Gurgaon: What began as a push to make anganwadi centres more child-friendly has ended up in a significant rise in attendance, with children’s average daily attendance jumping by 36% across 49 centres in Nuh district after the installation of playschool equipment.Mewat Development Agency (MDA), which launched the Model Anganwadi Centre initiative across all five blocks of the district, found that average daily attendance increased from 1,150 to 1,567 children — an addition of 417 children. The increase was recorded across Nuh, Punhana, Tauru, Nagina and Firozpur Jhirka, with no block reporting a decline. Nuh DC Akhil Pilani said the results showed that relatively simple interventions could make anganwadi centres more attractive to children and parents. “The objective was not merely to install play equipment, but to create an environment where children would want to come to the anganwadi centre every day. The increase in attendance indicates that making these centres more child-friendly can have a direct impact on participation,” he said.The biggest turnaround was reported in Tauru, where attendance rose by 68.1%, from 232 to 390 children across 15 reporting centres. Firozpur Jhirka recorded a 43.2% increase, followed by Nuh at 39.4%, Punhana at 26.4% and Nagina at 16.2%. Officials said the relatively lower percentage increase in Nagina was partly because its centres already had comparatively high baseline attendance of around 25 to 40 children, leaving less room for a sharp percentage rise. Pilani said the district would now focus on strengthening the centres where basic facilities remained inadequate. “Attendance is only one indicator. For these centres to function effectively as early childhood development spaces, children also need access to safe drinking water, electricity, nutrition and regular activities. We are looking at these gaps along with the infrastructure,” he said.Hasanpur in Tauru, where attendance had been just 12 children, saw the figure rise to 36, a 200% increase. Kota in the same block went from 11 to 28 children, while Khori Kala increased from 10 to 22. Zoorasi doubled its attendance from 11 to 22 children. Adbar in Nuh recorded a 67% increase, while Gokalpur in Firozpur Jhirka saw attendance rise by 60%.The report attributed much of the improvement to outdoor play equipment such as slides, swings and seesaws, particularly when installed at locations visible from village lanes. The equipment not only gave children something to look forward to but also attracted the attention of parents and passers-by, effectively working as a form of passive publicity for the centres. The report also noted that the rise in attendance continued beyond the initial novelty of the equipment. “The fact that attendance continued to remain higher after the initial phase is encouraging. It suggests that the intervention was not simply a novelty for children, but helped change the way families viewed the anganwadi centres,” Pilani said.The initiative also found that the involvement of anganwadi workers (AWWs) was crucial. Workers were consulted during the technical evaluation process and subsequently took an active role in play activities rather than merely supervising children. Pilani said the role of frontline workers would remain central to the expansion of the model. “Infrastructure can create the right setting, but it is the anganwadi worker who turns that space into a meaningful learning and play environment. Their participation in planning and conducting activities is therefore extremely important,” he said.However, the report flagged basic gaps, including lack of electricity and water connections at some centres and irregular availability of hot cooked meals, which officials said continued to restrict further improvement in attendance. Pilani said these issues would have to be addressed alongside the expansion. “We want the model anganwadi centres to become complete early childhood development spaces rather than just upgraded buildings. Wherever there are gaps in electricity, water, nutrition or other essential facilities, they need to be identified and addressed systematically,” he said.The district plans to expand the model to one centre in every village. With 443 villages, the target is 443 model AWCs; currently, only 49 are covered, or 11.06%. Pilani said the expansion would be taken up in a phased manner, with the focus on ensuring that the quality of intervention is maintained as coverage increases. “Our target is to have a model anganwadi centre in every village. The experience of these 49 centres gives us a useful framework, and we will use the data and feedback from them to improve the model as we scale it up,” he said.
