An AID INDIA Education Project eureka Super Kidz Innovative village education centers that ensure children from the poorest families get quality education and reach their full potential An AID INDIA Education Project Proposal submitted to AIMS 1

Vision Every child in every village gets the best education, achieves her full potential and is ready to face the world with confidence.

In this presentation… Who: About AID INDIA Why: The Problem Statement What: Eureka SuperKidz Project Vision Need: Proposal to AIMS

AID INDIA: OVERVIEW Founded: In 1996. By IIT and BITS alumni who quit corporate careers to work fulltime on education and village development. Mission: To provide quality education to every poor child in India Strategy: Large Scale Measurable Impact Projects USP: Content Expertise: Separate content R&D division. Deeply researched outcome-focused pedagogy, materials and training. Widely used by Govt, UNICEF, Pvt Schools, TV channels, NGOs. Impact Evaluation: Systematic evaluation and tracking of children’s learning outcomes used as feedback to continuously improve performance. Community Engagement: In every village we get the community to financially contribute to the project right from the start. This ensures both accountability as well as sustainability. Long Term Approach: Most of our projects start small, demonstrate results and build further and further in the succeeding years. This leads to long term and broader impact on the children.

AID INDIA: SAMPLE PROJECTS Chennai Schools Math, Science , Language improved in 100 corporation schools in Chennai Partner: MS Dell Foundation Cognizant Foundation Padippum Inikkum 4.5 Lakh children in 7300 schools learn to read Tamil Partner: TN Govt SSA NCLP Project Science and Math made fun in 700 child labor schools Partner: UNICEF, Govt Lab-in-a-Box Scientific creativity sparked in 1.3 Lakh kids in 510 Govt schools in Krishnagiri. Partner: UNICEF Read India Reading campaign in 13000 villages helps children learn to read. Partner: Pratham Eureka SuperKidz Village education centers that provides quality education to the poorest children Partner: John Stone, Prabhu, ILP, AGK, PwC, Girija Eureka Schools Model schools hat demonstrate top quality education at low cost. Partner: Banca Sella Kothari, Rohan TN Schools Project 1 million children in 7200 Govt schools improve reading, math and pre-primary skills. Partner: CIFF, John Stone, Asha, Yahoo Scholarship 361 poorest children supported from Std 6 through till college. Partner: CSS

Std 5 Children Who Can Read AID INDIA: IMPACT 1 million children access high quality learning resources 18000 teachers trained on innovative teaching methods 150 titles - books, kits, activities – published and used across TN. Std VI TN Math textbook written by AID INDIA 175 TV episodes – 4 years of weekly Science Experiments demo on Sun TV viewed across the state 3 years of reading program in 10 districts has led to a 15% higher district wide impact In reading levels compared to the rest of the state. Std 5 Children Who Can Read 10 AID INDIA district (TN) 19 Other Districts (TN) Source: ASER 2007-09 Pre-primary skills assessment done using World Bank’s SRI tools showed 40%-60% higher levels in children’s learning and school readiness in the AID INDIA program Balwadis when compared with the control Balwadis.

AID INDIA: Field Locations Total Current Projects: 14 Districts Direct Field Projects: 53 blocks in 10 districts NGO Partnership Projects: 9 Districts Govt Teacher Training Projects: 10 Districts Eureka SuperKidz: 800 villages Eureka Books Outreach: Entire State Total Children Reached through all programs so far = 2 Million Children in on-going current programs: Eureka SuperKidz = 50000 Eureka Schools Network = 1000 NGO Partnership Projects = 35000

AID INDIA: AWARDS, RECOGNITION Times of India Social Impact Award 2011, for Global Contribution to India’s development. MIT Indus Technovators Award, for innovative work on Science Education and Village Libraries. Ashoka Fellowship, for innovative work in science education Lemelson Inventor Certificate, recognizing innovative work in science education Pratham USA Achievement Award, for improving reading skills across the state of Tamilnadu. Distinguished Service Award, from Rotary Club of Madras South for providing quality education to the poorest children. Selected Media Coverage Center page article in The Hindu Metroplus on 9th May 2009 Science Program featured in Lemelson Foundation’s online magazine ‘Good’ Outlook article on Education programs of AID INDIA on 18th Sept 2006 CNN IBN TV interview on Reading program

In this presentation… Who: About AID INDIA Why: The Problem Statement What: Eureka SuperKidz Project Vision Need: Proposal to AIMS

Every Child Has the Same Potential

Every Child Has the Same Potential This means, given the right opportunity, … Every child can acquire all the required skills in all the foundational subjects. Every child can build on talent areas she can excel at. One could be great at Math and another at creating Sculpture. Not every child can be a genius. But an Einstein or a Picasso can come from anywhere.

