Terms of Reference
Engagement of an Agency/Consultant for the Development of a Literacy Curriculum for Children under the PENCIL Program
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 millions of children, youth, and their families across 10 States through its long-term programs. Our education work spans early childhood, foundational learning, STEM, digital literacy, and youth readiness, delivered through direct implementation and government partnerships.
About the PENCIL Program
PENCIL, which stands for Protective, Effective N Context based Initiation of Learning, is ChildFund India's flagship education program. PENCIL works with children aged 3 to 18 years to improve foundational learning outcomes, strengthen socio emotional skills, and build readiness for the future. The program is anchored around six core components.
- Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), building school readiness before formal schooling begins.
- Addressing learning gaps through focused, remedial support in foundational literacy and numeracy.
- Social Emotional Learning (SEL), nurturing self-awareness, empathy, and relationship skills alongside academics.
- 21st Century Life Skills, including critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and collaboration.
- A safe, joyful, contextual, and multilingual learning environment that encourages participation.
- System strengthening, through capacity building of teachers, school management committees, and mid-tier officials.
PENCIL program currently operational across 14 states. As part of the program, children are grouped for instruction according to their assessed foundational learning competency rather than their grade, using a Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach, so that each child receives instruction suited to where they currently are in their learning.
Background of Assignment
Under PENCIL, children in Class 3 to 8 are assessed for their foundational literacy competency and grouped into three learning levels for instruction. Level C consists of children below Grade 2 competency, Level B consists of children with a Grade 3 to 4 competency gap, and Level A consists of children with a Grade 5 competency gap. Children at each level receive focused, level appropriate instruction in language, along with social emotional learning and 21st century life skills, as part of the PENCIL program. Numeracy is being taken up under a separate Terms of Reference.
ChildFund India currently uses Hindi and regional language learning modules to support this instruction. These modules now need to be reviewed, realigned, and enhanced to reflect the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) and the latest national foundational literacy benchmarks and competencies. ChildFund India is therefore seeking to engage a qualified agency to develop a complete, level wise Literacy (Hindi) Curriculum for children under the PENCIL program, covering Level C, Level B, and Level A, including design, illustration, and print ready output.
Eligibility Profile
Interested agencies are expected to demonstrate the following.
- At least 5 years of organisational experience in curriculum design and development for foundational literacy, preferably for Class 1 to 8.
- Consultant or all core team members proposed for this assignment, including language and literacy experts, subject matter reviewers, illustrators, and designers, should individually have at least 8 to 10 years of relevant experience in their respective area of work.
- Demonstrated familiarity with the National Curriculum Framework and national FLN benchmarks and competencies.
- In house or partnered capability for instructional design, illustration, and print ready graphic design.
- Prior experience working with nonprofit organisations, government education departments, or similar development sector clients.
- Ability to work in Hindi as well as English, and to deliver within the proposed 3 month timeline.
Application Submission Process
Interested and eligible agencies are requested to submit a technical proposal, financial proposal, portfolio of similar past work, proposed team composition along with relevant experience of each team member, and a detailed timeline for the assignment.
Applications should be submitted by email to centralpurchase2@childfundindia.org by 28th October 2026. Applications received after this date, or applications that are incomplete, may not be considered.
For detailed information, please check the complete version of the RFP attached below.