NEWS

Rede de Inovação Local (RIL) Brazil is now accepting applications for the Early Childhood and Care Leadership Community and the 2026 Early Childhood and Care Program, an initiative supported by the Van Leer Foundation and developed in partnership with the Government of the State of Sergipe.

All 75 municipalities in the state of Sergipe are invited to join the Early Childhood and Care Leadership Community free of charge. The Community is an ongoing space for learning, peer exchange, and strengthening the capacities of municipal teams.

In addition, registered municipalities may apply to the Early Childhood and Care Program, which will select 8 (eight) municipalities to participate in an intensive journey of specialized support, mentoring, and technical assistance over approximately ten months.

EARLY CHILDHOOD AND CARE LEADERSHIP COMMUNITY

All municipalities in Sergipe may participate in the Early Childhood and Care Leadership Community, provided that they:

• appoint leaders from the Departments of Education, Health, and Social Assistance — the Secretary and one designated leader from each department;

• indicate their interest through the registration form; and

• agree to participate in the Community’s official WhatsApp group, which will serve as the main communication channel between RIL and participating municipalities.

By joining the Community, leaders will have access to:

• a monthly learning journey, including training sessions and inspirational meetings;

• peer-to-peer exchange of experiences;

• the RIL Portal, with tools, content, and resources designed for public management;

• connections with good practices and experiences from partner municipalities in Brazil and Latin America, strengthening their participation in an international network of local governments.

Participation in the Community is open to all municipalities that meet the requirements above and is independent of the selection process for the Early Childhood and Care Program. Municipalities must indicate their interest in joining the Community in the form available at the end of this public call.

About the Program

The Early Childhood and Care Program was designed to support municipalities in Sergipe in building their own path toward stronger early childhood and care policies, while strengthening local leadership and intersectoral technical teams across Health, Education, and Social Assistance.

The Program aims to support municipalities — regardless of their size or level of institutional maturity in this agenda — in identifying their existing capacities and resources and, based on them, implementing innovative solutions with a direct impact on child development, with particular attention to the ethnic and racial inequalities affecting early childhood and care in Brazil.

What the Program Offers

Selected municipalities will receive:

• Specialized technical support, facilitated by the RIL team with the support of mentors who are experts in early childhood and care;

• A structured methodology for designing and implementing plans and projects, organized into clear, results-oriented stages;

• Strategic use of data to support diagnostics, guide decision-making, and monitor progress;

• Access to the RIL Academy, an online learning platform focused on public management and the early childhood and care agenda;

• Integration into a network of municipalities and partners, fostering peer exchange and the collaborative development of solutions.

How the Program Works

The Program will run for approximately 10 (ten) months in a virtual format and will be officially launched at an in-person event in Aracaju on August 25, 2026. The Program stages are expected to begin on September 15, 2026.

The journey is organized into seven stages:

1. Align — Establish an interdisciplinary early childhood team with representatives from Education, Social Assistance, and Health.

2. Diagnose — Conduct a structured assessment of the municipality’s maturity in the early childhood and care agenda, identifying its starting point and opportunities for improvement.

3. Plan — Jointly develop a short-, medium-, and long-term Action Plan for early childhood and care.

4. Co-design — Transform an opportunity for improvement identified in the diagnostic stage into a concrete pilot project, designed with expert mentors and aligned with the Action Plan developed in the previous stage.

5. Implement — Execute the project with close support from RIL facilitators.

6. Evaluate — Monitor progress through indicators and compare results with the baseline established during Stage 2 of the Program.

7. Communicate — Develop strategies to showcase the municipality’s progress in the early childhood and care agenda and strengthen a network for sharing good practices.

Application and Selection

• Applications must be submitted exclusively through the application form by September 2, 2026.

• The selection process will be conducted by a team of technical experts and will include:

• technical assessment of applications based on the application form and the municipality’s score in the Early Childhood and Care Maturity Assessment;

• interviews with finalist municipalities.

• The selected municipalities will be announced on September 4, 2026.

Who Can Apply

Municipalities in Sergipe may apply if they:

• are legally constituted municipal governments in the state of Sergipe;

• address the early childhood and care agenda through an intersectoral approach, with coordinated involvement from the Departments of Education, Health, and Social Assistance, or equivalent areas;

• submit a complete application through the official form;

• have the support of the Mayor to participate in the Program and commit to submitting a Letter of Commitment signed by the Mayor, as well as a Term of Participation signed by the three leaders responsible for the early childhood and care agenda;

• demonstrate engagement with the early childhood and care agenda.

Participation Costs

Participation in the Program is free of charge for selected municipalities. Implementation costs will be fully covered by the Program’s partner, the Van Leer Foundation, providing a full scholarship to all participating municipalities.

Important Dates

• Public call opens: August 12, 2026

• Application period: August 12–September 2, 2026

• Assessment and interviews: August–September 2026

• Announcement of selected municipalities: September 4, 2026

• Deadline to submit the Term of Participation: September 11, 2026

• Program begins: September 15, 2026

• Deadline to submit the signed Letter of Commitment: September 18, 2026

Useful Links

• Expression of Interest in the Community and Application Form for the Early Childhood and Care Program: access the form

• Early Childhood and Care Program Public Call: access the document

• Information about the Early Childhood and Care Program: access the document

Questions and Contact

For questions, please contact us at primeirainfancia@redinnovacionlocal.org.