Reality: Same Potential Same Performance Early Start (Education at Home) Good Preschool Good School After School Support (Parents, Extra Classes) Highly skilled confident achievers Children from educated affluent families Children from poor families No learning resources at home No pre-school education Poor quality Govt Schools No after school support at home Under-confident children unable to read a para or subtract 2 numbers* even by Class V * ASER survey shows that in 3rd-5th Std, 46% children cannot read Tamil, 58% cannot subtract and 85% cannot read an English sentence. Other studies show that 83% Dalit and Adi Dravida children in Std 4 cannot subtract.

Educated Parents: What they do… Parents play a huge role in a child’s learning. Studies show that many children learn reading and arithmetic largely from the individualized support from parents. Extra Tuition classes Meet Teachers Resource Materials Research the best pre-schools and schools to put their children in Help with Homework, Reading and Arithmetic If the child lags behind If the school is bad Identify and encourage the child’s special talent by getting resources, enrolling in special classes Immerse the child in a learning environment right from birth: Toys, books, educational games, videos, play-schools Shift to better school Push school to improve Tuition to compensate Skilled, Confident Motivated Achievers

Poverty: How it affects education… Education can make a huge difference in the lives of poor children. It can decisively break their cycle of poverty. Poor parents recognize this well. They often fail in their attempts to get their children educated, but it is not due to a lack of trying. If lucky the Govt school nearby might have good teachers Urgent Need Studies1 show that good after school support can compensate for many gaps in the child’s environment. Poor parents already recognize the need for after-school support. They are even willing to pay Rs 30-50 per month to send their children to an ‘evening tuition center’. But less than 15% of the villages have after-school centers. And often even these few centers are of very poor quality – with one untrained teacher simultaneously handling 50-60 children from Std 1 to Std 10. Govt balwadi the child attends has no resources or training to provide pre-primary education Parents unable to help after school. Don’t know what child is learning or what she finds difficult. A poor child starts life with a disadvantage. The child grows in an environment with no books, no toys, no one who reads out to her. Child’s areas of lag and areas of talent - both remain undiscovered and unsupported. Under-confident children with poor learning levels 1 Univ of California, A Study of Promising Afterschool Programs Harvard Family Research, After School Programs in 21st Century

In this presentation… Who: About AID INDIA Why: The Problem Statement What: Eureka SuperKidz Project Vision Need: Proposal to AIMS

Transforming the lives of the poorest children Eureka SuperKidz: A Transformative Force An innovative village education center that provides quality Science, Math and Language inputs to children from the poorest families and ensures every child reaches his/her full potential. Individual Attention Separate teachers handle different classes ensuring smaller batches, tracking each child’s progress and individual attention Effective Content Fun activities get children to enjoy learning. Evaluation and remedial action ensure every child is learning well. Early Start Support starts from age 3 preparing the child well for school. Learning Enrichment Science and Math clubs and learning festivals help children build on their talents Transforming the lives of the poorest children

At Eureka SuperKidz Centers… Eureka SuperKidz: Right Inputs at Right Time 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Early Childhood Middle Childhood Learning at Home Pre Primary (Kindergarten) Early Primary (Std 1-3) Upper Primary (Std 4-8) Age Growth Phase Grade How Children Learn… Early Start (KG): 3 hours of fun activities every day with the right toys and tools to help the child’s growing brain. Ensures every child is ready for school. Strong Foundation (Std 1-3): Focused 3 hour class daily for Std 1-3 by a dedicated teacher provides individual attention. Activities ensure every child can read fluently and do arithmetic well. Ready for Future (Std 4-8): Daily classes with experiments, puzzles and projects to ensure children develop interest and competency in Math and Science. At Eureka SuperKidz Centers… Age 0-2 Learning at Home: Children learn by physical interaction. Inputs at home is sufficient. Age 3-5 Kindergarten: Children learn by play and imitation. Critical period for language, motor and socio-emotional development. Age 6-8 Std 1-3: Children learn by absorption. Critical period for building a strong foundation in language and arithmetic through activities. Age 9-13 Std 4-8: Children start abstract reasoning. Right time to introduce Math and Science through experiments and puzzles. Group projects help build self-esteem and peer-bonding. Ref: ‘What’s going on in there? The first five years’, Lise Eliot ‘Learning all the time’, John Holt ‘Growth of Logical Thinking from Childhood to Adolescence’, Piaget

