Multi-country evaluation of the UNICEF Early Childhood Development response to COVID-19 in Europe and Central Asia region: Ukraine Country Case Study

The evaluation’s overarching purpose was to provide UNICEF Country Offices (COs), UNICEF ECA Regional Office, national governments and partners with a critical assessment of the key adaptations made in UNICEF’s Early Childhood Development (ECD) programmes in the Europe and Central Asia region to meet the needs of young children and families in the context of COVID-19. The secondary purposes were to: (i) generate insight to inform further development of the evaluated ECD activities and (ii) provide evidence to inform future ECD efforts in similar emergencies. The evaluation was carried out in four countries, including Ukraine.

Evaluation scope: The evaluation focused on interventions that were introduced directly in response to COVID-19 or adapted to its realities; entailed capacity building or information support for frontline workers; and were viewed by a given UNICEF CO as useful to have feedback on for future programming. In Ukraine, interventions selected for an in-depth assessment relate to mother and child healthcare, inclusive education, and early childhood intervention. They include: (1) Trainings for pre-school teachers in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts on inclusive education; (2) Developing the capacity of professionals and parents for advocacy and provision of early intervention (ECI) service; and (3) Intervention to strengthen the mother and child health care system with integrated packages of services, universal-progressive home visiting (UPHV) model and promotion of safe health care in the conflict-affected areas of Ukraine (government-controlled).

All selected interventions were assessed with the view to their relevance, effectiveness, and sustainability. They were assessed in the context of broader UNICEF ECD and COVID-19 programming in Ukraine.

The evaluation took place from November 2020 to the end of 2021.