Sierra Leone Early Childhood

The Salone Pikin 4 Play en Lan Outcomes Fund was developed to address this challenge at scale.

Led by the Government of Sierra Leone, in partnership with EOF, and supported by the LEGO Foundation, the Embassy of Denmark and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the programme aims to expand access to early childhood care and education for children aged three to five.

Over its first phase, it is expected to reach more than 29,000 children, while establishing 87 community-based early childhood development centres across the country. The total programme size is approximately $15 million.

This is not only an expansion effort. It is also an attempt to improve how early learning is delivered.

At the centre of the programme is an outcomes-based financing model.

Rather than funding inputs alone, payments to implementing partners are tied to independently verified results. These include opening new centres that meet minimum standards, increasing attendance, improving structural quality, strengthening caregiver capacity to deliver play-based learning, and achieving measurable improvements in children’s development.

This approach creates a direct link between investment and outcomes. It also encourages implementing partners to adapt their delivery models in response to what works, using data and feedback to improve performance over time.

One of the most significant shifts in Sierra Leone has been the move towards a more coordinated system.

Historically, early childhood services were delivered through a range of actors, often working independently. The outcomes fund brings these actors – government, service providers, evaluators and funders – into a single performance framework, aligned around a common set of goals.

Government leadership, particularly from the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), has been central in anchoring the programme within national priorities. This has helped move outcomes-based financing from a pilot concept towards a more integrated approach to system reform.

The model introduces shared accountability, but also stronger incentives for collaboration. Different actors are no longer working in parallel, but within a structure that connects delivery, measurement and funding.

Early implementation has highlighted both the potential and the complexity of this approach.

Translating outcomes contracts into operational reality has required new ways of working – particularly in areas such as data systems, verification processes and the alignment of delivery timelines with funding structures.

Balancing rigour with feasibility has been a central consideration. Measurement systems need to be robust enough to ensure accountability, while remaining practical within existing government and delivery capacity.

At the same time, the programme has reinforced the importance of trust. Building effective partnerships has required ongoing co-design, regular engagement and a shared commitment to problem-solving. These processes have been as important as the financing model itself in strengthening relationships and ownership.

The programme is already generating lessons that extend beyond early childhood services.

Approaches developed within the outcomes fund – particularly around data use, performance management and cross-sector coordination – are beginning to inform broader discussions within government on how education services can be planned and delivered more effectively.

This creates the potential for wider application.

Rather than remaining a standalone initiative, the focus is increasingly on how elements of the model can be embedded within government systems – supporting longer-term improvements in how services are financed and managed.