TERMS OF REFERENCE
CONSULTANCY FOR THE BASELINE STUDY OF THE “QUALITY AND INCLUSIVE EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION SERVICES FOR ALL CHILDREN PHASE 2 (QAIECE 2)” PROJECT IN THE NORTH EAST REGION OF GHANA BASELINE

Organizational Context

Children Believe (CB) is an International Non-Governmental organization that provides children with the tools and training they need to access education, overcome barriers and be a voice for change. For 60+ years, we have brought together brave young dreamers, caring supporters and partners, and unabashed idealists. Together, we are driven by a common belief: creating access to education inside and outside of classrooms is the most powerful tool children can use to change their world. We work through five (5) pathways to change namely Education; Health and Nutrition; Child Protection and Participation; Youth Employability and Women Economic Empowerment and Gender Equality and Social Inclusion. Each year we impact the lives of more than half a million children, youth, and families in six countries - Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Nicaragua and Paraguay. At Children Believe, we focus on breaking barriers to inclusive and quality education for girls and boys. Children Believe prioritizes early childhood development (including early learning) in its work in Ghana in recognition of the importance of “starting right” under our Centre of Excellence initiative.

Children Believe (CB), in partnership with ChildFund Korea and AG CARE, is committed to improving the lives of children by contributing to improving the access to quality early childhood education. Building on the achievements of Phase 1 of the QAIECE project, Phase 2 will scale and deepen interventions aimed at ensuring equitable, inclusive, and quality early childhood education in the North East region of Ghana.

Project Background

Financed by KOICA, the “Quality and Inclusive Early Childhood Education Services for all Children Phase 2” project is implemented in the East and West Mamprusi Municipalities of the North East region by a consortium of organizations; ChildFund Korea, Children Believe and AG CARE.

The QAIECE Phase 2 project seeks to enhance quality and inclusive early childhood education services for children aged 4–5 years in targeted municipalities in the North East region. The project focuses on three key outcomes:

1. To enhance quality and inclusive ECE educational environment
2. To Improve teaching capacity of teachers
3. To strengthen the support system of parents/caregivers and the government to implement ECE

Purpose of the Baseline Study

The baseline study seeks to:

• Establish benchmark data for key project indicators.
• Understand existing ECE infrastructure, community participation, teaching practices, and institutional capacities.
• Identify current gaps, challenges, and opportunities to inform project implementation.
• Provide comparative data for subsequent midline and end line evaluations.

Scope of the Study

The Consultant is expected to conduct the baseline survey by designing the data collection tools, collecting data (quantitative and qualitative), analyzing data, writing and submitting a comprehensive report. The study will cover selected thirty (30) communities in total in the East and West Mamprusi districts. It will involve:

• Collection of primary data from schools, teachers, parents, SMC/PA members, and GES officers.
• Review secondary data
• Review of existing administrative and GES data.
• Review of existing literature on ECE in Ghana
• Mixed-methods approach including quantitative surveys as well as qualitative focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KIIs).

Methodology

The Baseline Evaluation for QAIECE Phase 2 project will utilize a mixed-methods approach. This approach will integrate both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to establish baseline values for key indicators and provide contextual insights to inform the design and implementation of Phase 2.

Quantitative Methods

The quantitative component will involve structured Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) surveys and the collection of secondary data from the Ghana Education Service (GES). Tools used will be adapted and updated from those implemented in Phase 1 to ensure continuity and comparability across project phases, this will be done in collaboration with a Korean Expert.

Sampling Technique and Sample Size (Quantitative):  All key institutional stakeholders will be systematically included in the study through a full-population sampling strategy, ensuring that the data reflects a comprehensive and accurate representation of the target group:

• Kindergarten (KG) Teachers and Heads in all project-supported schools.
• Members of School Management Committees (SMCs) and Parent Associations (PAs).
• Caregivers with children from project beneficiary schools and communities.
• School Improvement Support Officers (SISOs), Training Officers and Municipal Early Childhood Coordinators under GES.
• National Early Childhood Director

For parents and caregivers, a stratified random sampling approach will be used, stratified by gender and municipality, to ensure representativeness across the target population.

Qualitative Methods

Qualitative data will be collected through Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) to gather in-depth perspectives from project beneficiaries and stakeholders. These discussions will provide insight into community perceptions, expectations, and readiness for QAIECE 2 implementation.

Sampling Technique and Sample Size (Qualitative): Purposive sampling will be employed to select FGD participants who have direct relevance to the project objectives. FGD guides will be developed or revised based on tools used in Phase 1, ensuring they are aligned with the learning objectives of this Baseline study.

Tool Development and Validation

All survey instruments and FGD guides will be reviewed and finalized in consultation with Children Believe, ChildFund Korea (including Korean Expert) and AG Care during the inception phase. Pre-testing will be conducted to ensure clarity, cultural appropriateness, alignment with international standards and validity.

Deliverables and Timelines

 Management and Reporting

The Consultant will work directly with the MELKS Officer, with oversight provided by the Project Manager-QAIECE 2 and the Country Director of Children Believe. AG CARE team will provide field coordination support.

The Consultant will collaborate closely with the MELKs Officer and will keep both the Project Manager-QAIECE 2 and the Country Director of Children Believe copied on all communications related to the Baseline survey. At the field level, the Consultant will engage with the QAIECE 2 Project Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Project Officers, and the Partner Program Manager to ensure smooth implementation.

All reports and related documents must be submitted in English and in electronic format using Microsoft Word. The submission must include all raw data sets and relevant templates, such as quantitative data sets and transcripts from Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), as separate attachments.

The final Baseline Report must follow the prescribed format outlined below:

• Cover page: Title of evaluation report, Country, program, date of evaluation, Name of consultant etc.
• Table of Contents
• Abbreviations
• Executive summary
• Introduction or Background (description of the project and the areas where it is implemented)
• Purpose/Objective of the Baseline evaluation
• Methodology
• Limitation in the Baseline evaluation
• Key Findings and analysis

• Outcome 1: Enhanced quality and inclusive ECE educational environment.
• Outcome 2: Improved teaching skills/capacity of teachers
• Outcome 3: Strengthened support system of parents/ caregivers and the government
• Other Findings & analysis (If there is any)

• Conclusion
• Actionable recommendations
• Annexes/Appendices: (Baseline evaluation data collection tools, only when there was any change in tools at field from the agreed version at IR stage), Quantitative (Excel or SPSS), Qualitative (FGD notes), Data Set (raw & analyzed data files) and Checklist of evaluation report with answers filled

Ethical Considerations

All activities must adhere to Children Believe and ChildFund Korea’s child protection and safeguarding policies. The consultant must obtain informed consent, ensure data confidentiality, and avoid harm to participants, especially children.

ChildFund and Children Believe, its Board and staff make no express or implied representation or warranty as to the currency, reliability, or completeness of the information contained in this ToR. Nothing in this ToR should be construed to give rise to any contractual obligations or rights, expressed or implied, by the issue of this ToR or the submission of an Expression of interest in response to it. No contrast would be created until a formal written contract is executed between ChildFund and Children Believe and a selected consultant. Accordingly, the baseline participant consent form includes a clause permitting the use of baseline data for future research purposes, subject to ethical standards and data protection requirements.