NETWORKS
AND ALLIANCES
We work in solidarity with grassroots to global level networks and alliances to strengthen an ecosystem that amplifies the right to early childhood development and the right of women informal workers to social protection entitlements.
Over 351% increase in crime against children in the last 10 decades. This makes it imperative for children and families to have access to safe, nurturing spaces. (2011- 2022 NCRB report)
Article 21 of the Constitution of India guarantees the Right to Life...which includes the right to live with dignity for all it's citizens, including our youngest children. Yet, young children under 6 years of age are excluded of a legal entitlement that guarantees them their right to Early Childhood Development.
We adopt a collaborative approach, working with networks and alliances focused on gender rights, child rights, labour rights, trade unions, academic institutions, and like-minded NGOs and think tanks.
In 1989, Mobile Creches, SEWA, and Centre for Women's Development Studies initiated the Forum for Creches and Childcare Services (FORCES) to unite stakeholders on the overlapping issue of women informal workers and their access to quality childcare facilities.
In 2013, the Alliance for Right To ECD came into force as a resource group to support government and non state partners in the effective implementation of the National ECCE Policy provisions and needs of the evolving ECD sector in India.
As members of the Secretariat, we remain a part of the leadership team in both these networks.
At Grassroots Level
Collaborate with on ground organisations, networks, campaigns and media to inform, educate and support poor citizens to raise their concerns for their children with relevant bodies.
At National Level
Collaborate with overlapping networks to intersect ECD, maternity and childcare entitlements in mainstream agenda.
At Global Level
Collaborate with partners to gather evidence, sharpen understanding and join forces to amplify the voice for ECD and womens labour force participation as a policy and financing priority for countries.
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intersectional networks prioritised ECD
Right to food, Right to Education, Campaign Against Child Labour (CACL), Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, Nirman Mazdoor Adhikar Abhiyan.
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Multiple districts across 20 states impacted through on ground networks
Influenced big systemic changes
for example National ECCE Policy 2013, National Food Security Act 2013, Shram Shakti Report 1989, G20 India Presidency 2023.
Embedding Childcare and Early Childhood Development (ECD) in the Right to Education Forum
When the RTE Act of 2009 made education a fundamental right for children aged 6 to 14 years, it excluded two critical age groups: young children from birth to six years and adolescents from 15 to 18 years.
Recognizing this significant policy gap, Mobile Creches formed the Alliance for Right to ECD—a coalition of experts and practitioners committed to advancing ECD policy in India. The alliance collaborated with the RTE Forum, a national-level network dedicated to ensuring universal, equitable, and quality school education, and advocated for the inclusion of all children from birth to 18 years under the umbrella of the right to education.
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The campaign’s impact was profound. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 acknowledged the significance of ECD by restructuring India’s education system into a 5+3+3+4 format, integrating five foundational years for children aged 3 to 8 years within the formal school system.
​Further, the NEP 2020 assigned the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) the critical task of developing an early stimulation curriculum for children under three years of age. This directive aimed to support children’s holistic development, enabling them to thrive in school and beyond. By embedding ECD within the right to education framework, a strong foundation has been laid for an inclusive and comprehensive education system in India—one that nurtures children from birth through adolescence, ensuring that no child is left behind.
The collaboration between Mobile Creches, the Alliance for Right to ECD, and the RTE Forum stands as a powerful example of how collective advocacy can influence national policy.