A qualitative content analysis of Nurturing Care Framework policy transfer and adaptation in Ethiopia’s early childhood development and education policy

The Nurturing Care for Early Childhood Development Framework (2018) has informed global discourse on multisectoral approaches to early childhood development (ECD), including the integration of health, nutrition, education, and child protection systems. This study examines how Ethiopia’s Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) Policy Framework (2022) reflects and adapts this global framework within a decentralized federal education system. Using a qualitative policy document analysis design, the study conducts a structured comparison of the two frameworks across the five domains of nurturing care: good health, adequate nutrition, and responsive caregiving, opportunities for early learning, and security and safety. The findings indicate substantial structural alignment, including adoption of the five-domain model and articulation of cross-ministerial responsibilities for ECD delivery. The ECDE Policy Framework demonstrates commitment to pre-primary expansion and multisectoral coordination, including a rotating inter-ministerial leadership mechanism. However, variation emerges in the level of implementation specificity across domains. While early learning and pre-primary education receive detailed attention, financing strategies, workforce development frameworks, accountability mechanisms, and operational approaches for vulnerable populations are less fully elaborated. Caregiver mental health, emphasized in the global framework, is not explicitly integrated into the national policy text. The study highlights how global ECD models are adapted and operationalized within national education governance contexts, illustrating patterns of selective adaptation shaped by institutional and fiscal realities. These findings contribute to understanding the policy dynamics underlying multisectoral early childhood reform and provide a foundation for future implementation and comparative research in education systems.