, animations, educational games, songs, videos, digital picture books, simulations, puzzles, and interactive learning activities.
• Support the development of digital resources that promote early literacy, early numeracy, language development, problem-solving, creativity, communication, and social-emotional learning.
• Ensure digital ECCE resources are age-appropriate, simple to use, engaging, inclusive, and suitable for young children’s developmental needs.
• Provide technical input into the integration of ICT and digital technologies into ECCE teaching and learning.
• Support the development of digital teacher guides, activity guides, demonstrations, and instructional materials for ECCE practitioners.

4. Training, Outreach & Technical Support

• Provide technical and pedagogical support during ECCE teacher and caregiver training programmes.
• Support school outreach activities, ECCE demonstrations, exhibitions, learning events, competitions, and community engagement programmes.
• Demonstrate appropriate use of ECCE learning aids, play materials, models, games, storybooks, and other instructional resources.
• Train teachers and caregivers in child-centred, play-based, experiential, inclusive, and developmentally appropriate teaching and learning approaches.
• Provide guidance to teachers and caregivers on creating stimulating, safe, inclusive, and child-friendly learning environments.
• Support demonstrations of practical activities, storytelling, music, movement, games, creative arts, role play, outdoor activities, and other ECCE learning experiences.
• Collect feedback from teachers, caregivers, schools, and other users to inform continuous improvement of ECCE resources.

5. Quality Assurance, Child Safety & Developmental Appropriateness

• Ensure the accuracy, quality, durability, reliability, safety, and developmental appropriateness of ECCE learning materials, models, toys, play resources, prototypes, and instructional aids.
• Review ECCE learning materials for compliance with applicable curriculum, child protection, health and safety, accessibility, inclusion, and instructional standards.
• Ensure ECCE resources are free from inappropriate content, unsafe components, discriminatory representations, and materials that may pose risks to young children.
• Ensure that learning activities are appropriate for children’s age, developmental stage, abilities, interests, and diverse learning needs.
• Review illustrations, stories, games, language, images, and activities to ensure that they promote positive values, inclusion, respect, cooperation, creativity, and holistic child development.
• Participate in quality assurance reviews, field testing, user evaluations, and continuous improvement of ECCE resources.

6. Safe Storage & Knowledge Management

• Ensure the safe and appropriate storage of ECCE prototypes, learning aids, toys, models, samples, teaching materials, equipment, and other instructional resources.
• Maintain proper documentation and records of ECCE prototypes, activities, learning materials, testing results, revisions, user feedback, and approved resources.
• Support the establishment and maintenance of an organised physical and digital ECCE content repository.
• Ensure that ECCE learning resources, manuals, guides, digital content, research findings, and technical documentation are properly catalogued and readily accessible to authorised users.
• Contribute to institutional knowledge management by documenting innovations, good practices, lessons learned, and successful ECCE interventions.

Key Deliverables

1. High-quality ECCE learning resources, including activity books, storybooks, teacher’s guides, practical activity guides, learning aids, models, play materials, and user manuals.
2. Tested and documented ECCE prototypes, play-based activities, learning models, games, manipulatives, and practical learning resources ready for implementation.
3. Digital ECCE learning resources, including interactive stories, educational games, animations, videos, songs, digital activities, and teacher-support resources.
4. Develop appropriate and safe ECCE learning materials that support holistic child development and inclusive learning.
5. Secure physical and digital ECCE content storage and knowledge management system, including documentation of prototypes, activities, testing results, and approved resources.
6. Technical input into ECCE teacher and caregiver training, demonstrations, school outreach activities, exhibitions, competitions, and community programmes.
7. Documented field-testing, user feedback, quality assurance, and continuous improvement reports for ECCE learning resources and prototypes.
8. Innovative play-based and hands-on ECCE teaching and learning approaches suitable for use in diverse early childhood learning environments.

