From strengthening Anganwadis to exploring the role of artificial intelligence in early learning, Rocket Learning’s Udaan 2026 brought policymakers, researchers and technology leaders together to rethink the foundations of childhood development in India.
A child’s future begins long before the first day of school. It takes shape in the early years, through everyday interactions, access to nutrition, responsive caregiving and the opportunities to learn, explore and grow. Yet, ensuring that every child receives the right start requires more than awareness. It demands investment, evidence-led interventions and systems that work for families at the grassroots.
That was the central conversation at Udaan 2026, hosted by Rocket Learning in New Delhi on October 8. Centred on the theme ‘From Surviving to Thriving’, the gathering brought together leaders from government, academia, philanthropy, technology and civil society to examine how India can strengthen Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) and translate established evidence into meaningful change at scale.
Beyond the Classroom: Rethinking Early Childhood Development
Early childhood development extends well beyond formal education. It encompasses the environments in which children grow, the support available to parents and caregivers, and the systems responsible for delivering essential services during the formative years.
At Udaan 2026, conversations explored how Anganwadis could be better equipped to support children and families, how investment in early childhood development could be strengthened, and where technology could make a measurable difference.
The event featured distinguished voices, including Dr. M. Srinivas, Member of NITI Aayog; Arti Ahuja, former Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment; Amanda Devercelli, former Global Early Childhood Development Head at the World Bank Group; Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Chairperson of the M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation; Radhika Jha, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Women and Child Development; Dr. Dinesh Arora of the Asian Development Bank; and Dr. Abhijeet Singh, Professor at the Stockholm School of Economics and Board Member for Education at J-PAL.
Senior officials from the Women and Child Development departments of Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh also participated, alongside representatives from OpenAI, TRYST at IIT Bombay, SIRA and other organisations.
The breadth of participation reflected the scale of the challenge: early childhood development cannot be addressed by a single institution or sector. It requires coordination across public policy, research, frontline services and the communities in which children grow up.
The People Behind the First Five Years
Anganwadi workers occupy a critical position in India’s early childhood development ecosystem. Yet, their ability to focus on children and mothers can be constrained by administrative responsibilities and manual record-keeping.
Addressing this challenge during a keynote discussion, Dr. M. Srinivas of NITI Aayog highlighted the need to simplify the operational burden on frontline workers.
“Frontline workers like Anganwadi staff should not be burdened solely with administrative tasks and manual record-keeping. Technology and policy changes must simplify their workload so they can focus on their primary mission: directly nurturing mothers and children,” he said.
The conversation points to a larger question about the future of public service delivery: how can systems become more efficient without adding complexity for the people expected to implement them?
Technology, in this context, is not simply about digitising existing processes. Its potential lies in freeing up time, improving coordination and enabling frontline workers to direct more attention towards the families they serve.
Can AI Make Early Intervention More Personal?
Artificial intelligence emerged as another important theme, particularly in discussions about identifying vulnerable families and delivering more targeted support.
Speaking about the potential for AI-enabled interventions, Arti Ahuja, former Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, emphasised the importance of using data to recognise risks at the local level.
“The true power of AI lies in data-driven empathy. Down to the village and hamlet level, AI can help us identify red flags such as family migration or food scarcity, thus enabling targeted, local-level support for the most vulnerable children and families before they fall behind,” she said.
The proposition is significant: when used responsibly, data-driven tools could help public systems identify where additional assistance may be needed and respond before challenges become more difficult to address.
However, the value of such interventions depends on how effectively insights translate into action. Local context, reliable data, appropriate safeguards and the capacity to deliver support remain essential to ensuring that technology serves families rather than becoming another layer of administration.
What the Evidence Says About Scaling Early Learning
Beyond policy discussions, Udaan 2026 also marked the presentation of findings from an evaluation of a technology-based, India-developed early childhood development model.
Presented by Dr. Abhijeet Singh, the evaluation examined the model’s impact and cost-effectiveness, offering insights into how early childhood development interventions could be strengthened and expanded.
The findings add to an important conversation about scaling: which approaches deliver meaningful outcomes, what resources do they require, and how can successful interventions be adapted for diverse communities?
For a country as large and varied as India, evidence is essential to making informed decisions about investment and implementation. Models that demonstrate impact and cost-effectiveness can help policymakers and practitioners assess how limited resources might be deployed more effectively.
The evaluation’s results and lessons are available in the RCT booklet published on Publuu.
From Surviving to Thriving: A Collective Responsibility
For Rocket Learning’s co-founders, Azeez Gupta, Namya Mahajan, Siddhant Sachdeva and Utsav Kheria, Udaan represents an effort to build a platform where research, policy and practice can inform one another.
In a joint statement, they said: “Every child deserves more than simply surviving the early years – they deserve the opportunity to thrive. We have witnessed the possibilities of Anganwadi educators, pre-school teachers and parents working together as one coherent unit to change children’s trajectories.”
They added that discussions on evidence, investment and technology reinforced the potential to strengthen early learning at scale, reaffirming Rocket Learning’s commitment to supporting India’s early learning ecosystem.
The emphasis on collaboration is central to the challenge ahead. Public institutions provide the reach, researchers help establish what works, technology can support delivery, and educators and parents shape children’s everyday experiences. Progress depends on bringing these elements together rather than treating them as separate priorities.
Udaan 2026 closed with a clear focus on the work that remains. The case for early childhood care and education is established; the next challenge is ensuring that evidence leads to effective implementation, sustained investment and support that reaches every child who needs it.
Because the measure of a strong start is not merely whether a child makes it through the early years. It is whether those years give them the opportunity to learn, flourish and build the foundations for a fuller future.
About Rocket Learning
Rocket Learning is an early learning non-profit that works to strengthen early childhood development in India. Through its work with caregivers, educators and public systems, the organisation seeks to support children’s learning and development during their formative years.
