Grameen Shikkha has conducted early childhood care and education programs in different areas of the country since 1999. In collaboration with Unicef Bangladesh, Plan International, Rockdale Foundation, Save the Children and Bangladesh Children Academy, Grameen Shikkha has worked in providing parenting and caregiving education, ECD advocacy, and pre-school education especially to the rural poor. Currently Shikkha is conducting 20 pre-schools in 20 villages in Singair sub-district of Manikganj district with financial support from the GSRD Foundation, the Netherlands.

ECD has the following components:

Parenting/caregiving training

Parenting and Caregiving training, provided through workshops, assists parents and caregivers increase their knowledge, skill and confidence for overall development of children from conception to age 3. Different motor, cognitive, linguistic, social and emotional development needs of children are addressed. GS has trained more than 150,000 mothers and caregivers in in different districts of Bangladesh in child development. GS is not conducting this training after 2017.

Child Development Center (CDC) and Pre-school

Especially aimed at students of poor and illiterate families, these two components under ECD address children's different motor, cognitive, language, social and emotional skill development Age range of the CDC (one room center) children is 3 to 4 years. There are 12-15 children in a CDC who learn in a joyful environment through game, rhyme, song etc. over a period of one year. There are no academics. GS is not conducting this component after 2017.

A pre-school (one room schools) is for children aged 5 and 5+ and is concerned with different physical and intellectual development of children like cognitive, social and language skills that enable the children to develop to the maximum extent possible. Pre-academics are important component of the program so children could be prepared for grade-1 in primary school. There are 25-30 students in a pre-school who receive pre-school lessons over a period of one year – January to December. GS takes the responsibility of getting its pre-school graduates admitted into local primary school after graduation. More than 205,000 rural children have so far received pre-school education at Grameen pre-schools.

Early Childhood Development Advocacy

GS also organizes ECD orientation/advocacy workshops for community leaders like Grameen Bank field officers, local government officials, and the local elites like teachers, business people and religious leaders. More than 2,500 persons have so far received advocacy training. GS is not conducting this training after 2017.