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Early Childhood Development

Early Childhood Development

Challenging Inequalities from the Early Years

A mom reading to her child - Education - Inter American Development Bank - IDB
Social Protection Sector Framework ECD Projects
A teacher with her student - Education - Inter American Development Bank - IDB
What Is Early Childhood Development?

Early Childhood Development (ECD) refers to the development of cognitive, language, motor, and socio-emotional skills during the first five years of life. During this period, the brain’s structure is defined, and the foundations for future learning and lifelong achievement are laid.

A happy family in the street - Education - Inter American Development Bank - IDB
Why Is It Important to Invest in Early Childhood?

Early childhood offers a unique opportunity to invest in human capital. Evidence shows that high-quality, well-targeted interventions:

  • Are the most cost-effective social investment 
  • Help reduce inequalities 
  • Promote the care economy 
A mom kissing her child - Education - Inter American Development Bank - IDB
What Challenges Does the Region Face on Improving Early Childhood Development?
  • Expanding the coverage of center-based care programs and family support programs 
  • Improving program quality, with a special focus on caregiver-child interactions 
  • Strengthening the institutional framework, which faces ineffective governance and scarce, volatile funding, and lacks an institutional and regulatory framework for interaction with the private sector and civil society
Implementing High-Quality ECD Services at Scale
A teacher with his student - Education - Inter American Development Bank - IDB
Implementing High-Quality ECD Services at Scale
  • Expanding the coverage of center-based care programs and family support programs 
  • Promoting program quality, with an emphasis on caregiver-child interactions 
  • Improving ECD workforce professional development and working conditions 
  • Developing hybrid delivery modalities of ECD services 
  • Addressing the mental health of children and their caregivers 
  • Recognizing the context and diversity of children and their families
Building a Strong Institutional Architecture
Hands holding together - Education - Inter American Development Bank - IDB
Building a Strong Institutional Architecture

Efficient Management 

  • Promoting intersectoral coordination 
  • Diversifying funding sources 

 

Evidence-Based Public Policy 

  • Evaluating interventions 
  • Assessing service quality 
  • Measuring child development at the population level
Implementing High-Quality ECD Services at Scale
A teacher with his student - Education - Inter American Development Bank - IDB
Implementing High-Quality ECD Services at Scale
  • Expanding the coverage of center-based care programs and family support programs 
  • Promoting program quality, with an emphasis on caregiver-child interactions 
  • Improving ECD workforce professional development and working conditions 
  • Developing hybrid delivery modalities of ECD services 
  • Addressing the mental health of children and their caregivers 
  • Recognizing the context and diversity of children and their families
Building a Strong Institutional Architecture
Hands holding together - Education - Inter American Development Bank - IDB
Building a Strong Institutional Architecture

Efficient Management 

  • Promoting intersectoral coordination 
  • Diversifying funding sources 

 

Evidence-Based Public Policy 

  • Evaluating interventions 
  • Assessing service quality 
  • Measuring child development at the population level
Sector Framework Document
A pile of documents - Education - Inter American Development Bank - IDB
Publications
A mom reading to her child - Education - Inter American Development Bank - IDB
Innovation Fund
A family building blocks - Education - Inter American Development Bank - IDB
Knowledge Hub
A woman explaining to a child - Education - Inter American Development Bank - IDB
Community of Practice
A virtual meeting - IDB Invest - Inter American Development Bank - IDB
A mom smiling to her child - Education - Inter American Development Bank - IDB Mental Health of Children and their Caregivers
A sad family emigrating - Education - Inter American Development Bank - IDB Child Migration
A girl drinking water - Education - Inter American Development Bank - IDB Climate Change, Social Emergencies and Other Crisis

Videos available in their original language

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Evolution of the Wealth Gap in Child Development and Mediating Pathways: Evidence from Colombia Evolution of the Wealth Gap in Child Development and Mediating Pathways: Evidence from Colombia
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A person standing in front of a large screen. Institutional - Inter-American Development Bank - IDB How Do We Preserve Quality as We Scale Up Programs to Improve Child Development and Alleviate Poverty?
A kid looking to the front - Education - Inter American Development Bank - IDB 10 Postcards of a Long Journey in Building the Regional Agenda for Early Childhood Development
A kid walking - Education - Inter American Development Bank - IDB 10 Postcards of a Long Journey in Building the Regional Agenda for Early Childhood Development (Part II)
Two figures get in balance - Education - Inter American Development Bank - IDB Unequal From the Beginning (…and for Quite Some Time): A Longitudinal Study of Socioeconomic Gaps in Early Childhood in 5 Latin American Countries
A teacher with their students - Education - Inter American Development Bank - IDB 4 Keys to Designing a Mentoring Program for Early Childhood: Lessons Learned from the Luciérnaga Program
A dad kissing his child - Education - Inter American Development Bank - IDB What Do Fathers Do? Five Findings on the Role of Fathers in Early Childhood
A person taking a picture of a child sitting on the floor. Inclusion - Inter-American Development Bank - IDB What Have We Learned from the Hybrid Delivery of ECD Services During the Pandemic?
A person reading a book with children. Diversity - Inter-American Development Bank - IDB Cost-Effective Public Daycare in a Low-Income Economy Benefits Children and Mothers
A mom taking care of her child - Education - Inter American Development Bank - IDB 70 to 700 to 70,000: Lessons from the Jamaica Experiment
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