The Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education (DECE) program at IGNOU helps in acquiring the knowledge and practical skills required for effectively educating young children. This program covers various aspects of child development, teaching methods, and childcare practices. An important aspect of this program at IGNOU is the project work which is mandatory to do. Project work DECE-4 titled “Working With Young Children in a Childcare Setting” helps you learn essential abilities to deal with young children, up to the age of six, and also helps you develop and manage daycare and preschools. If you’re a student of this program at IGNOU and struggling to make the project work then don’t worry, in this guide, we’ll walk you through the complete procedure to conduct the DECE project work effectively.
2The project work will require you to work in a preschool/nursery school for at least 30 working days and up to 90 days (depending on your pace and schedule of work) and engage in play activities with the young children. To complete the project work, you will be placed in a university-approved nursery school/preschool and assigned to a nursery school teacher, who will act as your guide during your IGNOU DECE project work. The play activities you will plan must be in line with the broad parameters indicated in the Project Manual. Unlike other IGNOU projects, in the DECE-4 project you have to prepare only the Project Report and not the Synopsis. Below we have given the detailed procedure for conducting the project work.
As you know you will be placed in nursery school/preschool for 30 working days. In this period you will have to do various activities with young children. Also, remember that you will do all the activities under the supervision of the nursery teacher, who will act as your guide. You will spend a total of 30 days and these days are divided into three phases. Additionally, you are required to record a video of children participating in various learning activities, upload it on YouTube, and include the link to the same video in your project report.
Following are the phases of the DECE Project Work:
First Phase – Observation Period: The first phase involves 5 working days. These are observation days. During your five-day observation at a preschool, you will have to closely observe and interact with children aged 3-6 years. Each day, you will have to document findings and conclusions, thereby gaining valuable insights into the behavior, learning patterns, and social interactions of young children. This experience will give you a deeper understanding of the challenges and rewards of working with preschool-aged children. You will also get to see how your guide interacts with the children.
Second Phase – Organizing Activity with Children: The second phase lasts for the next 20 working days, where you have to conduct various activities and sessions. In this phase, you actually work with children in a childcare setting. In this phase, you have to conduct 30 activity sessions with a group of children. In the initial 10 working days, you have to conduct 1 activity session per day, i.e. a total of 10 activities in 10 days. From the 11th day onwards you have to conduct 2 activity sessions each day, i.e. a total of 20 activities. Each activity could last up to 1-2 hours but it doesn't mean you only come for a few hours, you have to stay a full day with the guide and observe everything. You can refer to the DECE-4 Project Manual to understand the type of activities you can conduct in a childcare setting.
Third Phase - Taking Complete Charge of Children from Arrival Time till Departure: The third phase comprises the last 5 working days, where you have to take complete charge of the children and develop the curriculum. So from arrival to departure, you manage everything. You plan an activity schedule for the entire day for five days. You have to divide your day in such a manner that you use it optimally and conduct multiple activities.
Span of Project Work
| Phase | Number of Workdays |
| FIRST PHASE: Observation Period | 5 |
| SECOND PHASE: Organizing activity sessions | 20 |
| THIRD PHASE: Taking charge of children for the duration of their stay in the preschool and organizing activity sessions | 5 |
| TOTAL WORKING DAYS | 30 |
Once you have done all the activities and you have got the data of different activities, now it is time to prepare the report. You have to properly divide your project report into different phases and highlight the main points. Your report should include the details of every activity like when it was done, how long it lasted, how many children participated in it, and what materials were required to conduct the activities. Mention your observation along with the conclusion at the end of each activity. For a detailed understanding of the DECE-4 project work, you can refer to the project manual available on the eGyankosh. The manual will help you understand how to conduct the study and what kind of activities you can perform at the preschool/nursery school.
Before submitting your project file make sure to arrange the content properly and chronologically. Phase 1 should come first and then phase 2 and then the 3rd phase. Also, each phase's content and activities should be divided into various headings and subheadings for smooth navigation. You have to submit a DECE-4 project online, using the link available on IGNOU’s official website.
DECE-4 Project Submit Link for Term-end Examination, Dec 2023
You have to follow the below sequence while sending your project for submission.
After ensuring that you have prepared the DECE project file as per IGNOU guidelines, go ahead and send it for submission.
If you are a working professional, housewife, or student who is pursuing two or more courses simultaneously and you are not getting enough time to complete your project work, then don't worry, Gullybaba is here to help you. We have been helping IGNOU students for more than two decades. We are the No. 1 IGNOU study material provider in India. We provide IGNOU help books, solved assignments, previous year solved question papers, and project work. If you are facing any problems in doing project work, contact us and we will help you. We provide both readymade and customized projects, so whatever your need is, let us know and we will meet your expectations.
Is it mandatory to submit project work to complete a Diploma?
Yes, submission of a DECE-4 project file is mandatory for obtaining the Diploma.
What's the format to complete DECE Project Work?
Your project file should be divided into three phases. This project lasts for 30 working days. You have to visit a preschool and spend 30 working days to complete the project. The first 5 days are for observation, the next 20 working days are for organizing the activities and the last 5 days are for taking full responsibility for the children. Also, you have to record a video of the activities done with the children, upload it to YouTube, and attach links to the same videos in the project file.
Where to submit the project file?
Once your guide evaluates your project, get their approval and upload it on the dedicated portal for DECE project submission. The last updated link was for TEE, Dec 2023. Keep checking it for the next cycle.
What is the last date for the DECE project submission?
The project manual says it should be submitted before the TEE exam which is organized twice a year. Keep checking the dates.
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If you are having difficulty completing DECE project work, contact Gullybaba, we will provide you with customized projects that will help you get good grades.
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Gullybaba offers IGNOU Help Books, Previous Year Solved Question Papers, Solved Assignments, and Project Work.
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Yes, Gullybaba also provides DECE Ready-made projects, connect with us to know more about it.
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