Project Title: Anganwadi Project No 2 in Palghar District
Location: Mokhada and Jawhar, Palghar district, Maharashtra
Implemented by: Rotary Club of Queens Necklace, Mumbai, in partnership with QUEST
Corporate partner: Industrial Solvents and Chemicals Pvt Ltd
Implementation: 2024–25
For young children in rural and tribal communities, an Anganwadi can be one of their first learning environments. In Mokhada and Jawhar in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, the Palavee programme was designed to strengthen that early-learning experience by improving both the skills of Anganwadi workers and the environments in which children learn.
The project built on an earlier phase that had established model Anganwadis in the region. The next phase focused on strengthening the Resource Group of Anganwadi workers and supervisors, providing additional training, and extending child-friendly learning resources to more centres. Planned activities included training in early literacy, oral language development, cognitive and mathematics activities, sensory experiences and storytelling.
By the close of the project, 38 model Anganwadis had been set up and made functional, while 54 members of the Resource Group received Stage 2 and 3 training under the Palavee programme. Anganwadi helpers and supervisors also received training, including storytelling and capacity-building workshops.
The project’s reach extended beyond the frontline workers. According to the closure report, 760 children aged 3–6 began receiving quality early childhood education for 1.5 hours each day through the model Anganwadis. In addition, the physical setup of 466 Anganwadi centres was completed and teaching-learning materials were procured and distributed.
The intervention was designed to make the improvements part of everyday practice rather than a one-time activity. The trained Anganwadi workers and Resource Group members were expected to apply their learning in their regular work, while the project committee monitored progress through visits to the intervention areas and Anganwadis.
For children entering their first years of formal learning, these changes mean more than a physical makeover. They provide Anganwadi workers with additional tools and training to create learning environments that encourage language, early literacy, creativity and cognitive development.
The project demonstrates how strengthening the people who work with young children, alongside improving the spaces where learning happens, can help build a stronger foundation for children in underserved communities.