The Royal Government of Cambodia has continuously paid close attention to and prioritized human resource development, as stated in the Rectangular Strategy Phases I–IV, the Pentagonal Strategy Phase I, and the National Strategic Development Plan. In line with the human resource development policy and to promote long-term human capital development in order to achieve the vision of becoming an upper-middle-income country by 2030 and a high-income country by 2050, the Royal Government approved the National Policy on Early Childhood Care and Development in 2010. To implement this national policy, the Secretariat of the National Committee for Early Childhood Care and Development (NCECCD) prepared the National Action Plan for Early Childhood Care and Development 2014–2018 and the National Action Plan for Early Childhood Care and Development 2022–2026. Relevant ministries and institutions that are members of the National Committee participate in implementing these National Action Plans by integrating priority actions responding to early childhood care and development into their sectoral and cross-sectoral policies and strategic plans.
In line with the National Policy on Early Childhood Care and Development and the National Action Plan for Early Childhood Care and Development, sub-national administrations, particularly the Capital and Provincial Administrations, are required to develop Action Plans for Early Childhood Care and Development for their respective capital and provinces. These Action Plans should involve the participation of relevant stakeholders, including the technical departments of ministries and institutions that are members of the NCECCD, municipal, district, and khan administrations, commune and sangkat administrations, non-governmental organizations, development partners, citizens, especially parents or guardians, as well as children. Each sub-national Action Plan plays a role in facilitating and promoting the translation of national policies and strategies into concrete actions that address priority issues in each geographical area and locality. It also serves as a roadmap for sub-national administrations to coordinate their efforts in addressing challenges and providing targeted services that meet the needs of young children and their parents or guardians. Translating national policies into sub-national Action Plans at the local level will ensure that early childhood care and development programs are not only effective but also responsive to the actual needs of citizens, especially women and children in local communities.
To provide direction and technical guidance to sub-national administrations in developing and implementing Action Plans for Early Childhood Care and Development, the Secretariat of the NCECCD has prepared the Guidelines on Developing Sub-National Action Plans for Early Childhood Care and Development. These Guidelines have been developed in accordance with Cambodia’s National Policy on Early Childhood Care and Development, the National Action Plan for Early Childhood Care and Development, the Global Framework for Nurturing Care for Early Childhood Development, and are based on the experiences of Kratie, Kampong Cham, and Ratanakiri Provinces in developing sub-national Action Plans for Early Childhood Care and Development.
Capital and Provincial Administrations shall ensure the alignment and harmonization of the Action Plans for Early Childhood Care and Development with the Five-Year Development Plans and the Three-Year Rolling Investment Programs of the Capital and Provincial Administrations, Municipal, District and Khan Administrations, Commune and Sangkat Administrations, as well as with the Action Plans and Strategies of the relevant technical departments, in order to ensure ownership of the activities outlined in the Action Plans for Early Childhood Care and Development. The timeframe of these Action Plans shall be three years, corresponding to the timeframe of the Three-Year Rolling Investment Programs of the sub-national administrations. These Action Plans should be prepared prior to the Three-Year Rolling Investment Programs in order to provide an opportunity for relevant stakeholders to incorporate activities related to early childhood care and development into the Three-Year Rolling Investment Programs.
