In rural Burundi, many young children begin primary school without having had access to early childhood education. Preschool services are limited and often far from where families live. Building a conventional preschool in every community is not realistic. We created the home-based early learning to bring early learning closer to children. The idea is simple: instead of waiting for families to travel long distances to reach a school, we work with communities to create small, safe learning spaces within their own villages. This allows young children to learn through play, develop foundational and social skills, and become more prepared for primary school. It also gives parents and community members an active role in their children's early learning.
Home-based early learning takes place in small community-based learning spaces located close to where children live. Dreaming for Change (D4C) works with the community to identify a suitable location, prepare a safe learning environment, train facilitators and provide basic learning and play materials. Children attend in small groups and learn through play, songs, stories, movement, conversation and simple activities that develop language, numeracy, social-emotional and other foundational skills. Parents are part of the model and contribute in practical ways including supporting children's attendance and helping with snacks. D4C provides ongoing supervision, facilitation support and monitoring. The model is intentionally simple and community-based so that quality early learning can reach children who may otherwise enter primary school without preschool experience.
The model is still at an early stage. D4C began by testing the approach in one rural community and used the experience to understand what works for children, community facilitators and parents. In 2026, we began expanding the model to additional communities in our area of operation. This gradual approach allows us to learn before growing too quickly.
Our goal over the next two to three years is to strengthen the quality of the model, improve how we measure children's development and learning, train more community facilitators and reach more rural communities. We also hope to document the model well enough that it can eventually be adapted by other communities and organizations working in similar settings.
Start by identifying a community where young children have limited access to preschool and involve parents and local leaders from the beginning. Identify a safe community learning space, select and train caregivers, provide simple play and learning materials, organize children into manageable groups and establish a system for parent participation, supervision and monitoring. D4C can share its experience and practical lessons with organizations interested in adapting the model to their context.
