Access to Early Learning and Caregiving Practices for Children of Out-of-School Adolescent Mothers in Kenya’s Coastal Counties

Objectives/Background

Adolescent pregnancy remains a significant challenge in many parts of Kenya, particularly in the coastal counties where poverty, school dropout, and limited support systems affect young mothers and their children. Many adolescent mothers leave school early and struggle to provide adequate caregiving, early learning opportunities, nutrition, and safe environments for their children. These challenges are often worsened by climate-related shocks such as floods and droughts, which disrupt livelihoods and family stability in coastal communities.

The objective of this initiative is to explore access to early learning and caregiving practices for children aged 1–8 years born to out-of-school adolescent mothers aged 12–17 years in Kenya’s coastal counties. The project seeks to understand the challenges faced by adolescent mothers, the availability of community support systems, and the barriers that prevent children from accessing quality early childhood development opportunities.

The findings will generate evidence to support the implementation of the National Guidelines for School Re-Entry (2020), inform county-level early childhood development policies, and promote community-based approaches that strengthen caregiving and early learning for children of adolescent mothers. Ultimately, the initiative aims to improve early childhood development outcomes while supporting adolescent mothers to continue their education and participate in their communities.

Context/Target Group

The target group of this initiative is out-of-school adolescent mothers aged 12–17 years and their children aged 1–8 years who live in vulnerable coastal communities in Kenya. These young mothers often dropped out of school due to early pregnancy, sexual violence, poverty, or early marriage. Many of them lack stable income, family support, and access to childcare services, which affects their ability to provide responsive caregiving, nutrition, and early learning opportunities for their children.

The project will be implemented in six coastal counties in Kenya namely Lamu, Kilifi, Mombasa, Kwale, Tana River, and Taita Taveta. Within these counties the initiative will focus on rural, island, and informal settlement communities where adolescent pregnancy rates are high and access to early childhood development services is limited.

The initiative will also engage caregivers such as grandparents and other family members who support childcare, as well as community health workers and early childhood development teachers working in these communities. Their involvement will help strengthen community support systems and improve early learning and caregiving practices for children of adolescent mothers.

Implementation Approach

The project will use a community-based research approach to understand the caregiving practices and early learning opportunities available to children of out-of-school adolescent mothers in Kenya’s coastal counties. The implementation will involve working closely with adolescent mothers, caregivers, community health workers, early childhood development teachers, and local community organizations to collect information and identify practical solutions that support early childhood development.

Core activities of the project will include conducting household surveys to assess caregiving practices, nutrition, and children’s participation in early learning activities. The project will also carry out in-depth interviews with adolescent mothers and caregivers to understand their experiences, challenges, and support needs. Focus group discussions with community stakeholders such as community health workers and early childhood educators will help identify barriers and opportunities for improving access to early childhood development services.

In addition, the project will observe home and community learning environments to understand how children learn and play within their households. The findings will be analyzed and shared with county governments, community organizations, and early childhood stakeholders to inform policies, strengthen community support systems, and improve early learning opportunities for children of adolescent mothers.

Partnerships & Areas for Strengthening

The current resources available for this initiative allow us to implement the research in Lamu County. However, the study was originally designed to cover the six coastal counties of Kenya, including Lamu, Kilifi, Mombasa, Kwale, Tana River, and Taita Taveta. We are therefore seeking partnerships with organizations and institutions that can support the expansion of the research to the remaining five coastal counties so that the findings can better represent the situation across the coastal region.

Through partnerships, we also hope to strengthen technical support, data collection, and knowledge sharing to ensure the research produces strong evidence that can inform early childhood development policies and programs. If additional resources become available, we are ready to expand the study further and support similar research in other counties across Kenya so that the experiences of adolescent mothers and their children can inform national early childhood development strategies.