A Sure Start in Slums? Nairobi Early Childcare in Slums (NECS) Study

Paid, largely informal, childcare is becoming the ‘new normal’ for millions of pre-school children growing up in rapidly urbanising Africa. This study in Mukuru slum, Nairobi, aims to be one of the first to document, understand and link the demand and supply sides of this emerging childcare market. It seeks to quantify utilisation, provision and quality of paid childcare, and develop conceptual frameworks to understand childcare decision-making and provider behaviour and practices. The project team is looking to address critical policy relevant knowledge gaps to increase the attention paid to early care and education in slums, and inform intervention strategies which can be delivered at-scale to improve life chances for some of the youngest and most vulnerable children in Africa.

Research Team: Professor Betty Kirkwood, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; Dr Patricia Kitsao-Wekulo, African Population and Health Research Center, Kenya; Dr Zelee Hill, University College London