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.
