Baseline Assessment
Scope of Work for
External Agency Hiring
1. Organization Overview
Founded in 2000 on the belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children®, Room to Read develops children’s foundational literacy skills, as well as life skills that promote gender equality. As a leading implementer, Room to Read nurtures these essential skills in children by training and coaching educators, creating quality learning materials and spaces, and strengthening education systems – all while honoring the dignity of every child. We develop and deliver evidence-based materials and approaches directly and with partners. We are a valuable partner of choice for government, other system and program partners as well as investors focused on education. Committed to accelerating learning outcomes for more children, more quickly, Room to Read has benefited children across 29 countries, with more than 17 million children actively benefiting from our programming in 2025 alone. By the end of 2027, we aim to double the number of children and communities we support each year. Room to Read envisions a world free from illiteracy and gender inequality, where all children have room to read, learn and grow. Visit us at www.roomtoread.org.
Room to Read India was established in 2003 and has benefited more than 20 million children. It currently working directly with 12 state governments (Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi NCR, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh) to support young children unlock their full potential through education.
2. Project Background
Early Childhood Education (ECE) plays a critical role in shaping children’s cognitive, social, and emotional development. Research suggests that nearly 85 percent of brain development occurs before the age of six[1], making early learning experiences essential for long-term educational success. Recognizing this, India’s National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for the Foundational Stage (NCF-FS 2022) emphasize universal access to quality early childhood education.
The Balvatika[2] Comprehensive Pilot Project (2025–2027), implemented by Room to Read in Amethi district (Uttar Pradesh), aims to strengthen early childhood education for children aged 5–6 years enrolled in Anganwadi Centres[3] (AWCs)The project is being implemented across two blocks—Bhetua and Gauriganj and covers 20 AWCs. The project focuses on improving children’s learning skills, such as emergent literacy[4], pre-numeracy[5], and socio-emotional learning[6] skills through structured learning activities and classroom environments. It is being implemented in close collaboration with the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) system and Anganwadi Workers (AWWs).
As part of this initiative, Room to Read will conduct a baseline assessment in July 2026 for the 2026–27 cohort to assess Balvatika children’s learning levels at the start of their one-year intervention cycle.
3. Study Objectives
To assess the baseline learning levels of Balvatika children across emergent literacy, pre-numeracy, and socio-emotional learning skills and establish a reference point for measuring changes over the course of the program intervention.
4. Study Design
This section outlines the study methodology, sampling, and data collection tools to be used to carry out the study.
4.1 Methodology
This study adopts a repeated cross-sectional design and employs a quantitative approach. It serves as the baseline assessment, with an endline planned in 2027 to assess progression of Balvatika children’s learning levels over time. Data will be collected using a digital data collection platform (SurveyCTO). The tools will be administered to:
Children aged 5–6 years enrolled in Balvatika/AWCs
Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) for Anganwadi centre level information.
How to Apply
Proposals are invited from the interested agency/vendor for the above assignments and the last date for receiving the proposal is 18th May 2026 at procurement.india@roomtoread.org [do not copy anyone from RtR]
Kindly submit two separate emails with following subject lines:
- EMAIL (1) : TECHNICAL PROPOSAL – Balvatika Baseline Assessment, Amethi
- EMAIL (2) : FINANCIAL PROPOSAL – Balvatika Baseline Assessment, Amethi
- Detailed financial proposal as per the financial template attached.
- Copy of registration certificate, GST, MSME, PAN Card of the organization and owners, etc, as applicable.
- Read the ToR thoroughly before applying.
- Pricing should include the above requirements.
- Only Shortlisted agency/vendor will be contacted.
- Any incomplete application or process deviation, the proposals will automatically be rejected.
- Proposal received after the prescribed deadline will not be considered.
- The TDS will be applicable on the Invoice of agency / vendor.
- Selected agency/vendor will be required to sign and abide by the Child Protection policy of Room to Read.
For queries, please contact:
For detailed information, please check the complete version of the RFP attached below.