The Tayari Pre-Primary Program in Kenya: Getting Children Ready for Primary School: Outcome Evaluation Baseline Report

Abstract

This report describes the baseline findings of an external evaluation of the Tayari1 preprimary school programme. Tayari is an early childhood development and education (ECDE) intervention funded by the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF). The intervention is implemented by the RTI International, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST), and in collaboration with four counties. The programme, which runs from January 2016 to October 2017, aims to develop a cost effective, scalable model of ECDE that ensures children who are preparing to join primary grade one are cognitively, physically, socially and emotionally ready to start, and succeed in primary school. The programme focuses on improving school readiness as defined by learners’ literacy, numeracy, psychosocial and executive function skills and targets preprimary schools in both public and Alternative Provision of Basic Education and Training (APBET) centres in four Kenyan counties: Laikipia, Nairobi, Siaya and Uasin Gishu. As the programme’s external evaluator, the role of the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) in Tayari is to assess the: (a) impact of the programme on preparing children for primary school; and, (b) cost-effectiveness of the programme