Eureka SuperKidz: What happens in a village? Every Day: 3 hours of Evening Classes 3 trained local teachers run evening classes for Std 1-3, Std 4-5 and Std 6-8. Children learn Language, Math, Science and English Learning Goals same as State Curriculum expectations. (Unlike schools, here the plan is of course to actually meet these expectations!) Special Focus on children who are lagging behind who are tracked, provided individual attention and improved. Special Researched Methodology: Skill chart and Individual Attention: Each child’s skill levels are evaluated and tracked using a skill chart. This gives teachers and children a clear goal every month This also ensures teachers focus on the children lagging behind Fun Activities and Content fine-tuned to deliver quick visible gains Fun activities and attractive materials and workbooks have been specifically designed for children from deprived backgrounds. Activities fine tuned to ensure quick and visible learning gains building a strong incentive for learning and using these innovative methods.

Eureka SuperKidz: What happens in a village? Every Month: Fee Collection, Evaluation, Events and Parent Engagement Fees to Ensure Accountability: Right from the start we get parents to support a significant part of the teachers’ honorarium by paying a small monthly fee of about Rs 30-40. This ensures parent involvement, teacher accountability and regular attendance by children. This also helps us get immediate feedback and make program corrections. Skill Chart Updation: Children’s Skills are evaluated each month and the teachers update the skill charts for Tamil and Math. They also use this to set goals for themselves and the children. Parent Meetings: Children’s progress is discussed with the parents. The areas that need more strengthening are explained and plans discussed. Attendance and parent support is also discussed. Every few months, a progress report card is also given to the parents. Learning Festivals: Most months, a small mela or village learning festival is also organized where the entire community is invited and children show-case their learning and talents. Sometimes, children are also tested and given certificates at these events. Different months, the events focus on different themes.

Eureka SuperKidz: Step by Step… Teacher Selection Parent Meetings Panchayat and school teacher Meetings Interviews to select teachers Training, Materials Initial intensive training of teachers Supply of Learning Materials Every quarter additional materials and training provided Daily Classes Students Enrolled Weekly trainer visits to monitor class quality and provide on-field training Monthly Review and Feedback Village level learning festivals every quarter Outcome Evaluation Baseline Evaluation Quarterly student progress tracking Remedial actions for those lagging Report cards and parent meetings Year end Evaluation 20

Eureka SuperKidz: Step by Step… Step 1: Village Selection We select the poorest and most marginalized hamlets and villages. Typically, 50% of our villages are Dalit hamlets and 25% are Most Backward Caste hamlets. Step2: Parent Meeting We start with a preliminary parent meeting in the village to discuss how their children are studying and the status of the school. We explain what a Std 4-5 child is expected to know. We then give a simple testing tool meant for Std 2 and ask parents to themselves test a few Std 4-5 children. The shock this creates leads to further discussion on quality of schools and how as parents they can help their children by starting evening centers. We present our proposal that if they find 3 local youth as evening center teachers and pay half of their stipend, we will cover the other half and also train them and provide workbooks and materials to the children to learn better.

Eureka SuperKidz: Step by Step… Step 3: Launching the Classes We have a few more parent meetings and get at least 15-20 parents to sign up for the classes. We also use their help (and our own interviews) to identify 3 Eureka Teachers (Youth from the same village) and a place to run the classes. We train the teachers, provide a set of learning materials, skill charts, workbooks and with a local inaugural start off the classes in the village. Each month, the teachers are trained on a new set of activities and skills. Step 4: Initial Evaluation and Daily Classes We evaluate each child’s learning levels and mark it on a skill chart. Using this the teacher groups the children by levels and works with them using different materials based on their levels. As the children progress, the skill charts are marked and the progress shared with the parents at Parent Meetings. ID card is given to each child. Eureka Block Trainers visit the centers every week to monitor the classes as well as strengthen teachers’ training.

Eureka SuperKidz: Step by Step… Step5: House visits and Enrollment Drive Eureka Teachers and Block Coordinators visit each house and explain the program and ask them to enroll their children in the center. Enrolled parents help convince other parents about the value of the Eureka center. As the classes start showing results, usually the strength increases first to 30-40 students and then to around 60 students. Step 6: Village Learning Festivals After a couple of months, we conduct a village learning festival, where the entire community is invited and children present what they have learnt. Several children are also given certificates. Village events are done every few months. Apart from motivating the children, these festivals also build awareness about the Eureka centers and get more parents to enroll their children. Annual Day: Year End Evaluation is presented to the parents at the Annual Day.

