The study was about is to excavate the effect of promoting employee rewards to enhance performance in ECD centres in Uganda with a case study of Ssisa sub-county in Wakiso district. The specific objectives that guided the study were to establish the employee reward programs used in ECD centres in ssisa sub-county in Wakiso district, to assess the work pattern in ECD Centres in ssisa sub-county in Wakiso district and to evaluate the connectivity between the employee reward and performance in ssisa sub-county in Wakiso district. The researcher used a qualitative data analysis to unearth the factual data. The use of qualitative data was very significant and essential in elucidating and collecting narratives and explanations from different authors and educationists on the study of employee reward programs in ECD centres. The target population consisted of 180 respondents in which administrators, employees, parents and community leaders were considered as target population. The findings indicated that employees and employers acknowledge that ECD centres offer rewards such as “a monthly salary, salary increment, bonus for extra work done, involvement in decision making, travel allowances, double salary for December, access to loans and credits, accommodation and transport allowances, appreciations and gifts for events at the end of the month, tours and travel, NSSF contributions for employees, handling of holidays and leaves, leaves for public holidays and Annual leaves”, Employees indicated that from the rewards given, the most preferred one is promotion. The study concluded that there are a number of employee rewards in ECD centres but employees do receive or enjoy a few of these rewards and it depends on the status of the ECD centre you are working in. Employee rewards have a significant relationship with employee performance in ECD centres and employees are motivated by these rewards and once not provided they do hinder their performance, the research showed that employees need to be given rewards on top of the salary that was agreed upon since this helps them to survive as they wait for their salaries at the end of the month. The study recommended that sharing the job task would be the best work pattern to be used in ECD centres since children need a lot of attention and cannot be handled by one person to teach and at the same time give them the care needed.

A Dissertation Submitted to the School of Education in a Partial Fulfillment for the Award of a Masters’ Degree in Education Management and Planning of Nkumba University