Contests and prospects of implementing early childhood care and education in Ethiopia’s Sidama Regional State

The study aimed to examine the contests and prospects of implementing early childhood care and education (ECCE) in Ethiopia’s Sidama Regional State. A phenomenological design was employed in the qualitative research approach. A total of sixteen respondents, such as four preschool teachers, four principals, four cluster supervisors, and four parents, were chosen for interviews and focus group discussions. The data collected through interviews and focus group discussions was subjected to word-by-word thematic analysis. The findings revealed that the primary contests of ECCE are the preschool imbalance of teacher-student ratio, insufficient resources for teaching and learning, physical barriers, and teachers’ inadequate training in handling and teaching preschool children. The key contests of this study are preschool environments physical inaccessibility to children, the large number of students in the class, lack of proper teachers and caregiver training, and inadequacy of teaching and learning materials. It also confirmed that ECCE provides innumerable prospects for all children to improve their social and academic ability. Some of the prospects are directly related to the existence of the ECCE program which gives children the chance to be well-respected, recover physically, adjust psychologically, and integrate into society. Finally, it recommends that the ministry of education should develop strong training programs for ECCE teachers and caregivers.