Deadline: 04-Jun-2026
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) is inviting expressions of interest to strengthen comprehensive early childhood care services in Colombia. The programme focuses on integrated interventions in nutrition, health, education, and child protection to improve developmental outcomes for young children and caregivers in the departments of Nariño and Cauca.
The initiative aims to expand equitable access to quality early childhood development (ECD) services through coordinated multisectoral systems and strengthened community engagement.
Overview
Despite national progress in early childhood policy development, significant territorial inequalities persist in Colombia. Children in vulnerable regions, particularly in Nariño and Cauca, continue to face limited access to quality education, healthcare, nutrition services, and protective environments.
This programme addresses these gaps by strengthening integrated service delivery systems and improving coordination between education, health, nutrition, and social protection sectors.
Programme Objectives
The initiative aims to:
- Strengthen comprehensive early childhood development services
- Improve access to quality preschool and early education
- Promote inclusive pedagogical practices
- Enhance child nutrition and healthy lifestyle behaviours
- Strengthen child health, vaccination, and disease prevention services
- Support positive parenting and caregiver engagement
- Improve intersectoral coordination for child services
- Strengthen child protection systems
- Facilitate smooth educational transitions into formal schooling
- Create enriched and inclusive learning environments
- Reduce inequalities in access to early childhood services
Geographic Focus
- Departments: Nariño and Cauca, Colombia
- Priority municipalities include: Pasto, Tumaco, Timbío, Popayán, and Santander de Quilichao
- Target groups: Young children, caregivers, teachers, and communities in vulnerable contexts
Key Development Challenges
The programme responds to persistent challenges affecting early childhood development, including:
- Limited access to preschool and early education services
- Insufficient educational infrastructure and learning environments
- Weak coordination between education, health, and nutrition systems
- Child malnutrition and food insecurity
- Prevalence of communicable diseases (dengue, tuberculosis, malaria, ARIs, diarrheal diseases)
- High vulnerability in rural, ethnic, and conflict-affected communities
- Limited caregiver awareness and engagement in early childhood development
Programme Focus Areas
The intervention includes integrated actions across multiple sectors:
Early Childhood Development and Education
- Inclusive pedagogical practices
- Curriculum strengthening and implementation
- Transition support into formal schooling
- Teacher training and continuous professional development
- Enriched learning environments
Health and Nutrition
- Child vaccination support
- Malnutrition prevention
- Healthy lifestyle promotion
- Disease prevention and health referrals
Family and Community Engagement
- Positive parenting programmes
- Caregiver training and awareness workshops
- Community development initiatives
- Family empowerment activities
Systems Strengthening
- Intersectoral coordination mechanisms
- Institutional capacity building
- Service integration across health, education, and protection systems
Expected Results
The programme is expected to deliver the following outcomes:
- Transformation of pedagogical and learning spaces in Cauca
- Support for approximately 6,700 children transitioning into formal education
- Training of teachers on healthy lifestyle promotion and inclusive education
- Continuous professional development for 640 teachers across target municipalities
- Strengthened implementation of curricular guidelines for early childhood education
- Expanded caregiver engagement through structured workshops and awareness campaigns
- Participation of approximately 3,680 parents and caregivers in development activities
Implementation Strategy
The programme is implemented in collaboration with:
- Ministry of National Education (Colombia)
- Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF)
The approach integrates multisectoral coordination across education, health, nutrition, and child protection systems to ensure comprehensive service delivery.
Key implementation components include:
- Strengthening institutional coordination frameworks
- Enhancing early childhood service delivery systems
- Building teacher capacity and pedagogical quality
- Expanding caregiver and community participation
- Improving referral systems across health and social services
- Supporting inclusive and equitable access to services
Indicative Budget
- Total programme budget: Colombian Peso 500,000,000
How to Apply
Step 1: Confirm Eligibility
Ensure your organisation:
- Has experience in early childhood development, education, or social services
- Can operate in Colombia, specifically Nariño and Cauca
- Has capacity for multisectoral coordination and implementation
Step 2: Prepare Expression of Interest
Include:
- Organisational profile and relevant experience
- Proposed approach to integrated early childhood services
- Capacity for community engagement and teacher training
- Experience in multisectoral programme delivery
Step 3: Define Implementation Approach
Outline:
- Education and pedagogy strengthening strategy
- Health and nutrition integration plan
- Caregiver engagement and community mobilisation approach
- Institutional coordination framework
Step 4: Submit Application
Submit the expression of interest in accordance with UNICEF guidelines.
Tips for Applicants
- Emphasise integration across education, health, and nutrition systems.
- Demonstrate experience in early childhood development programming.
- Include strong strategies for caregiver engagement and positive parenting.
- Focus on inclusive education and equity for vulnerable populations.
- Highlight capacity for teacher training and curriculum support.
- Ensure alignment with national education and child welfare systems.
- Design scalable and sustainable service delivery models.
Why This Programme Matters
Early childhood development is a critical foundation for lifelong learning, health, and economic productivity. In regions such as Nariño and Cauca, systemic gaps in services disproportionately affect vulnerable children. This UNICEF initiative strengthens integrated care systems, ensuring that children receive the nutrition, education, health, and protection needed for holistic development and long-term wellbeing.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- What is the main goal of the programme?
- To strengthen integrated early childhood development services in Nariño and Cauca, Colombia.
- Which sectors are included?
- Education, health, nutrition, child protection, and community development.
- What is the budget for the programme?
- Colombian Peso 500,000,000.
- Who are the target beneficiaries?
- Young children, caregivers, teachers, and vulnerable communities.
- Which organisations are implementing the programme?
- UNICEF in collaboration with the Ministry of National Education and ICBF.
- What are the expected results?
- Teacher training, improved learning environments, caregiver engagement, and support for 6,700 children transitioning into formal education.
- Which areas are prioritised?
- Nariño and Cauca, including municipalities such as Pasto, Tumaco, Popayán, Timbío, and Santander de Quilichao.
Conclusion
The UNICEF early childhood development programme in Colombia strengthens integrated systems across education, health, nutrition, and child protection to improve outcomes for young children in Nariño and Cauca. By enhancing institutional coordination, teacher capacity, and caregiver engagement, the initiative promotes equitable access to quality early childhood services and supports long-term human development outcomes.
For more information, visit UN Partner Portal.