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ANKUR

ANKUR


Promoting Early Childhood Care & Development (ECCD) and building school readiness
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THE NEED

The early years of a child’s life are critical in shaping cognitive development, learning outcomes, and long-term well-being. Investments in early childhood care and development (ECCD) have a direct impact on school readiness, retention, and long term life outcomes.

United Way Mumbai’s Project Ankur focuses on strengthening early learning ecosystems within the public system, ensuring that children from underserved communities are better prepared to enter and thrive in formal schooling.

By working closely with government systems and communities, the programme enables holistic child development across learning, health, and nutrition.

Early childhood, spanning from birth to 8 years, is a period of rapid brain development, that lays the foundation for language, cognition, behaviour, and social skills.

In India, the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme delivers essential services such as nutrition, immunisation, and early education through Anganwadi centres. While ICDS remains one of the largest early childhood programmes globally, many Anganwadi centres continue to face challenges such as:

  • Inadequate infrastructure and learning environments

  • Limited access to age-appropriate educational materials

  • Gaps in early stimulation and school readiness practices

  • Capacity constraints among frontline workers

As a result, many children enter primary school without the foundational skills required for learning, impacting their long-term educational trajectory.

 

SOLUTION

Project Ankur adopts a systems-strengthening approach, working in partnership with ICDS to enhance the quality of early childhood services at the Anganwadi and community level.

By partnering with United Way Mumbai, organisations can support:

  • Strengthen Anganwadi infrastructure and early learning environments

  • Improve school readiness and foundational learning outcomes

  • Build capacity of frontline workers and caregivers

  • Enable health, nutrition, and developmental support for children

  • Drive community-led early childhood development


Centres are upgraded to ensure safe, hygienic, and child-friendly spaces, supported with age-appropriate learning materials that promote early stimulation and active engagement.
The programme focuses on building foundational skills required for primary education, including:
- Early literacy and numeracy exposure
- Cognitive and socio-emotional development
- Structured school readiness activities
- Children are supported through regular health check-ups, growth monitoring, and referrals, ensuring early identification and intervention for developmental or health-related concerns.
- Frontline workers are trained to deliver improved early childhood education practices, including activity-based learning, child engagement, and developmental tracking.
Recognising the role of caregivers in early development, the programme actively involves families through:
- Parent capacity-building sessions on nutrition, health, and early learning
- Formation of parent committees to strengthen accountability
- Sharing of child progress updates to encourage active participation

This integrated approach ensures that children receive consistent support across home and Anganwadi environments.
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Saumya Nair
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Pankaj Sonaji Gaikwad
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Sandeep Khanduja
Sonal Gawande
Aakash Poojary

OUR IMPACT

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Children impacted
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Infrastructural interventions to improve Anganwadis
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Caregivers trained

UPDATES


NDTV FEATURES PROJECT ANKUR ON MAKAR SANKRANTI
As part of NDTV’s Bachpan Manao initiative, Project Ankur was featured for its play-based learning model at Anganwadi centres. The Makar Sankranti celebration saw children engage in joyful activities like kite flying and games, showcasing the po
Read more...

NDTV Features Project Ankur on Makar Sankranti

14th January 2025

As part of NDTV’s Bachpan Manao initiative, Project Ankur was featured for its play-based learning model at Anganwadi centres. The Makar Sankranti celebration saw children engage in joyful activities like kite flying and games, showcasing the power of play in early childhood development.


GOVERNMENT STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
We have seen major engagement of government stakeholders in the different districts in support of the Anganwadi Centres through the efforts of the United Way Mumbai (UWM) in collaboration in the Anganwadi Teacher. Awareness of the Ankur Project reac
Read more...

Government Stakeholder Engagement

3rd May 2024

We have seen major engagement of government stakeholders in the different districts in support of the Anganwadi Centres through the efforts of the United Way Mumbai (UWM) in collaboration in the Anganwadi Teacher. Awareness of the Ankur Project reached the District Welfare Officer (DWO), Khammam District.

As a result the local panchayats themselves supported some of the infrastructural requirements in the form of:
Construction of Toilets for some centres
  • Building a Water Tank for a centre
  • Provision of Electricity for some centres
  • Provision of Water Supply for some centres
  • Rebuilding of the ceiling for a centre
  • Reroofing of a centre to support the Solar unit being installed



TRANSFORMING ANGANWADI CENTRES INTO CONDUCIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS:
The Anganwadi Centres lack the basic amenities of water and sanitation in addition to this they are in such a dilapidated condition that parents are hesitant to send their children to the centres. In the 33 Anganwadi Centres UWM has worked on complet
Read more...

Transforming Anganwadi Centres into conducive learning environments:

3rd May 2024

The Anganwadi Centres lack the basic amenities of water and sanitation in addition to this they are in such a dilapidated condition that parents are hesitant to send their children to the centres. In the 33 Anganwadi Centres UWM has worked on completely transforming the centres by making them more attractive with wall murals that double as teaching learning materials. This has resulted in an increase the attendance of children by 12% . These children have now been regularly coming to the centre.


MAKING CHILDREN SCHOOL READY
At UWM we follow the National Education Policy's (NEP’s) focus on holistic development, where our early childhood education program prioritizes five key domains: Physical and motor skills, Cognitive development Socio-emotional-ethica
Read more...

MAKING CHILDREN SCHOOL READY

3rd May 2024

At UWM we follow the National Education Policy's (NEP’s) focus on holistic development, where our early childhood education program prioritizes five key domains:
  • Physical and motor skills,
  • Cognitive development
  • Socio-emotional-ethical growth
  • Cultural and artistic expression
  • Communication and early literacy & numeracy
A variety of skill-building activities are conducted across these domains that have resulted in remarkable learning outcomes. These daily interventions have resulted in children achieving their developmental milestones and becoming school ready. We have seen an average of 50 % increase in children achieving their developmental milestones.

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Office Address:
United Way Mumbai,
1201, Suvidha Square
Corner of S V Road & Caeser Road Amboli, Andheri West
Mumbai 400 058.
Tel: +91 22 69523100
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contact@unitedwaymumbai.org
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Plot No. D3/23 & 23A, Dahej Industrial Estate,
Samantpore, Gujarat - 392130
Tel: +91 22 69523100
Email:
contact@unitedwaymumbai.org


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