Publication: Investing in Early Childhood Development: Essential Interventions, Family Contexts, and Broader Policies
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2016-11-03
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2016-11-03
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Access to quality early childhood development (ECD), care, and pre-primary education is essential for child development and is now recognized as a priority under the Sustainable Development Goals. Investments in ECD by major donors have been rising rapidly in recent years. This makes the task of understanding better what works to promote ECD, and what may not work as well, a priority. The objective of this special issue of the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities is to contribute to the evidence base in three areas—the roles of program interventions, family contexts, and broader policies in ensuring optimal child development. The issue consists of five research articles, most of which provide evaluations of specific interventions, as well as three shorter notes considering broader policy issues. The main conclusions of the various contributions are summarized in this article together with a brief introduction to simple conceptual frameworks that countries, donors, and other stakeholders may find useful when considering alternative ways to invest in ECD.
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Publication Stepping Up Early Childhood Development : Investing in Young Children for High Returns(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2014-10)Investing in young children is one of the best investments that countries can make. A child s earliest years present a unique window of opportunity to address inequality, break the cycle of poverty, and improve a wide range of outcomes later in life. Recent brain research suggests the need for holistic approaches to learning, growth, and development, recognizing that young children s physical and intellectual well-being, as well as their socio-emotional and cognitive development, are interrelated. To fully benefit from future opportunities in life and become productive members of society, by the end of early childhood, young children must be: healthy and well-nourished; securely attached to caregivers; able to interact positively with families, teachers, and peers; able to communicate in their native language; and ready to learn throughout primary school. This document draws on these existing frameworks and broad evidence on the impacts of ECD interventions. It summarizes some of the existing literature on this topic with the aim to identify key interventions needed for children. The document is intended to provide an easily accessible introduction to interventions and integrated services that could help policymakers and practitioners think about how to effectively invest in ECD. In addition to identifying key interventions, the document outlines four principles that can help countries design and implement strong ECD policies and programs. Countries should: (i) prepare an ECD diagnostic and strategy; (ii) implement widely through coordination; (iii) create synergies and cost savings through integrated interventions; and (iv) monitor, evaluate, and scale up successful interventions. In terms of interventions, within the ECD period, 25 key interventions are identified as essential for a child s growth and development. For each intervention, illustrative costs and impacts are provided. These are based on existing evidence and are only intended to be indicative. The document suggests that these interventions can be delivered through five integrated packages at different stages in a child s life. The five packages of interventions include: (a) the family support package, which should be provided throughout the ECD period, (b) the pregnancy package, (c) the birth package (from birth to six months), (d) the child health and development package, and (e) the preschool package.Publication Investing in Early Childhood Development : Review of the World Bank’s Recent Experience(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2015)This study provides an overview of Bank investments in Early Childhood Development (ECD) from 2000-2013 within the Education, Health, Nutrition and Population, and Social Protection and Labor practices. The study summarizes trends in operational and analytical investments in early childhood, including lending and trust funded operations at the country, regional, and global levels. Findings are presented on the overall level of finance during this thirteen-year period, the number of ECD investments, and regional and sectoral trends. A series of case studies are presented to highlight lessons learned to inform future Bank support to ECD and to promote better planning across sectors and regions. Trends in analytical and advisory activities are also discussed, including economic sector work, technical assistance, partnership activities, impact evaluations, programmatic approaches, and knowledge products. Finally, the study discusses recent new approaches to support ECD within the World Bank and in client countries. The study benefited from support from the Children Investment Fund Foundation.Publication Early Childhood Education and Development in Indonesia(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2015-08-11)Since the early 2000s, Indonesia has taken a number of steps to prioritize early childhood development – ranging from the inclusion of Early Childhood Development (ECD) in the National Education System Law No. 20 in 2003 to a Presidential Declaration on Holistic and Integrated ECD and the launch of the country’s first ever ECD Census in 2011. These policy milestones have occurred in parallel with sustained progress on outcomes included in the Millennium Development Goals, including for child malnutrition, child mortality and universal basic education. Additional progress could be achieved by strengthening ECD policies further. This report presents findings from an assessment of ECD policies and programs in Indonesia based on two World Bank tools: the ECD module of the Systems Approach for Better Education Results (SABER) and a guide on essential interventions for investing in young children. Results from the application of both tools to Indonesia are used to suggest a number of policy options for consideration.Publication Early Childhood Development in the Context of the Family(Taylor and Francis, 2016-11-03)Early childhood is a critical period in a child’s development. Poor conditions early in life affect not only children’s physical growth, but also their brain development and capabilities, with lasting consequences in adulthood. A child’s family is the first and most important support system to ensure healthy growth and development. This also means that when the family and especially the mother is vulnerable, this can have lasting negative consequences for young children. This article illustrates the impact that family conditions can have on early childhood development by considering the specific case of child marriage, defined as a girl marrying before the age of 18, as well as early childbirth, defined as a girl having a child before the age of 18, itself in most cases a consequence of child marriage. The article also discusses interventions that could help in reducing both the likelihood of child marriage and its intergenerational impacts on young children.Publication Investing in Young Children : An Early Childhood Development Guide for Policy Dialogue and Project Preparation(World Bank, 2011)Investing in young children is the responsible thing to do. All children deserve a chance to grow into healthy, educated, and competent people, no matter where and when they were born. While parents bear most of the responsibility for raising their children, especially in the early years of life, governments also have an important role during this critical time of human capital accumulation. For example, governments can ensure that all expectant mothers and young children have access to quality health services and nutrition. They can support parents and other caregivers in providing a positive and stimulating environment for children from birth on by promoting parenting information programs, investing in direct services such as home-based visits, funding daycare centers and preschools, or providing financial incentives to access good quality programs for infants and children. This Early Childhood Development (ECD) guide presents lessons and experiences that have been useful in informing the policy debate about ECD interventions and the design of such programs across the world. Whether the user of this guide is at the initial stage of deciding whether to expand an ECD portfolio or already in the program design stage, the content offers a range of evidence- based options to inform policy and investment choices.
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