A Quantitative Study on Quality of Physical Infrastructure, WASH practices, Preschool Education and Safety in Anganwadi Centers, Government Preschools and Private Preschools in Delhi

Abstract

As the foundation of all learning depends upon early childhood experiences, which consist of the pre-schooling age of a child’s life, i.e., 3 to 6 years, preschools have a significant role in all learning. Enhanced cognitive, social, language capabilities and even a higher level of school readiness can be achieved through the quality of preschool programs. So, this study is undertaken to understand the quality of various modes of preschools, i.e., Anganwadi centers, government preschools, and private preschools, regarding their physical infrastructure, WASH practices, preschool education, and safety, that run in Delhi. 45 preschoolers were taken, 15 from each mode, and a descriptive research design was used for comparing the quality of different modes. The findings show that government preschools and private preschools are working at good quality in terms of physical infrastructure, safety of the children, and classroom process, though government preschools are performing slightly better than private preschools. On the other hand, Anganwadi centers are working mostly at average quality in all variables. All three modes of preschool should extensively work on the WASH practices and preschool education, especially in curriculum transaction and a child-friendly environment, as they require attention.