Expression of Interest (EoI)
Digital Transformation of Child Learning Centers (CLCs) under the PENCIL Program Model
About ChildFund India
ChildFund India, registered in India in 1984 has been working with children, youth and families from the most remote, extremely backward, and hard-to-reach areas in India, with a vision of “an India where children lead a dignified life and achieve their full potential”. ChildFund’s unique programs provide comprehensive support to children from their conception until they reach 24 years of age by integrating health, nutrition, sanitation, education, skill training, livelihoods, child protection and humanitarian relief work. ChildFund annually reaches 7.6 million of children, youth, and their families across 14 States through its long-term programs.
Background and Context
India continues to face persistent challenges in ensuring that all children achieve age- and grade-appropriate learning outcomes, particularly in foundational literacy and numeracy. Despite increased school enrolment, a significant proportion of children in upper primary grades struggle with basic reading comprehension and arithmetic skills. This learning gap is more pronounced among children from underserved, marginalized, and vulnerable communities, where access to quality teaching-learning processes remains limited.
Aligned with national priorities such as the NIPUN Bharat Mission, there is a growing emphasis on ensuring that all children attain foundational competencies by Grade 3. However, a large cohort of children in Grades 3 to 8 continues to lag behind expected learning levels, necessitating accelerated and remedial learning interventions.
In response to this need, ChildFund India has been implementing Child Learning Centers (CLCs) under its PENCIL (Protective, Effective, and Context-Based Initiation of Learning) Program Model. These centers are established within government schools and community spaces to provide targeted academic support to children who have not yet achieved foundational learning benchmarks.
The CLC model adopts the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach, focusing on competency-based rather than age-or grade-based instruction. At the core of the model are dedicated Learning Facilitators who conduct baseline and continuous assessments to group children as per their learning levels.
Based on these groupings, facilitators deliver structured, level-appropriate instruction in language and numeracy, alongside activities that promote Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). The goal is to enable children, particularly those in Grades 3 to 8, to achieve Grade 5 level competencies, thereby bridging foundational gaps and supporting their reintegration into mainstream classroom learning.
Over time, the CLC model has demonstrated effectiveness in improving learning outcomes through continuous assessment, differentiated instruction, and child-centric pedagogy. However, as the program expands across multiple geographies, maintaining consistency in quality, ensuring real-time monitoring, and enabling data-driven decision-making have emerged as critical challenges.
To address these challenges and enhance scalability, ChildFund India is now exploring the digital transformation of Child Learning Centers. Integrating technology into CLCs is envisioned to strengthen instructional delivery, standardize assessment practices, improve learner engagement, and enable robust monitoring systems, thereby amplifying the overall impact of the PENCIL Program Model.
Rationale for Digitalization
While the Child Learning Center (CLC) model under the PENCIL Program has improved foundational learning outcomes, scaling across geographies presents challenges in standardization, real-time monitoring, and efficiency. Current reliance on manual processes for assessments, tracking, and reporting limits timely decision-making and consistency in implementation.
A significant operational constraint is the high time burden on Learning Facilitators, who spend considerable effort on assessments, grouping, lesson preparation, and reporting. This reduces their ability to focus on personalized instruction and student engagement, which are critical for improving learning outcomes.
Digitalization offers a strategic solution by creating a standardized, scalable, and data-driven ecosystem. It will:
- Automate assessments and level classification (A, B, C)
- Provide structured lesson plans and digital content, reducing preparation time
- Enable real-time dashboards and reporting, eliminating manual data work
- Improve learner engagement through interactive content
- By reducing administrative workload, facilitators can focus more on teaching, mentoring, and supporting children’s learning and development.
Submission Process
Interested organizations are requested to submit all required documents as per the submission requirements outlined in this EoI to ChildFund India at centralpurchase2@childfundindia.org .
The complete proposal must be submitted on or before 26th April 2026. Late or incomplete submissions may not be considered for evaluation.
Disclaimer
ChildFund India reserves the right to accept or reject any proposal without assigning any reason and may engage with one or multiple partners based on program requirements.
Note: Pls. do mention reference number in your proposal i.e. PRA/CFI/DEL/2026-27/003
For detailed information, please check the complete version of the RFP attached below.