A sequence of steps can be set out for collecting and analyzing information in order to set a project goal and purposes. But any experienced program manager or consultant knows that the process is not tidy and linear but iterative. For example, although the first step might be to consult secondary sources, this can and should be done at other points in the process as well. And even with a thorough initial review of secondary sources, new issues may arise later that require a second look at the literature.

Step 1. Consulting secondary, external, and IDB sources
Much information can be gleaned from secondary sources even before beginning to discuss a project with country counterparts. A program manager and consultants should be able to form a general idea of:

• The social, economic, political, and demographic conditions in the country, and changes in these conditions, as they affect the welfare of children.
  
• General development and governance policies, including social development policies, again as they affect the welfare of children.
  
• The stakeholders who should be involved in discussions of a proposed ECCD project.
  

Much of this information can be obtained relatively easily in Washington or in the field from IDB country papers, socioeconomic reports, or project documents for other social projects. Standard international sources that are useful include those published by the World Bank (the annual World Development Report), UNICEF (The State of the World's Children, The Progress of Nations, annual reports), UNESCO (The World Education Report, UNESCO Statistical Yearbook), and the UNDP (Human Development Report). Also useful are national plans of action outlining country commitments to work toward fulfillment of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

If these or similar documents are not available in the IDB, a call to colleagues at UNICEF or other organizations should quickly lead to useful sources (see tab 7). These preliminary conversations with colleagues will also help to identify ECCD projects under way in the country where the project is to be developed and stakeholders who should be consulted. The Web sites of the Consultative Group on Early Childhood Care and the World Bank can also point to valuable sources (see tab 1).

Step 2. Consulting initially with stakeholders
Initially, it may be premature to consult stakeholders by bringing them all together for a joint discussion. It is usually best to first know who is interested and why. But in some situations (such as when the government has requested funding for a particular kind of ECCD project) it may be desirable to bring together a diverse group for a general discussion.

Why consult initially with stakeholders? There are several reasons:

• To assess their degree of interest in early childhood care and development.
  
• To develop interest and seek participation in the process by groups that should have a stake but have little interest.
  
• To discover and understand alternative ways of defining the problem and the goal and purposes of a project.
  
• To bring to light information about children and programs that is pertinent but might not be published, and to identify additional information needed.
  
• To begin to identify existing projects, assess experience, and find out what institutional resources are available, so as to determine what can be drawn on and what needs to be added from external sources.
  
• To identify potential barriers, risks, or conflicts associated with particular groups and options.
  

Who are the stakeholders likely to be? All those with a potentially strong interest in the nature and design of an ECCD project, ranging from the beneficiaries to government officials to professional organizations, and perhaps even the media. (See table 2.1 for a list of possible stakeholders and a matrix that might be used to synthesize the results of an initial consultation with them.)

Direct beneficiaries. This most important group of stakeholders may also be the most difficult group to identify and to consult with initially. The population of beneficiaries may not be defined yet, or if it has been, it may be extremely varied, dispersed, and unorganized.

Nevertheless, a mechanism should be found early on for consulting with communities and family members (particularly women) in the geographic areas or social and ethnic groups to which the project is most likely to be directed (this assumes a prior commitment to focus on those who are most vulnerable and in need of assistance and that these groups can be identified in a general way). This consultation will provide a reality check that should be made as early as possible. It will help identify the demand and interest, the social organizations operating locally, variations in conditions "on the ground," and child rearing practices.

One way to arrange an exploratory consultation with the potential beneficiaries is to ask NGOs working with that population to organize conversations with groups of people in a few communities with varied characteristics. Another is to ask a local consultant to carry out case studies in several communities, again selected for their differences.

Government officials. In addition to consulting key people in education, health, and social welfare, it is crucial to talk to government officials in planning and finance. Depending on the government structure, it may also be important to talk with officials in such areas as women's programs, agriculture (because of its possible relevance to the nutrition component of an ECCD project or because the agricultural ministry may include a department of home economics), and rural, urban, or community development departments. And it is useful to consult officials at state, departmental, or municipal levels, who may offer different opinions than national officials.

The organized civil society. This category of stakeholders, defined as independent organizations with social purposes and projects, includes religious organizations, university groups, and NGOs. In consulting the organized civil society, it is best to cast a broad rather than a narrow net, to go beyond organizations working directly with children. Organizations focusing on women's programs, for example, could be important stakeholders. Some women's groups have recognized a need for extended and improved child care alternatives, while others have resisted programs seen as reinforcing women's reproductive role rather than helping to advance their productive role.

The private sector. There are at least two reasons to bring the private sector into project planning. First, employers should be interested in ECCD programs because of the possible benefits they offer for labor productivity—both today, as programs provide working parents with security and a safety net that allow them to be more productive on the job, and tomorrow, as children who are better cared for reach working age. Second, employers may be called on to share responsibility for financing ECCD programs. Many governments have already legislated some private sector responsibility, requiring firms of a certain size to provide child care centers. This requirement is not always honored, however, and may even work to the disadvantage of women if employers avoid hiring them because of the requirement.

