Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to examine the factors affecting the effective implementation of Early Childhood Development policy in Narok central division. The specific objective of the study was; to establish the various challenges affecting the effectiveness in ECD policy implementation. The target population consisted of 282 teachers and managers and 6 DICECE officers. 94 of the respondents were ECD managers, 188 ECD teachers, and 6 DICECE officers in the division. The sample size of the study was 172 respondents who were randomly selected from the study population. The study used a questionnaire which was developed based on the study objectives. Reliability coefficient of the questionnaire was tested and it was established at a coefficient 0.7, which was accepted as appropriate for the study. The data collected was summarized and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The study results revealed that the factors that affected the implementation of the policy were lack of appropriate skills, knowledge and resources to support the implementation of the policy. The study concludes that for effective implementation of ECD policy there is need for the teachers and the managers to get the right professional training in ECD. The DICECE staff must ensure that the curriculum is well defined to accommodate all elements of the implementation process. The research findings are beneficial to all the ECD managers, the teachers and the ministry of education as a whole as it sheds light on policy issues that affects the management of the ECD programmes. The study recommends that further research be done with a larger sample to establish whether similar results can be obtained.
