Overview: MELQO: Measuring Early Learning Quality and Outcomes

This report is intended as an overview of the MELQO initiative, outlining the overall purpose of the effort, the module development process and rationale, and the content of the modules themselves – MODEL, focused on measuring child development and learning, and MELE, focused on measuring early learning environments. It is organized into three main sections: 1. Background and rationale. This section provides a discussion of why measurement of ECD is important and how the MELQO initiative grew out of the current dialogue about ECD and equity in the SDGs. 2. Building the MELQO modules. This section provides an introduction to the MELQO modules, including a description of their purpose and content, and a brief overview of how they were developed. 3. Using the MELQO modules. This section presents the processes for using and adapting MELQO within the country context, including key considerations for integrating MELQO into existing country systems and building capacity for measurement efforts. It also details the use of MELQO in countries to date, offers guidance for working with governments and touches on critical issues such as protecting children’s rights. More detail on the content and adaptation process for each module appears in the technical manuals for MODEL and MELE. The report is accompanied by two technical manuals which detail the constructs and items for each module at the end of MELQO Phase 1 and describe the process for adapting and using them within countries.