Publication: Early Childhood Development Operations in Latin and Caribbean Region (LCR) : Jamaica, Mexico, and Brazil in Focus
Date
2010-02
ISSN
Published
2010-02
Author(s)
Abstract
The rationale and evidence of the
effectiveness of investing early in children is compelling:
early childhood is the most rapid period of development in a
human life, with incredible brain development occurring (85
percent of the brain is wired by age 5). Investments in
Early Childhood Development (ECD) are among the most
effective and cost-effective investments a country can make
in its people. Simply put, investing in ECD is an investment
for life. Children who participate in ECD programs
demonstrate improved school readiness, success, and
completion; improved health; reduced risky behavior and
crime; and higher productivity and income. Perhaps most
importantly for public policy, delays in early childhood are
difficult and costly to reverse later in life. The World
Bank is particularly well-poised to help clients further the
ECD agenda in their countries and improve medium and
long-term development for generations to come. Given the
inherently multi-sectoral nature of ECD interventions,
including inter alia health, education, social protection,
and the water sectors, the Bank also multi-sectoral in
nature has a comparative advantage in working in this area,
and can truly be more than the sum of its parts leveraging
its deep sectoral expertise on issues from water and urban
development to education and health and creating synergies
across those areas. This note discusses how the Bank can
work with clients to develop the policies and strategies for
comprehensive child development, and to scale-up quality
services to children. It presents case studies from three
diverse countries and highlights a wide range of the types
of operations offered: a multi-sector investment project
with disbursements linked to specific results achieved in
Jamaica, a traditional sector-specific project in Mexico,
and a program of impact evaluations in Brazil. The purpose
is to demonstrate the variety of instruments the Bank has,
and the tailored approach that the Bank uses to respond to
specific client demands for collaborating in the area of ECD.
Citation
“Holland, Peter; Evans, David. 2010. Early Childhood Development Operations in Latin and Caribbean Region (LCR) : Jamaica, Mexico, and Brazil in Focus. en breve; No. 152. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/f1b6192d-fc62-5b13-9788-8d12a1c042ff License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”