THE CRUCIAL COMPONENT

A high-quality child development program provides warm, receptive, and frequent interactions between the adults and the children in their charge. These interactions should be language-rich and sensitive to children’s needs. This type of interaction, along with frequent opportunities for psychosocial stimulation, lays the groundwork for young children’s future learning and development, both within the home and in all other settings where they spend significant time.

HOW DOES THE IDB SUPPORT WORK ON EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT IN THE REGION?

The IDB's strategy for its work on early childhood development centers on two broad categories of services:

1. Services offered at centers, whether daycares for children under age 3 or preschools for 4- to 5-year-olds.
    
2. Programs meant to promote families’ investments in their children’s human capital during the first 5 years of their life, including cash transfer programs and parent support programs to enhance psychosocial stimulation and interactions in the home.

The IDB also recognizes the importance of providing support on issues that span the various areas of work on childhood development, such as diversity-oriented services, child protection services, institutional governance of child development programs, and measurement of child development and the quality of ECD services.