Blended Daycare Training: how BRAC IED adapted the CPD system to the learner

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, BRAC Institute of Educational Development (BRAC IED) designed and implemented an online daycare training for aspiring women daycare entrepreneurs. Initially, the plan was to move to a face-to-face modality. However, this would significantly increase the training cost (around 60%) and it would not have been feasible for participants from different cities in Bangladesh to attend. Keeping these in mind, a blended CPD approach was considered with the design framework of 10 days of online training (as before) with a one-day field visit (in addition).

10-day synchronous online training

The training introduces the basic concepts of a standard daycare service to enhance participants’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes in the field. The training contents cover subject areas such as ECD, psychosocial support, play-based curriculum, space design, and basic business concepts for daycare facilities among others. An interactive pedagogy is followed to keep participants engaged and make online learning effective (brainstorming, group discussion, group work, etc.). The sessions are held via Zoom.

1-day field visit

In the revised design, a one-day field visit is added. This design change was seen as crucial because online sessions cannot fully incorporate the practical experience crucial for professional development training in daycare. The inclusion of a one-day in-person visit was financially feasible and added a component of face-to-face active learning.

Challenges and mitigation strategies

The participants are diverse in terms of socio-economic background, educational qualification, profession, religion, and ethnicity. There were challenges with limited access to technology, digital literacy level, language barriers, and remote location. Thus, strategies had to be implemented to mitigate these issues.

For communication and information sharing, emails were used. Classes were conducted via Zoom and a Zoom auto attendance record report was used for reference. There were participants who did not know how to use emails or have their own email. In some cases, they were not familiar with Zoom. As a result, class invitations were sent, and email addresses were collected through SMS (zoom link, etc.), and follow-up calls were made to ensure participation and give instructions. Also, a Zoom orientation session was held at the start of the training. Participants were given certificates of completion based on their attendance and participation. Although BRAC IED has a Learning Management System (LMS), for this group, training documents were shared with participants through Google drive. Feedback for evaluation and improvement could be submitted through email and WhatsApp.