This article critically examines the effectiveness and cultural relevance of early childhood education services provided to Indigenous children aged zero to five in Colombia, with a special focus on 41 peoples declared at risk of physical and cultural extinction by the Constitutional Court. Using a mixed-methods approach, it analyzes coverage gaps in the Integral Attention Route (RIA), budget allocations by the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF) for early childhood programs targeting Indigenous peoples, and progress on the 2022–2026 National Development Plan (PND) agreements. The qualitative component includes the characterization of peoples declared at risk, a comparison of service provision at the territorial level with indicators of Unsatisfied Basic Needs (NBI) and deprivation in access to early childhood services, as well as a case study in the municipality of Pueblo Rico, Risaralda. Data sources include records from the ICBF, Ministry of National Education (MEN), National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE), National Institute of Health, and interviews with Indigenous authorities and state entities. Study limitations include the lack of updated age-disaggregated data and restricted access to certain territories.

Findings show an increase in the number of Indigenous children served (from 147,364 in 2023 to 162,187 in 2024), without corresponding improvements in service comprehensiveness or cultural adaptation. Only 24% accessed books and cultural content, and less than 1% participated in recreational activities. Moreover, intercultural education models such as those of the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca (CRIC) and the Movement of Indigenous Authorities of the Southwest (AISO) are not integrated into the official early childhood information system, limiting the monitoring of their outcomes and exposing weaknesses in digital governance. Additionally, 462 of the 607 municipalities with children from peoples at risk of extinction, and nine of these peoples themselves, lack culturally relevant early childhood education programs.

This analysis demonstrates that it is possible to promote processes of technological appropriation in Indigenous communities aimed at revitalizing language, strengthening oral memory, and reaffirming cultural identity from early childhood, provided these initiatives are co-designed and co-produced with the communities themselves. Under this approach, technology emerges as a powerful tool to enhance culturally relevant and innovative educational processes that transcend mere coverage and become true spaces for cultural continuity and equity.

The article concludes that it is urgent to develop genuinely intercultural early education models by articulating policies and programs such as the recently regulated Indigenous Own Education System and the Indigenous Peoples’ Communications Policy, integrating technology and digital media as tools that contribute to the strengthening and survival of these peoples’ cultures (especially those at greatest risk of extinction), to ensure educational equity and protect Colombia’s cultural diversity.

Keywords: Indigenous Early Childhood Education, Cultural Relevance, Early Childhood, Educational Equity, Educational Innovation, Technology in Education, Community Co-design and Co-production.