Preschools (balwadis) have been set up in communities and are managed by local volunteers. They provide an atmosphere of joyful learning for 4 to 6 year olds and socialize the role of education in communities.

Akshara Foundation has set up hundreds of balwadis in many communities across the State. Some of these are supported by Akshara. In some other cases, Akshara has trained young women to become “edupreneurs” and have helped them to start their own preschools by providing training and teaching learning material. In these cases, Akshara continues to support them with training and inputs even after they turn it into self sustaining ventures.

Akshara is also partnering with the Departmen oft Women and Child Development’s Integrated Child Development Scheme by providing volunteers to government run anganwadis to impart education to 4 to 6 year olds.

The balwadis typically function from the homes of the volunteers who conduct them. Their timings are from 10 am to 12 noon, every working day, from Monday to Saturday.

A balwadi is a child’s preparatory stepping stone to school. Development skills are inculcated in a balwadi. Physical development, language enhancement, cognitive development, social development and emotional development. There is a small component of reading and writing through simple readers in Kannada and Urdu, with large pictures, which teaches children the fundamentals of language. At a balwadi, they also go through a socialization process, in a completely different environment. They learn to share and yield and be polite. They are taught the values of focus and concentration.

Children are assessed through the year to monitor learning and change. The final assessments go to the Department of Women and Child Development with whom Akshara Foundation works closely.

The greatest vindication of the programme is that children are happy to be in balwadis. Akshara’s ultimate aim is the self-empowerment of the community with its people taking responsibility and accepting proud ownership of the programme.