Researcher: Mapping of Early Childhood Development and Education Stakeholders and Organizations

The purpose of this simplified request for proposals (SRFP) is to invite you to submit a proposal for the service(s) described in the attached statement of work (SOW). If you have questions, please send them to Gretchen Peña at [email protected].

Background

Education Development Center (EDC) is a leading US-based nonprofit research and development firm. EDC designs, implements, and evaluates programs to improve education, health, and economic opportunity worldwide. Collaborating with both public and private partners, we strive for a world where all people are empowered to live healthy, productive lives.

The Leading Through Learning Global Platform (Leading Through Learning) is a USAID-funded project within EDC’s International Development Division, with the aim to establish and expand a global education learning system for USAID and its partners. Through a network approach, Leading Through Learning brings together USAID DC and Mission education teams; US, international, and locally based implementing and research partners; donor and private sector partners; international and local representatives of other global/regional education networks; and partner country government and local representatives.

Leading Through Learning stakeholders build and share knowledge to address local needs while at the same time benefiting from and contributing to a global community of learning. Technical foci for LTLGP include higher education, as represented by the Higher Education Learning Network (HELN); education in crisis and conflict, as represented by the Education in Crisis and Conflict Network (ECCN); and foundational skills, as represented by the Global Reading Network (GRN). Learning Network members collaborate and engage on the global and regional levels. Currently, learning networks have a dedicated focus in the Africa region and Latin America and the Caribbean region (LAC Regional Hub).

In particular, the structure and role of the LAC Regional Hub and potential local chapters is to facilitate the access to global education discussions by bringing together a community of education stakeholders and practitioners with common needs and interests and within a nearby time zone and language group. The primary focus of the LAC Regional Hub and its chapters is to facilitate cross-network and cross-thematic integration at the regional level and enable members to access, build, and share knowledge to address local needs while benefiting from and contributing to a global community of learning.

Activity Overview

The LAC Regional Hub, with the support of the Evaluation and Learning Team, will carry out a mapping of early childhood education (ECE) and early childhood development (ECD) key stakeholders and organizations in Central America and the Caribbean to learn about national and regional initiatives and identify recent strategies that respond to ECE and ECD in the different countries of the two subregions (e.g., national laws, budget assigned to ECE, national policies, and organizations working to advance ECE).

Rationale

The number of stakeholders in ECE and ECD are numerous, yet their work is largely decentralized. This lack of cohesion leads to a recurring disconnect among these actors that prevents them from coming together to identify common needs and leverage on current opportunities and common objectives at a subregional level. The purpose of this activity is to develop a resource that identifies key stakeholders, lists where they work, and describes what they do and their levels of influence. This resource will be valuable to understand some of the contributions these stakeholders can provide from a local perspective, as well as to identify their most urgent ECE and ECD needs.

Objectives and Outcome

The objective of this activity is to create a resource mapping and database that will help the LAC Regional Hub and USAID Mission staff identify and engage with the most relevant, meaningful, and effective implementing partners working in the early childhood education and development sector in the LAC region. The intended outcome is for the LAC Regional Hub, USAID LAC Bureau on Education, and Mission staff in Central America and the Caribbean to engage the most relevant stakeholders in agency programs and initiatives in ECE and ECD.

For additional details, please see the Simplified Request for Proposal (SRFP).