Tanzania Strengthens Early Childhood Care Through Joined-Up Action

Zanzibar has recently taken significant steps in this direction through the Multisectoral Early Childhood Development Program 2026–2031 and the Zanzibar Declaration on Investing in Early Years.

Tanzania is placing greater attention on the first years of a child's life, bringing education, health, nutrition, protection and responsive care into a more connected system rather than treating each need separately. Senior government officials, researchers, development partners, civil society groups and early childhood practitioners gathered in Zanzibar for a high-level national policy dialogue focused on strengthening Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) across Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar.

The dialogue was held through UNESCO's Strengthening Holistic Approaches and Practices in Early Childhood Care and Education (SHAPE ECCE) initiative, supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. The initiative works with countries to bring ECCE higher on national and international policy agendas, improve data and accountability, strengthen governance and financing, and reinforce recognition of quality early childhood care and education as a right from birth.

Early Years Seen as an Investment in Tanzania's Future

Opening the dialogue, Zanzibar's Permanent Secretary of Education and Vocational Training, Khamis Abdulla Said, described early childhood as a period that shapes learning, health, well-being and productivity throughout a person's life. Investing in young children, he said, needs to be understood as part of Tanzania's wider investment in human capital and sustainable development, particularly when children's educational, nutritional, health and protection needs are closely connected.

Zanzibar has recently taken significant steps in this direction through the Multisectoral Early Childhood Development Program 2026–2031 and the Zanzibar Declaration on Investing in Early Years. Together, these initiatives provide a coordinated framework covering children from birth to eight years old, linking early learning with health, nutrition, safety and child protection instead of leaving families to navigate separate systems.

SHAPE Helps Countries Identify Gaps and Build Stronger Systems

UNESCO Country Representative Michel Toto said the national dialogue forms part of the SHAPE Initiative, which supports implementation of commitments made through the 2022 Tashkent Declaration and Commitments to Action. Those commitments recognise every young child's right to quality early childhood care and education and call for stronger public systems capable of delivering that support fairly.

SHAPE focuses on practical areas that determine whether ECCE works for children and families, including governance, financing, workforce development, inclusion, quality assurance, accountability and evidence-based planning. Rather than functioning as an outside assessment of national performance, the approach helps countries understand what is already working, locate weaknesses that limit access or quality, and develop solutions that can be owned and carried forward by national institutions.

Quality Early Childhood Support Goes Beyond the Classroom

Representing UNICEF, Beatrice Benedict stressed that giving children a strong start requires much more than access to early learning. Education needs to work alongside nutrition, healthcare, child protection, responsive caregiving and safe environments so that developmental challenges can be addressed during the years when children are growing most rapidly.

UNICEF reaffirmed its partnership with the Tanzanian government and other stakeholders through policy support, evidence generation and capacity building. Initiatives including TuTu Centers and market-based Early Childhood Development Centers are also supporting early learning, community participation and women's empowerment, showing how services for children can create wider benefits for families and communities.

Tanzania and Zanzibar Commit to More Coordinated ECCE

The dialogue ended with participants committing to stronger, better coordinated and more evidence-informed ECCE systems across Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar. Their discussions underlined that quality early childhood services depend on sustained political leadership and adequate public investment, supported by capable institutions, reliable information and partnerships that connect sectors rather than allowing children's needs to be addressed in isolation.

For Tanzania, strengthening ECCE means creating conditions in which children can learn, stay healthy, receive adequate nutrition and grow up protected from their earliest years. Building those foundations from birth can give more children a fair start while supporting healthier families, stronger communities and the country's future development.