• Waddhamna village near Nagpur becomes home to India’s first AI-powered anganwadi, transforming early childhood education through digital tools like VR, smartboards, and tablets.
• Launched under Mission Bal Bharari, the center has seen attendance more than double, with personalized, gamified learning sparking enthusiasm among children aged 2-6.
• With plans to integrate AI for nutrition tracking via the Poshan Tracker, the initiative aims to scale to 40 more centers, bridging rural-urban gaps in education and development.

An unassuming but significant change is being ushered in at a small hamlet outside Nagpur, Maharashtra, as early childhood education has gone digital. For the first time, artificial intelligence-powered anganwadi has been established in Waddhamna village, some 18 km from Nagpur city, generating a ripple of fascination and curiosity among children between the age group of two to six.

The center, which started under the Nagpur Zilla Parishad's Mission Bal Bharari program, has converted the old chalk-and-slate system into an immersive digital learning environment. Attendance has doubled at least in the last few months from approximately 10 kids previously to well over 25 regular students currently. The center has virtual reality headsets, AI-powered smartboards, tablets, and interactive content, rendering lessons a great deal more interactive compared to what they used to be.

This anganwadi, chosen from among more than 2,200 centers in the district, was equipped with the required infrastructure, including Wi-Fi and CCTV, for transparency and safety. A systematic training programme for workers at the anganwadi was developed so that they were able to transition into this new digital environment without technology being overwhelming for them.

The new system incorporates core learning with gamification-based activities, allowing kids to learn shapes, animals, and objects through virtual exhibitions or interactive boards.

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Lessons are structured to adjust according to the pace of learning of each child, so fast learners and slow learners both learn equally. Drawing, singing, and reciting poems are now done within a technology-based setting, and the work of the children is kept digital to monitor progress.

The effect is already evident. Parents who had hitherto been reluctant to get their children sent are now seeing the eagerness with which their wards go to the centre. Kids who had initially been reluctant to go to the anganwadi now eagerly participate in its activities.

The initiative also goes beyond academics. Plans are underway to use artificial intelligence to track children’s nutrition and growth parameters. By integrating the anganwadi system with the government’s Poshan Tracker platform, authorities aim to monitor real-time data on meals and developmental milestones, ensuring holistic child development.

Following its successful launch at Waddhamna, the project will roll out to 40 additional anganwadis across the district, giving a glimpse of how technology can narrow the rural-urban digital divide. Although there are still challenges in scaling and training, this pilot project illustrates how even rural India's youngest learners can have access to sophisticated, interactive learning signifying an important leap toward digital equality.

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