Mapping early childhood development data systems in Kenya and sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review
- 1African Population and Health Research Center
Abstract
Background: Holistic child development requires a nurturing environment, yet aggregated data on how children fare across the five Nurturing Care Framework (NCF) domains; health, nutrition, early learning, responsive caregiving, and safety and security, remain scarce, especially where vulnerabilities cluster. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the absence of comprehensive, real-time, actionable data impedes timely, evidence-based action to promote healthy development and prevent developmental delays. This scoping review mapped early childhood development (ECD) and ECD-related data systems in SSA, focusing on Kenya and profiling three counties (Nairobi City, Isiolo and Homa Bay).
Methods: Following Arksey and O′Malley’s framework with Levac et al.’s refinements, we searched PubMed, ScienceDirect, African Journals Online (AJOL), Scopus, APA PsycINFO and PsycNet (August 2010–August 2025), plus grey literature from Google Scholar, OpenGrey and national and subnational reports and websites. Of 2,773 records, 2,703 were screened after deduplication and 222 full texts assessed, yielding 49 records describing 44 ECD and ECD-related data systems, sources and platforms. Two reviewers extracted system type, indicators and sources, linkages, stakeholders, and reported challenges and lessons.
Results: Five ECD dashboards were identified: UNICEF’s ECD Dashboard; the National Evaluation Platform (Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Tanzania); the Tanzanian ECD Dashboard; and two South African platforms, Ecdinfohub.org and HearScreen. Overall, 44 systems were identified across nine countries, as well as regional and LMIC-wide sources; More than half (23/44; 52.3%) were based in Kenya, including five county-specific platforms. Coverage of the Nurturing Care Framework (NCF) domains was uneven: Health indicators were the most commonly represented (30 systems, 68.2%), followed by nutrition (18, 40.9%). In contrast, early learning (13, 29.5%), safety and security (7, 15.9%), and responsive caregiving (6, 13.6%) were substantially less represented. Only eight systems (18.2%) included cross-cutting financing indicators. Most Kenyan platforms were not specifically designed for ECD, and several suffered from irregular updates or limited public accessibility. Common challenges across systems included technical limitations, poor data quality, insufficient capacity, fragmented data ecosystems, and weak links between data and policy processes. Notably, only three platforms and one multi-country survey instrument, the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) covered all five domains, none of them subnationally at child level.
Conclusion: ECD data in Kenya and SSA remain fragmented along sectoral lines, and no single system generates the information on indicators across the five components of NCF. Closing this gap requires an interoperable, standards-based platform that federates rather than replaces sectoral systems, built on an agreed minimum ECD indicator package and explicit metadata governance.
Systematic review registration: https://osf.io/ht24x/overview .
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BibTeX
@article{okello2026mapping,
title = {{Mapping early childhood development data systems in Kenya and sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review}},
author = {Kenneth Okello and George Evans Owino and Evitar Aluoch Ochieng’ and Daniel Mwanga and Eubert Munywere and Nelson Langat and Patricia Kitsao-Wekulo and Linda Oloo and Paul Otwate and Calistus Wilunda and Amanuel Abajobir and Silas Onyango and Symon M. Kariuki and Charity Waweru-Mwangi and Margaret Nampijja},
journal = {Frontiers in Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpubh.2026.1936644},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1936644/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Mapping early childhood development data systems in Kenya and sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review
AU - Kenneth Okello
AU - George Evans Owino
AU - Evitar Aluoch Ochieng’
AU - Daniel Mwanga
AU - Eubert Munywere
AU - Nelson Langat
AU - Patricia Kitsao-Wekulo
AU - Linda Oloo
AU - Paul Otwate
AU - Calistus Wilunda
AU - Amanuel Abajobir
AU - Silas Onyango
AU - Symon M. Kariuki
AU - Charity Waweru-Mwangi
AU - Margaret Nampijja
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/22
JO - Frontiers in Public Health
DO - 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1936644
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1936644/full
AB - Background: Holistic child development requires a nurturing environment, yet aggregated data on how children fare across the five Nurturing Care Framework (NCF) domains; health, nutrition, early learning, responsive caregiving, and safety and security, remain scarce, especially where vulnerabilities cluster. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the absence of comprehensive, real-time, actionable data impedes timely, evidence-based action to promote healthy development and prevent developmental delays. This scoping review mapped early childhood development (ECD) and ECD-related data systems in SSA, focusing on Kenya and profiling three counties (Nairobi City, Isiolo and Homa Bay). Methods: Following Arksey and O′Malley’s framework with Levac et al.’s refinements, we searched PubMed, ScienceDirect, African Journals Online (AJOL), Scopus, APA PsycINFO and PsycNet (August 2010–August 2025), plus grey literature from Google Scholar, OpenGrey and national and subnational reports and websites. Of 2,773 records, 2,703 were screened after deduplication and 222 full texts assessed, yielding 49 records describing 44 ECD and ECD-related data systems, sources and platforms. Two reviewers extracted system type, indicators and sources, linkages, stakeholders, and reported challenges and lessons. Results: Five ECD dashboards were identified: UNICEF’s ECD Dashboard; the National Evaluation Platform (Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Tanzania); the Tanzanian ECD Dashboard; and two South African platforms, Ecdinfohub.org and HearScreen. Overall, 44 systems were identified across nine countries, as well as regional and LMIC-wide sources; More than half (23/44; 52.3%) were based in Kenya, including five county-specific platforms. Coverage of the Nurturing Care Framework (NCF) domains was uneven: Health indicators were the most commonly represented (30 systems, 68.2%), followed by nutrition (18, 40.9%). In contrast, early learning (13, 29.5%), safety and security (7, 15.9%), and responsive caregiving (6, 13.6%) were substantially less represented. Only eight systems (18.2%) included cross-cutting financing indicators. Most Kenyan platforms were not specifically designed for ECD, and several suffered from irregular updates or limited public accessibility. Common challenges across systems included technical limitations, poor data quality, insufficient capacity, fragmented data ecosystems, and weak links between data and policy processes. Notably, only three platforms and one multi-country survey instrument, the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) covered all five domains, none of them subnationally at child level. Conclusion: ECD data in Kenya and SSA remain fragmented along sectoral lines, and no single system generates the information on indicators across the five components of NCF. Closing this gap requires an interoperable, standards-based platform that federates rather than replaces sectoral systems, built on an agreed minimum ECD indicator package and explicit metadata governance. Systematic review registration: https://osf.io/ht24x/overview .
SN - 2296-2565
ER -