Projects
Community Preschools
Early Childhood Education Ethiopia currently has active projects in Bahir Dar, Debre Tabor, and Hawassa. Our commitment and approach remain grounded in meeting the needs of children and families that come from low to no-income families. We work in rural communities, focusing on building joyful, inclusive early learning environments rooted in community. ECEE is building the first community preschool in Debre Tabor, Ethiopia. The preschool is scheduled to serve 450 children from low-income families. This preschool will provide two meals, play encouraging spaces and collaborate with parents and community members to educate young children through ECEE’s Learner Ready Generation Framework.
The Outdoor Classroom, Bahir Dar.
Understanding the challenges many preschools face in implementing play-based learning especially while managing overwhelming teacher-to-child ratios, sometimes as high as 1 to 80—we designed and built an outdoor play-learning environment to help address both constraints. This space offers children opportunities for exploration, movement, and collaborative play, while also giving educators more flexibility and support in managing large groups through developmentally appropriate, engaging activities.
Teacher, Parent and Staff Training and Support
Since 2021, Early Childhood Education Ethiopia (ECEE) has been committed to strengthening the early learning ecosystem by providing high-quality training, professional development, and parent education seminars. These efforts are designed to upskill and enhance the knowledge, dispositions, and practical abilities of early childhood educators, caregivers, and families, particularly in underserved and rural communities.
In 2024, ECEE launched its first 10-month certificate training program, a milestone initiative aimed at building a locally grounded, culturally responsive, and professionally equipped early childhood workforce.
Child Rearing & Caregiving Practices, Hawassa
Parents are children’s first educators and caregivers. As an organization, we understand that the foundation of the early years is built at home. This is why we have created our in-home and community support program specifically for low to no income families. Using our developmental knowledge, cultural understanding, and practical resources, we equip parents with the tools and confidence to create rich learning environments within their own homes. Because when we strengthen families, we strengthen entire communities, one child, one parent, one home at a time.
Indigenous and Culturally Relevant Curriculum
At ECEE, we believe that education should be rooted in the cultural, historical, and environmental contexts of the communities it serves. From the way we design and construct our learning spaces to the methods we use in the classroom, we intentionally center and integrate indigenous knowledge systems. This belief guides our architectural choices, such as circular classrooms modeled after traditional Gojo Bets, and informs our pedagogical practices that value oral storytelling, communal learning, and local ways of knowing. We see indigenous knowledge not as an add-on, but as a foundational element that shapes children’s identities, builds pride in their heritage, and creates more relevant, responsive learning environments.