Eureka SuperKidz: Longer-term Vision… Kindergarten School for 3-5 year olds (In our learning center or in the Govt Balwadi) Village Library (Books and reading melas to create a reading culture) Child Health and Nutrition (Nutrition inputs and health check up for all children in our centers) Fun Clubs (Toy Club, Crafts Club, Sports Club, Lego Club, Astronomy, Geometry Club) Constructing a Learning Center (Low cost construction on donated community land) Eureka SuperKidz Evening Classes is the foundation on which we aim to build a larger change in the village. Talent Exhibitions and Competitions (Quiz, Science Exhibition, Story writing or Drama Competition at village, block and state levels to bring out the best in children.) Parent Education (Educating parents to better help their children) Computer & English Skills (Block Level Center + Visiting faculty to provide higher skills. We will later add other vocational and soft skills as well.) Scholarship Program (Helping high potential children from extremely poor families in the village to complete college.) Science & Math Clubs (With visiting expert faculty for interested students) Life Skills Program (Adolescent Girls and Boys Health and Life Skills Classes) School and Balwadi Program (Improving learning in the Village School and Balwadi by teacher training and remedial support. Some of the earlier initiatives listed can also be done in the school )

In this presentation… Who: About AID INDIA Why: The Problem Statement What: Eureka SuperKidz Project Vision Need: Proposal to AIMS

Veerappanayakanpatti Eureka SuperKidz: AIMS Project Proposal Project: AIMS has been supporting the Eureka SuperKidz After-school Education Centers in 10 Villages for the last one year. We request AIMS to renew your support in 10 villages this year as well. Location: We request support for our Eureka Superkidz afterschool centers in the following villages in Harur Block, Dharmapuri District. Villages Kattarasampatti Kongavembu Maampatti Matthimpatti Mutthaanur Nerupandakuppam Paalayam Veerappanayakanpatti Velampatty Veppampatti

AIMS Eureka Project: Expected Impact Learning Outcomes in Children: Std 1-3 Children (6-8 year olds): Language (Tamil): Children able to read fluently, write simple sentences, comprehend passages and answer questions based on it. Math: Children able to do basic arithmetic – addition, subtraction and simple multiplication. Outcomes in Std 4-8 Children (9-13 year olds) Language (Tamil): Children able to comprehend unsimplified text and write small stories. Math: Children able to do fractions, geometry, measurement and solve word problems. In addition to Tamil and Math, children will also learn English and Science. English: In English, we plan to engage the children in exciting activities to get them to hold a conversation in English and speak simple sentences confidently in front of an audience. This will enhance their confidence and communication skills. Science:, children will learn to do exciting experiments with everyday objects. They will also take part in monthly science melas and exhibitions to demonstrate the skills they learn at the Eureka centers. Annual evaluations will be used to assess the impact of the project. 27

Eureka SuperKidz AIMS Project Budget Project in a cluster of 10 villages impacts 600 children Annual Cost Per Village (After School Component) Teacher Cost (3 teachers) Rs. 44,000 Learning materials, Content Training, Village Events Rs. 28,000 Project Coordinator, Travel, Phone and Admin Costs Rs. 8,000 Bags, notebooks, stationery for children Rs. 15,000 Total Per Village Cost Rs. 95,000 Community Contribution (Less) Rs. 20,000 Local individual contribution to be raised (Less) Rs. 25,000 Grant Needed for each village from AIMS Rs. 50,000 ($1000) Total Grant Requested from AIMS for 10 villages = Rs.5,00,000 ( $10,000) *In 2011-2012 , the total cost of each village for the after school component was Rs 50,000.The increase in the village cost is due to inflationary increase in the teacher costs, as well as travel and food costs in training and coordination. In addition this year we are also giving more materials for each child like bags, notebooks etc. We are trying to raise part-support for a few of these components from individuals to ensure greater ownership and sustenance for each village. So the cost per village requested from AIMS remains the same as last year. 28

+91-94440-61033, +91-44-28350403 www.eurekachild.org Thank You. AID INDIA 7/4, Besant Road, Royapettah, Chennai – 600014 eureka@aidindia.in +91-94440-61033, +91-44-28350403 www.eurekachild.org