Unions. To the extent that child care is seen as a benefit for workers, unions may be very interested in helping to promote and develop certain kinds of ECCD programs. Unions may represent either public or private sector workers.

Professional organizations. These organizations offer a technical point of view but are also self-interested parties. Organizations of medical doctors, preschool teachers, social workers, and other professionals may support some ECCD approaches and models but resist others. Early consultation can help to identify a need to reorient professional groups at the same time that it helps to identify potential human resources. Professional organizations may be constructive and flexible when setting standards, or they may be adamant about adhering to technical and quality standards thought to be universal (see the discussion of quality in tab 4). These organizations may play a central part in determining the form and content of training and supervision.

Funders. It is crucial to know what the IDB is doing, and what other funding organizations are doing or planning to do, in areas relating to the care and development of young children in the project country.

Media. Depending on the nature of the project, it may be important to involve people in the media at the outset.

An inventory of existing projects and programs. One result of the initial consultation with potential stakeholders will be an inventory of existing projects and programs. To inform later conversations, the inventory should include information about each project, such as:

• Where the project is located (geographical, national or local level, urban or rural).

• When the project started.

• What the project's goals and purposes are.

• Who the project covers and how many people benefit.

• What the project's components are (education, nutrition, health, others).

• What the ratio of teachers or promoters to children is (or the ratio to adults or families if it is a parental education project).

• What basic qualifications are required to become an education agent.

• What the cost is (per participant, if available).

• What the source of financing is.

• How much family and community participation there is.

• What other organizations the program is coordinated with.

Presenting the inventory in a simple matrix will help clarify how the proposed project's goals and purposes differ from, coincide with, or complement the goals and purposes of a range of institutions and projects (see table 2.2).

Table 2.1 Stakeholder matrix

Group	Interest in ECCD	Problems perceived	Possible conflict	Projects under waya
Beneficiaries Children Families Communities
Government Education Health Welfare Women Planning Finance Others
Independent organizations NGOs Religious Universities
Private sector
Unions
Professionals
Media
Funders UN Bilateral Foundations International NGOs
Others
a. See project matrix

Consistent with a participatory approach, it is important to involve stakeholders in gathering the additional information. A task force or committee could be formed to obtain information about certain topics or conditions, or to assign responsibility for obtaining it, and to later analyze the information. This central task force could be linked to state or even local task forces or committees. Funds might be provided at this stage to help these groups carry out special studies.

Step 4. Analyzing information and negotiating the project goal and purposes with stakeholders
The best way to organize this exercise depends very much on the setting. If there is little or no conflict among groups, a joint, public effort—a kind of forum—might be organized. But if there are major conflicts, the analysis may need to be done in smaller groups. From the analysis should come:

• A definition of the problem (or problems) to which the project should respond.

• A statement of a goal (general objective)—the solution to the problem that has been defined. The goal represents the long-run benefit and overall impact that the project is supposed to help achieve. To quote from the IDB's synopsis of the Logical Framework:

Two things should be emphasized about the Goal. First, it does not imply that the project, by itself, will be sufficient to attain the Goal. It is sufficient that the project contribute to attaining the Goal. Second, the statement of the Goal does not imply that it will be realized shortly after the project is in operation.
     Ideally the Goal should be identified by the Country Team during the preparation of the Country Programming Paper and the Programming Mission and made precise during the Identification Mission (IDB 1993, p.4).

• A statement of purpose (specific objective). Again to quote from the IDB's synopsis of the Logical Framework: "The Purpose is the result expected at the end of the execution period. It is the change the project will effect. The title of the project should come directly from the statement of the Purpose…" (IDB 1993, p. 4).

The executor may choose to pursue the Purpose that he/she views as most important, or easiest to achieve, or least expensive. This, however, may not be the Purpose that the Borrowing Country and the Bank thought was the most important. The Purpose is beyond the control of the project manager or executor. The project manager is responsible for producing outputs (the physical works, the technical cooperation, and the training). However, other people must use these Outputs to achieve the project's Purpose. These people are beyond the project manager's control.

Many operations the Bank finances have more than one Purpose. When this is the case, the approach requires more than one logical framework: a master framework for the program with its Goal and Purpose and two or more subordinate frameworks. The Goal of each of the subordinate frameworks is identical to the Purpose of the program (master framework), but each has its specific Purpose. Each separate Purpose is addressed by a project (often referred to as a "sub-project") with its own logical framework.

• A definition of project beneficiaries (target population). The information collected should make it possible to specify to some degree the population to which the project will be directed (see the discussion of indicators below and the section on choosing beneficiaries at the beginning of tab 3).

The goal and purpose chosen at this point represent a first approximation. They may turn out to be politically or financially infeasible and may need adjustment as construction of the project proceeds. (For examples of possible goals and purposes see the end of this tab.)