Community early childhood intervention commenced in December 2009, providing 4-5 year old children with kindergarten, basic health care and nutritional education. This intervention will act as a bridge to help these students enter and succeed in primary school in the following year.
Three female teachers will be responsible for teaching the kindergarten level students. The teaching program will include educational song singing, picture drawing and painting, listening to educational old stories, bodily hygiene, daily moral practices, smart games, physical exercise (muscle warming), and numerous other subjects. Three classes will be started. Two local health staff have been employed to educate the children and their mothers on health issues for four times a week including:
• Basic health care for children – the children’s parents will be educated on how to prevent the breakouts of seasonal diseases such as dengue fever, cholera, cold, etc. and trained in first aid. In addition, the kindergarten children will be sent to the health centre or hospital and even given payment for health services by KAD;
• (2) Sanitation and hygiene – the children and their parents will be educated on the use of clean water and how to clean their body and clothes, vegetables before cooking or eating, hand-washing before eating and after leaving the toilet, and to use a toilet every time to keep the environment clean; and
• (3) Nutrition – the children and their parents will be educated on nutrition in order to improve child heath.