Vision

To promote career development, appropriate caregiving, Training, & Education in early childhood education.  

Mission

To develop and implement innovative approaches in ECD, ECD education, and ECD caregiving, contributing to preparing youngsters for transformative social excellence.

1.       About and purpose of the ECD Society

“A community that does not care about children is a deadly one.” The THRIVE ECD Society was founded in 2025 to promote and support Early Childhood Development (ECD) in communities. We strongly believe that the way children are brought up in the early stages of their lives determines the kind of people they will be in society and the kind of society we can ever imagine. With this society, we support initiatives towards the appropriate ways ECD education, or simply ECD, should be handled. We achieve this through the implementation of updated and innovative approaches among stakeholders in ECD. Example stakeholders include ECD caregivers or instructors, the ECD institution (also referred to as kindergartens or nursery

schools), parents of children, and child-based organizations. We are committed to fostering an environment that supports each of these stakeholders, ensuring the holistic development of children at an early stage.

2. Operational areas and activities

We operate as a multi-stakeholder community of practice. Our core activities are structured around the following thematic areas:

i). Academic enhancement of ECD caregivers via academic upgrades.

ii). Continuous Professional Development in ECD, e.g., through regular mentorships and exposure events.

iii). Innovating caregiving in ECD institutions via continuous reviews & ensuring appropriate standards.

iv). Advocating for ECD children, ECD caregivers, & ECD institutions.

v). Mass education and advocacy on the role of ECD, & mainstreaming it among communities.

vi). Profiling & empowering top-notch ECD experts, building their competitiveness in the job market.

vii). Promote & provide socio-economic support to EDC caregivers

and institutions through grants & instructional support.

viii). Research & Monitoring on all aspects of ECD and institutions.

Furthermore, as part of disseminating our findings and contributing to the vision of its founder, ECD subscribes to the FAIDA Conference Series (whose secretariat is at THRAIF). Led by the ECD caregivers, we convene a panel at each FAIDA Conference. At this conference, members become acquainted with new knowledge in this field, including the benefits of sharing expertise and awareness of various opportunities, new insights, and funding or funding sources available for conducting research and innovation in this area, among other things. As such, the ECD society convenes a symposium ahead of the FAIDA conference.

3. Operations and stakes

Following these areas of operation, the ECD society is constituted by a multi-stakeholder membership. There are various stakeholders, comprising a) ECD Institutions, b) ECD educators and ToTs, c) Academic and Research Institutions, and d) Techno-administrative lead. These are elaborated below.

a). ECD Institutions comprise what is called kindergartens. In these institutions, children are taken for EDC at an early age. Our activities in these institutions cross-cut our areas of operations, but mainly focus on innovative ECD caregiving, mentoring the caregivers, socio-economic support, promotion, and advocacy.

b). ECD educators and ToTs serve as key stakeholders, facilitating real ECD through effective caregiving and education. As such, they both ought to be well-informed and continuously seek out or generate knowledge about ECD. They analyze that knowledge against new or existing literature to ensure that what is being used in ECD is appropriately applied to the specific context. Consequently, they facilitate connections with the scholarly community, enabling interactions between the ECD and ECD Institutions. To support this process, the ECD society, through THRIVE Training & Education Centre (TREC) and collaborations, provides ECD educators and ToTs with access to higher education (including up to doctoral levels). This also includes access to research labs, where they can research to inform their activities most effectively. They must therefore engage in scholarly events

organized by the society or TREC to promote ongoing research, co-learning, and innovation in ECD. This includes scholarly learning events such as seminars, as well as projects, scientific discussions in research workshops, & meetings.

c). Academic and Research Institutions facilitate the acquisition of knowledge and methods for ECD educators and ToTs, and higher education institutions (HEIs), where they are trained. Their key role is to ensure that ECD educators and ToTs have access to the necessary academic training and research resources. The approach taken is to create an academic circle where individuals with higher degrees teach those with lower levels, provided a recognized HEI monitors and verifies the whole process, incl. the pedagogies followed. TREC oversees these and related activities. This primarily applies to lower academic training, up to the bachelor’s degree. For higher degrees, including master’s and doctoral programs, TREC ensures sufficient scholarships are secured to facilitate this process using funds available to THRAIF. It is those with higher degrees who become ToTs in the educational community of this society.

d). Techno-administrative leads are the backbone of society’s daily activities. They connect ECD society stakeholders to ensure smooth operations. In this context, a secretariat was established at THRAIF to enhance efficiency and coordination.

