Comprehensive Child Development: How do We get There?
By Patricia Jara.
Quality matters in child–caregiver interactions
We recently had the privilege of hosting a meeting of renowned international experts in early childcare service quality at the IDB’s office in Washington, DC, to discuss childcare quality for children ages 0-3.
The group reflected on two topics that frequently come up in discussions with programs that offer childcare services in the region. Which factors define childcare service quality? And, how can we measure and monitor them?
Mother’s milk or formula: personal choice or collective responsibility?
By Ana Pérez Expósito.
Inter-sectoral programs: What have we learned?
Recently, several countries in the region – Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Peru, among others – are working on broad, cross-cutting early childhood development strategies and programs. They tend to include a wide range of services, such as pre and post-natal healthcare, lactation support, complementary nutrition, child growth and development monitoring, early stimulation and guidance on child rearing for parents.
Cuna Más’ first steps on the path to success
By María Fernanda Merino.
March 24 is an important date for early childhood development in Peru. That’s the day when Cuna Más, an innovative program under the Social Inclusion and Development Ministry (MIDIS), will be launched.
What versus how do we feed our children?
The first time I watched this video, which was produced by our friends at the Instituto de Investigación Nutricional (Nutrition Research Institute) in Peru, I couldn’t stop thinking – and feeling guilty – about the times I had rushed my daughters when I fed them.
The video has a clear message: good nutrition depends not just on what we feed our children, but also how they are fed. In other words, interaction between the adult and the child at mealtime is fundamental to good nutrition. (Video in Spanish)
Assesing Educational Equality and Equity with Large-Scale Assessment Data: Brazil as a Case Study
Researchers have defined and assessed inequalities and inequities in education in various ways, making it difficult to make comparisons among countries or among jurisdictions within countries. This paper sets out practical definitions for equality and equity in education and discusses the prominent issues regarding the use of large-scale national and international assessment data to assess them. Examples are drawn from the national assessment data from Brazil.
Advances and challenges in child development research
By Ciro Avitabile
Orazio Attanasio is an economist who has spent the past few years researching topics related to early childhood development (ECD). On November 30, 2011, as part of a conference series organized by the University College London, Orazio summarized the recent advances in ECD research over the past few years, and offered his insights on the unresolved challenges.
Don’t send your child to daycare
Santiago is 2 years old. His mother is a street vendor and can’t take care of him. That’s why she takes him to daycare every morning at 8:00 am, and picks him up every night at 6:00 or 7:00 pm. This scene could take place in Managua, Buenos Aires, Tegucigalpa or Asuncion.