Celebrating the International Day of Play: Embracing the Joy of Early Learning
On June 11th, the world came together to celebrate the inaugural International Day of Play, a momentous occasion officially recognized by the United Nations . This day marked a significant milestone in highlighting the importance of play in early childhood development, emphasizing its profound impact on children from birth to six years old. Play is not merely a pastime for young children; it is a fundamental aspect of their learning and growth. Through play, children explore their surroundings, develop social skills, enhance cognitive abilities, and cultivate emotional resilience.
To celebrate the International Day of Play, Rocket Learning teamed up with Bachpan Manao , QUEST Alliance , The LEGO Foundation , and Dost Education in an exciting LinkedIn Live session featuring lively discussions on fostering environments where play is valued. Namya Mahajan, our co-founder, represented us at the session to talk about the importance of play at classrooms and home.
“We need to make play synonymous with learning, igniting it in every classroom and every home,” Namya Mahajan .
Rocket Learning recognizes the transformative power of play in shaping well-rounded individuals. We empower Anganwadi workers by training them to utilize teaching materials and everyday resources such as cotton, pebbles, ropes, and chalk for play-based learning initiatives.
In our parent programs, we promote play through readily available resources at home like lentils, vegetables, and physical games such as hopscotch. By encouraging parents to engage actively in playful interactions with their children using these resources, we strengthen family bonds and support early holistic development outside formal educational settings. As we commemorate the International Day of Play, let us reaffirm our commitment to supporting playful learning environments that nurture the holistic development of children worldwide. Together, we can champion the rights of every child to play, learn, and grow in safe and stimulating settings, laying the groundwork for a brighter and more inclusive future.
Rocket Learning Around the World
Malaysia Our co-founder Siddhant Sachdeva and Sukhna Sawhney , Lead-Education and Curriculum, had the privilege of attending the 2024 Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on Early Childhood Development (ECD) last month. The event's theme, "Investing in ECD: An effective pathway for building resilience and boosting sustainable development," resonated deeply with us.
Global
Our co-founder, Namya Mahajan, and our Monitoring and Evaluation Lead, Bilal Afroz, spoke at an online webinar as part of gLOCAL Evaluation Week 2024. This week-long event, held from June 3 to 7, features over 370 events across various regions and sectors, making it one of the largest knowledge-sharing platforms in the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) community!
India
In Uttar Pradesh, our team actively participated in parent-teacher meetings (PTMs) across 22 districts. Every third Tuesday of the month, the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) asks Anganwadi workers to host these meetings. Two weeks before each meeting, we conduct YouTube sessions to train Anganwadi workers on hosting these meetups. We also provide ideas for engaging activities like drawing, dancing, and involving parents in educational tasks. This month, over 1,500 Anganwadi workers attended our training sessions. To ensure high participation, we send reminders on Saturdays or Mondays before the PTMs. As a result, more than 7,000 workers successfully organized PTMs this month.
EduInsight of the Month
At Rocket Learning, our mission is to ensure every child gets the best start in life through early education. Recognizing the critical role of parents, we’ve developed an AI-driven solution to enhance parental engagement called "real-time nudging."
This innovation features:
A breakthrough came with our AI-powered chatbot sending personalized appreciation messages to parents, like “Good work, Ankita! ??” These timely nudges, crafted with care in Hindi, significantly increased parental engagement by ~17 percentage points and boosted daily active users by 10 percentage points in a four-week experiment.
Read more about how real-time nudging is transforming parental engagement and early education here.
领英推荐
Unveiling People & Culture Team’s Insights: Aastha Saumya’s Journey to Redefining Workplace Culture
Aastha Saumya ya's career trajectory at Rocket Learning started unexpectedly, propelled by a disappointing day and a serendipitous LinkedIn scroll. From a fundraising role applicant to now leading the People & Culture team, Aastha's journey underscores how pivotal moments can reshape careers.
In this exclusive interview, Aastha shares candidly about her role's evolution, workplace philosophy, and why she believes the pursuit of a perfect work-life balance lies in the strength of her team. Her insights offer a compelling narrative of resilience and dedication to fostering supportive, inclusive workplaces.
See the Impact You’re Helping Us Make
Hear Meena Yadav’s first-hand experience with technology’s transformative power in converting Anganwadis into vibrant learning hubs. She has transformed her Anganwadi in Haryana thanks to our training!
Kalyani Devi, an Anganwadi worker from Uttar Pradesh, describes how Rocket Learning's intervention has turned around tables and provided a definite structure for preparing them.
Shivani Gupta, CDPO, from Uttar Pradesh describes how we have helped Anganwadi workers upskill and increase educational content access for parents who were previously unable to access resources due to socio-economic constraints!
Ms. Rinky Gole, a supervisor from Madhya Pradesh, shares why the activities and DIY toy ideas we send to Anganwadi workers, using materials they have readily available, are a gamechanger for workers like her!
Funder of the Month
We are delighted to shine the spotlight on Rippleworks this month. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Rippleworks for their unwavering support through collaborative projects and for championing education innovation alongside us. Together, we are poised to make even greater strides in shaping a brighter future for all.
Here’s What We Recommend Reading
In this Next Billion: Solving the Educational Disparity in India: A Scalable Solution Leverages AI and Behavior Change to Reach Underserved Communities
On our blog, learn how we build and maintain an exceptional product team that continues to innovate.
On our blog, discover how animated content, featuring characters like Chulbuli, is reshaping the educational landscape.