Designing a Professional Development Programme for Community ECD Facilitators in Katsina State

Community ECD facilitators in Katsina State deliver early learning services to children in underserved rural communities, often without formal training, and a structured professional development programme is critical for improving quality in North West Nigeria. This study designed a professional development programme for community ECD facilitators in Katsina, Batsari, and Funtua Local Government Areas, Katsina State. A training needs assessment was conducted with 80 community facilitators and 20 LGA education officers, supplemented by structured consultations with 8 early childhood education specialists. Needs assessment confirmed that 83.8 percent of facilitators had received no formal ECD training and that practical skills in stimulation activities, language development, and child behaviour management were the most critical gaps. The programme designed covers six modules delivered over 12 months through monthly face-to-face workshops with between-session mentoring: child development foundations, play-based learning facilitation, language and early literacy promotion, numeracy readiness activities, child health and safety essentials, and family and community engagement. All materials are developed in Hausa. Assessment tools for competency verification are included. Expert review by nine ECD training specialists confirmed the programme's cultural appropriateness and operational feasibility. Recommendations include delivery through the Katsina State Primary Healthcare and Education partnership framework, accreditation of the programme through National Teachers Institute, and integration into a broader North West ECD workforce professionalisation strategy.

Keywords: professional development, community ECD facilitators, Katsina State, training programme, early childhood workforce