Study Objective
The Queen Rania Foundation (QRF) Early Childhood Development (ECD) Survey is a nationally representative survey providing a bird’s-eye view of the current ECD landscape in Jordan. This report draws on the study’s national survey of 1,800 Jordanian mothers to investigate parental perceptions of formal enrollment in early childhood care and education (ECCE), their confidence and capabilities to provide quality care for their children, and the home learning environment they provide to their children.
Key Findings
- Despite the fact that the majority of mothers believed that formal pre-primary education is very important, only 20% of mothers of KG1-aged and 3% of mothers of nursery-aged children said their children were enrolled.
- The top five factors mothers reported considering when enrolling children in formal pre-primary education were: safety and cleanliness (66%), academic programs and teaching methods (48%), qualifications of teachers and caregivers (37%), proximity to home (33%), and cost (35%).
- More than 4 in 10 mothers reported that they or other members of their family never read to or looked at picture books with their children aged 5 and under. Results also indicated that 65% of households did not have any children’s books at all.
- Approximately 1 in 3 mothers of children aged 4 to 5 reported that they or other members of their family never took their children to a play area or a park and 40% never played sports, active games or exercised with their children.
- Although more than 7 in 10 mothers disagreed with physical child discipline, more than 6 in 10 reported that their children were physically disciplined at home.
- Only 7% of mothers reported having ever participated in parenting programs.