Shillong, Jul 26: To advance Early Childhood Development (ECD) outcomes in Meghalaya, the Centre for Developing Child- Meghalaya (CDC-M), under the Meghalaya ECD Mission Society, convened a high-level workshop on July 24.
Designed as an intensive problem-solving platform, the workshop brought together a diverse mix of policymakers, developmental paediatricians, researchers, frontline practitioners, educators, and institutional partners to jointly diagnose challenges and co-develop scalable, context-sensitive solutions across the ECD spectrum.
Representatives from the partner states of Maharashtra, Odisha, and Karnataka joined the deliberations, underscoring the national momentum around early child development and care systems.
Themed, “Bridging Research, Practice & Technology for Transformative Early Childhood Outcomes,” the meeting sought to align scientific research and policy frameworks into a unified convergence strategy for Meghalaya.
The CDC-M is envisioned as a platform that bridges governance and research, enabling states and countries to formulate policies and guidelines grounded in robust data and globally proven best practices.
Speaking at the inaugural function, Development Commissioner & Principal Secretary Sampath Kumar emphasized that ECD is not a single-ministry or department mandate, but a multi-sectoral mission requiring convergence across departments/stakeholders, communities, and frontline systems.
Chief Operating Officer of MECDM Ronald Kynta announced that project partner ADB has also allocated financial support for the establishment and operationalisation of the CDC-M over the next two years.
Senior Developmental Paediatrician at Ummeed Child Development Centre Dr. Roopa Srinivasan presented Ummeed’s work in building inclusive, family-centred interventions for children with disabilities. She shared a powerful case of a 13-year-old non-verbal child with autism who found his voice through augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), highlighting the transformative role of empowered caregivers.
Dr. Srinivasan also discussed Ummeed’s upcoming trainer certification phase and shared that over 460 Guide for Monitoring Child Development (GMCD) assessments have been conducted across Meghalaya, covering children aged 0–42 months.
A key highlight of the workshop was insights gathered across two panel sessions themed, ‘From Awareness to Action: Building inclusive foundations for young children with disabilities and delays’ and ‘Reimagining ECD & ECCE through Innovation and Evidence.’