Key Performance Indicators

1. Quality and relevant ECCE learning resources developed, including activity books, storybooks, teacher’s guides, practical guides, learning aids, and play-based materials.
2. Number of quality ECCE innovations developed, including learning aids, play materials, 3D models, games, manipulatives, practical activities, and other learning tools.
3. Percentage of ECCE prototypes and learning resources successfully tested, documented, improved, and approved for implementation.
4. Teacher and caregiver adoption, utilisation, and feedback on ECCE learning materials and teaching resources developed.
5. Number and quality of ECCE teacher/caregiver training, demonstrations, outreach activities, exhibitions, and technical support activities contributed to.
6. Compliance of ECCE learning materials with applicable curriculum, child safety, inclusion, accessibility, and quality standards.
7. Contribution to other RIFI/STIA activities and programmes.
8. Evidence of continuous improvement and innovation arising from teacher, caregiver, school, child, and other stakeholder feedback.

• Develop ECCE activity books, storybooks, picture books, and teacher’s guides, and other learning resources aligned with applicable national ECCE curriculum requirements and standards.
• Develop ECCE 3D learning models, manipulatives, play materials, puzzles, games, flashcards, charts, picture resources, and other learning aids.
• Develop user manuals and teacher guidance materials to support effective utilisation of ECCE learning resources.
• Incorporate locally relevant contexts, materials, examples, stories, games, songs, and cultural experiences into ECCE learning resources.
• Support the design, development, testing, and improvement of ECCE learning aids, play materials, 3D models, manipulatives, games, puzzles, and other innovative learning prototypes.
• Test ECCE prototypes with appropriate users and document observations, feedback, usability, safety, durability, developmental appropriateness, and learning effectiveness.
• Recommend modifications and improvements to ECCE prototypes based on testing results and user feedback.
• Promote innovative approaches to play-based, experiential, child-centred, and hands-on learning.
• Support the development of low-cost, locally available, environmentally friendly, and sustainable ECCE learning materials.
• Support the development of digital ECCE learning resources, including interactive stories, animations, educational games, songs, videos, digital picture books, simulations, puzzles, and interactive learning activities.
• Support the development of digital resources that promote early literacy, early numeracy, language development, problem-solving, creativity, communication, and social-emotional learning.
• Ensure digital ECCE resources are age-appropriate, simple to use, engaging, inclusive, and suitable for young children’s developmental needs.
• Provide technical input into the integration of ICT and digital technologies into ECCE teaching and learning.
• Support the development of digital teacher guides, activity guides, demonstrations, and instructional materials for ECCE practitioners.
• Provide technical and pedagogical support during ECCE teacher and caregiver training programmes.
• Support school outreach activities, ECCE demonstrations, exhibitions, learning events, competitions, and community engagement programmes.
• Demonstrate appropriate use of ECCE learning aids, play materials, models, games, storybooks, and other instructional resources.
• Train teachers and caregivers in child-centred, play-based, experiential, inclusive, and developmentally appropriate teaching and learning approaches.
• Provide guidance to teachers and caregivers on creating stimulating, safe, inclusive, and child-friendly learning environments.
• Support demonstrations of practical activities, storytelling, music, movement, games, creative arts, role play, outdoor activities, and other ECCE learning experiences.
• Collect feedback from teachers, caregivers, schools, and other users to inform continuous improvement of ECCE resources.
• Ensure the accuracy, quality, durability, reliability, safety, and developmental appropriateness of ECCE learning materials, models, toys, play resources, prototypes, and instructional aids.
• Review ECCE learning materials for compliance with applicable curriculum, child protection, health and safety, accessibility, inclusion, and instructional standards.
• Ensure ECCE resources are free from inappropriate content, unsafe components, discriminatory representations, and materials that may pose risks to young children.
• Ensure that learning activities are appropriate for children’s age, developmental stage, abilities, interests, and diverse learning needs.
• Review illustrations, stories, games, language, images, and activities to ensure that they promote positive values, inclusion, respect, cooperation, creativity, and holistic child development.
• Participate in quality assurance reviews, field testing, user evaluations, and continuous improvement of ECCE resources.
• Ensure the safe and appropriate storage of ECCE prototypes, learning aids, toys, models, samples, teaching materials, equipment, and other instructional resources.
• Maintain proper documentation and records of ECCE prototypes, activities, learning materials, testing results, revisions, user feedback, and approved resources.
• Support the establishment and maintenance of an organised physical and digital ECCE content repository.
• Ensure that ECCE learning resources, manuals, guides, digital content, research findings, and technical documentation are properly catalogued and readily accessible to authorised users.
• Contribute to institutional knowledge management by documenting innovations, good practices, lessons learned, and successful ECCE interventions.