National Curriculum for Early Childhood Care and Education 2024

About National Curriculum for Early Childhood Care and Education 2024:

• Aadharshila (translated as foundation stone) is a detailed 48-week curriculum meant for learning in the age group of three to six-year-olds in anganwadis. 
• It has been finalized by an internal committee comprising representatives from the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Department of School Education and Literacy, the Ministry of Education, the NCERT, the Institute of Home Economics, Delhi University and civil society organisations.
• Features:
  • The curriculum includes a weekly based play calendar with four weeks of initiation that include academic activities which help children transition from home to anganwadi centre by engaging them in fun and free play.
  • The next 36 weeks are spent exploring, free play, conversation, creation and appreciation, reflection that involves various activities, including storytelling, singing rhymes, art and craft, and so on.
  • Storytelling themes revolve around conflict resolution, taking responsibility, and working with and helping others.
  • Children learn about colours, shapes, numbers, the use of senses, body parts, family and friends, listening and responding to instructions, basic counting, imitating and recognizing sounds, themes like seasons, festivals, food and so on. 
  • The last eight weeks are spent in recap and reinforcing the learnings of previous weeks with worksheets and observation of kid’s performance. 
  • Activities and time table are segregated age-wise, with detailed requirement of materials needed, age-appropriate specifications, variation, notes for teachers, targeted curricular goals and competency that children achieve, and observing children’s interests. 
  • Children from the age three to six attend anganwadi in what is a mixed crowd. The curriculum targets at least 48 weeks of learning in the duration of three years. 
  • The curriculum helps in developing listening skill, vocabulary building, boosting imagination, narration, following instructions, creativity, social development, developing self-expression and self-esteem, which will help a child to easily transition into Grade 1.
  • A special focus has been given for the screening, inclusion, and referrals of Divyang children in every activity.
  • The national framework for three to six years will serve as a base for States to develop their own culturally appropriate curriculum seen as a solution to tackle later school challenges of children.