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In several communities, especially those living in remote areas or those with fewer resources at their disposal, older children who are of school- going age are often given the responsibility for the care of younger ones, as parents go out for work. Consequently, the older child is unable to n participate in schooling. Therefore institutional care for young children is i beneficial for the older child as well since he/she is released from the task of I child care and can attend school. Thus, children, both young and of school - age, can be helped to have access to services when they live in difficult F H circumstances. Further these services also provide for interventions in m m i a nutrition, health, besides learning as and when there is a requirement. y n Thus, there is a support to society in the task of developing and building t D the next generation for the future. Early childhood care and education and u v i l care is an activity that benefits childhood in different circumstances, as s o well as families by providing the support to parents and the community in m these basic tasks. e t As per the NCF (2005) Position Paper on Early Childhood Education A n published by NCERT, the basic objectives of ECCE are: d zz Holistic development of the child to enable him/her to realise the potential zz Preparation for school zz Providing support services for women and children Basic concepts There are some important concepts associated with early childhood care and education that we must understand before proceeding further. Early childhood is the phase of life from birth till 8 years of age, and is commonly divided into two, from birth to three years and 3–8 years, based on the developmental changes that characterise young children in these two stages. Infancy is the period between birth and one year (some experts also denote infancy till two years), during which a child is largely dependent upon adults for everyday needs. This period is of intense dependence on adults, usually the mother or father, or any other primary caregiver who maybe the grandmother or helper. In circumstances where the mother is employed outside the home, the infant has to be cared for by a substitute caregiver, who may be a family member or a hired person. The location of the substitute care arrangement may be the child’s own home or the home of the caregiver or an institution or crèche. Crèche is the name given to an institutional setting that is particularly designed for the care of infants and young children in the absence of home care. Day care, on the other hand, is the care of children in the preschool years and may include infants 105 Reprint 2026-27