Stakeholder Participation and Implementation of Early Childhood Development and Education Program in Kisumu-west Constituency, Kisumu County Kenya

Abstract

Great emphasis, importance and efforts have been put in ECDE, yet it still faces great challenges that drags its implementation. Children’s needs are complex and diverse, making implementation of ECDE program a daunting process for a stakeholder working in isolation. This study investigated the impact stakeholder participation has on implementation of the ECDE program intending to address implementation challenges associated with unclear policy direction and support, inadequate resources and facilities, inadequate capacity on competencies, transparency, and accountability among others that if not addressed would compromise the access, quality, equity and relevance of ECDE programs. This investigation was guided by related empirical studies as well as theories of general systems and collaborative governance. The objectives were: to determine to what extent stakeholder participation in planning influences the implementation of ECDE program; to assess the extent to which stakeholder participation in decision-making influences the implementation of ECDE program; to examine how stakeholder participation in training and capacity development influence implementation of ECDE program, and; to establish the influence of stakeholder participation in monitoring and evaluation on implementation of ECDE Programs in Kisumu West Constituency, Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive survey design with both qualitative and quantitative approaches in the collection and analysis of data from experiences of a target population of 486 educators, parents’ representatives, ECDE County government officials and NGO’s ECDE program leads. A sample of 219 respondents derived from Slovin’s Fomula was proportionately grouped and selected using purposive and simple random sampling techniques. Questionnaires and interviews were self-administered by the researcher to collect data with pilot testing done in Kisumu West Constituency. Pilot testing was conducted with the instruments in Kisumu East Constituency and, this process combined with the Cronbach’s formulae of testing reliability ensured and confirmed validity and reliability if the instruments. Quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS 23; arithmetic mean and standard deviation for descriptive statistics and; Pearson’s correlation (r) and regression analysis for inferential statistics and, qualitative data analyzed through content analysis and presented in prose form. The findings revealed significant positive impact of stakeholder participation in planning (r=0.631, P=0.000), decision making (r=0.545, P=0.000), training and capacity development (r=0.578, P=0.000) and, monitoring and evaluation (r=0.643, P=0.000) on implementation of ECDE program in Kisumu West Constituency, Kenya. Implementation of ECDE program recorded increased capacity, improved efficiency, stakeholder satisfaction, improved performance and enrolment; changes that were attributed to stakeholder participation. Based on the findings, the study recommended representation of all stakeholders including parents at the top, county levels of decision making, effective coordination across stakeholders to avoid duplication and to leverage resources, extensive stakeholder participation in various resource mobilization avenues including voluntarism and fundraising, institutionalization of parent sensitization and capacity development in ECDE systems, increased budget allocation for ECDE and advocacy for men to embrace ECDE and join in as effectual actors in its implementation