4.  Income sources and partnerships

We have diverse sources of income to support the activities of our ECD Society. These include projects and grants as well as membership subscriptions and institutional support. The sales of services and goods, including training, also generate additional income to support our activities. It should also be noted that some of the financial support is provided by the secretariat (THRAIF) and partnering institutions.

Additionally, each associated partner institution provides support, in-kind and financially. This may include, but is not limited to, hosting events such as writing workshops, research workshops, and conferences at their institution or any other partner institution.

5. Getting involved

Membership in the ECD society incorporates three of the earlier categorized stakeholders in addition to others.

These include here: a) ECDInstitutions, c) Academic and Research Institutions, as well as the HEIs of the ECD caregivers, b) ECD Caregivers.

ECD institutions are those housing kindergartens where children under ECD are taken. And thus, where ECD takes place. They are welcome into the membership by formal expression of interest to the ECD society directly. In some cases, we also make deliberate efforts to reach some kindergartens, especially when we select some for the THRIVE ECUDARE Program (TREP).  

Academic and Research Institutions, as well as HEIs (of the ECD caregivers), are another party. They are members of the society by being partners in the training of ECD caregivers. Rather than being direct members of the society, they are quasi-members. Still, they enter into full partnership with TREC, which hosts the secretariat of the ECD society within THRAIF. They function as partners in academic training, and the ECD caregivers are coordinated at TREC. However, the ECD educators in these institutions are free to become independent members of the ECD society with all rights, benefits, and obligations as any other member.

 

How about getting involved as an ECD caregiver or educator? The ECD caregivers andeducators are registered as individuals, forming the academic group or league of the society. Their role is that of knowledge brokers, facilitating the real ECD at institutions and in the community. They are expected to possess and do a minimum of the following:

  • Formal education from the level of an ordinary certificate, & willing to pursue higher levels (incl. Doctorates).
  • Possesses academic abilities and skills that align with ECD. This also means skills usable in the ECD society.
  • Able and willing to:
    • Pursue a career in a humanitarian mindset while working as an ECD caregiver. Priority will be given to those willing to pursue an academic career as experts in ECD.
    • Engage in intensive community-action research on various aspects of ECD. This is mainly for educators in HEIs.
    • Be retooled into the context of HEIs. This means that they can work as a lecturer or teach others in Higher education.
  • Act as a mass community educator in at least one of the various matters of ECD.
  • Participate, with a humanitarian mindset, in all activities of the ECD society as may be changed from time to time.
  • Complies with the standards and rules established from time to time to govern the ECD society. In this regard, two consecutive failures to comply with this requirement without providing a prior justified reason shall result in automatic disqualification and termination of membership. A notice of prior justified reason shall be construed as such time when it is possible to avert any (financial) losses, in any case, twenty (24) hours before the occurrence of the event. The society’s constitution details all terms of engagement in the ECD society.

To officially join the society is a process: first, one must meet all the requirements as outlined above. Second, submit a formal notice of expression of intention (sent electronically via email to trec@thrive.ac.ug). In the expression of interest, please include a detailed CV related

to ECD and attach relevant academic documents. Upon successful assessment of the expression of interest, an application link is sent to commence the third and last step. Following that link, thirdly, an application to be enrolled as an ECD society member. This process can be initiated at any time during the calendar year. Please note that a recommendation might be required from the LC1 and/or another reputable organization or institution. If linked to or from our partner institution, that might not be needed. Once approved, the party shall register as a member and be fully added to all our communication channels.

6. Regulation on visibility and recognition

Every member is recorded in a register maintained at the secretariat, both in hard copy and electronic format, with details of each individual.

Accordingly, each member is assigned a unique identification number for recognition purposes. THRAIF has long-standing experience in recording membership.  

7. Organization and leadership 

Headquartered with a secretariat at TREC as an admin unit within THRAIF, the ECD society is headed by an executive committee. The committee oversees the operations of the secretariat, ensuring the smooth running of all ECD society operations. This includes coordinating the ECD caregivers, educators, Kindergartens, relevant stakeholders, partners, and mobilizing all necessary support from them. This also includes overseeing the various chapters as they emerge in different geographical contexts (beyond the first: Kasese ECD Society).