Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) , Bihar

Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) , Bihar

Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) in response to the challenge of meeting the holistic needs of the child, launched initially in 33 blocks, on October 2, 1975, that is, 30 years ago.

 

Today, the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) is on of the world's largest and most unique outreach programmes for early children. It is widely acknowledged that the young child is most vulnerable to malnutrition, morbidity, resultant disability and mortality. The Early years are the most crucial period in life., when the foundations for cognitive, social, emotional, language, physical/motor development and life long learning are laid, recognizing that early childhood development constitutes the foundation of human development, ICDS is designed to promote holistic development of children under six years, through the strengthened capacity of caregivers and communities and improved access to basic services, at the community level. The programme is specifically designed to reach effective disparity reduction.

 

The programme provides an integrated approach for converging basic services for improved childcare, early stimulation and learning, health and nutrition, water and environmental sanitation targeting young children, expectant and nursing mothers and women's a/ adolescent girls' groups. They are reached through nearly 60,000 trained community-based Anganwadi Workers and an equal number of helpers, supportive community structures/women's groups- through the Anganwadi centre, the groups system and in the community.

 

ICDS is powerful outreach programme to help achieve major national nutrition and health goals. Embodied in the National Plan of Action for Children. It also contributed to the national goal of universal primary education.

 

ICDS provides increased opportunities for promoting early development, associated with primary stage and by releasing girls from the burden of sibling care, to enable them to participate in primary education.

 

Poised for universal coverage by the turn of the century, ICDS today reaches out to roughly on million expectant and nursing mothers and roughly 5 Million children (under six years of age), of disadvantaged groups in Bihar. Of these, 2.5 million children (three to six years of age) participate in centre-based pre-school education activities.

 

The network consists of 393 projects, covering nearly, 72 percent of the state community development blocks and the services are being provided through 60587 Anganwadi Centers are as follows:

    * Improve the nutritional and health status of children below the age of six years.
    * Lay the foundation for the proper psychological, physical and social development of the child.
    * Reduce the incidence of mortality, morbidity, malnutrition and school dropouts.
    * Achieve effective coordination of policy and implementation among various departments to promote child development.
    * Enhance the capability of the mother to took after the normal health and nutritional needs of the child, through proper health and nutrition education.

Health

    * Immunization
    * Health check-ups
    * Referral services
    * Treatment of minor illnesses

Nutrition

    * Supplementary feeding
    * Growth monitoring and promotion
    * Nutrition and Health Education (NHED)

Early Childhood Care And Pre-School Education

    * To children in the age groups of three to six years.

Convergence

    * Of other supportive services, such as safe drinking water, environmental sanitation, women's empowerment programmes, non-formal education and adult literacy.

Visit for more information http://icds.bih.nic.in

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