Handbook of Early Childhood Development Research and Its Impact on Global Policy

Early Childhood Development Research Offers Solutions To Several Of The World's Social And Economic Problems - Solutions That Can Break The Cycle Of Intergenerational Poverty, Improve The Health, Education, And Wellbeing Of The Global Population, And Yield High Rates Of Return On Investment In The Formative Years Of Life. And Yet Over One-third Of Children Worldwide Under Five Years Of Age Still Fail To Achieve Their Full Developmental Potential Due To Malnutrition, Poverty, Disease, Neglect, And Lack Of Learning Opportunities. Handbook Of Early Childhood Development Research And Its Impact On Global Policy Calls For Placing Early Childhood Development At The Top Of The Global Policy Agenda, Enabling Children To Achieve Their Full Developmental Potential And To Contribute To Equitable Economic And Social Progress Worldwide. The Volume Presents Evidence-based Programs And Policies For Advancing The Positive Development Of Young Children Across The Globe, Focusing On Developing Countries. An International Ensemble Of Scholars, Policymakers, And Practitioners Present Evidence From Multiple Disciplinary, Sectorial, And Analytical Perspectives, Emphasizing The Importance Of Scientific Findings In Promoting Child Development And Addressing Programmatic Challenges To Quality, Sustainability, Measurement, Finance, And Capacity. Sponsored By The Society For Research In Child Development (srcd), The Premier International Association Of Developmental Scientists, And The United Nations Children's Fund (unicef), A Leading Organization For Promoting Children's Wellbeing Worldwide, This Handbook Will Be Invaluable To Policy Advocates, Program Managers Of National Governments, International Ngos, And Development Agencies, As Well As To Scholars And Students In The Areas Of Child Development And Global Policy.--publisher's Website. Introduction And Framework For Ecd Policies. Introduction To Volume. Early Child Development: Translating Research To Global Policy / Pia Rebello Britto, Patrice L. Engle, And Charles M. Super ; Commentary - The Powerful Reach Of Early Childhood Development: A Science-based Foundation For Sound Investment / Jack P. Shonkoff And Linda Richter ; Situational Analysis Of Young Children In A Changing World / Patrice L. Engle, Nirmala Rao, And Oliver Petrovic ; Global Policy Landscape And Early Child Development / Pia Rebello Britto, Nurper Ulkuer, William P. Hodges, And Michael F. Mccarthy. --^ Analytic And Disciplinary Perspectives. The Nature And Impact Of Risk And Protective Influences On Children's Development In Low Income Countries / Theodore D. Wachs And Atif Rahman ; Economic Perspectives On Some Important Dimensions Of Early Childhood Development In Developing Countries / Jere R. Behrman And Sergio S. Urzua ; Culture And Early Childhood Development: Implications For Policy And Programs / Sara Harkness, Charles M. Super, Caroline Johnston Mavridis, Oumar Barry, And Marian Zeitlin ; Voices Less Heard: The Importance Of Critical / Alan Pence. --^ Programmatic Approaches To Ecd. The Role Of The Health Sector In Early Childhood Development / Patrice L. Engle, Mary E. Young, And Giorgio Tamburlini ; Nutrition Based Approaches To Early Childhood Development / Aisha K. Yousafzai, Mohammad Y. Yakoob, And Zulfiqar A. Bhutta ; Education Based Approaches To Early Childhood Development / Chloe O'gara ; Preventing Violence Against Young Children / Cassie Landers, Clarice Da Silva E Paula, And Theresa Kilbane ; Social Protection And Welfare Systems: Implications For Early Childhood Development / Lawrence Aber, Linda Biersteker, Andrew Dawes, And Laura Rawlings ; Community Based Approaches To Ecd: A Matter Of Degree / Jacqueline Hayden And Sithu Wai ; Parents And Communities: The Key To Understanding / Kathy Bartlett, Paul Stephenson, And Louie Cadaing ; Early Education For All: Is There A Role For The Private Sector? / Martin Woodhead And Natalia Streuli ; Media And Early Childhood Development / Daphna Lemish And Barbara Kolucki. --^ Measurement And Monitoring Of Programs And Policies. Assessing Early Child Development / Marc H. Bornstein And Jennifer E Lansford ; Monitoring Progress Towards The Fulfillment Of Rights In Early Childhood Under The Convention On The Rights Of The Child To Improve Outcomes For Children And Families / Clyde Hertzman, Ziba Vaghri, And Adem Arkadas ; Improving Policies And Programs For Educational Quality: An Example From The Use Of Learning Assessments / Dan A. Wagner. -- Building And Strengthening The Ecd Programs. National Agency Systems / Maha B. Homsi And Lara A. Hussein ; Capacity Building For Early Child Development / Sara L. Hommel ; Barriers To Service Provision: Lessons Learned From Donor-supported Early Child Development (ecd) Projects / Mary E. Young ; Building And Strengthening National Systems For Early Childhood Development / Emily Vargas-barón ; Effective Financing / Alexandria Valerio And Marito H. Garcia. --^ Conclusions. Paradigm Shifts And New Directions In Research On Early Child Development Programs In Low- And Middle-income Countries / Hirokazu Yoshikawa And Ana Maria Nieto ; Closing Commentary: Implications For Development / Deepa Grover ; Closing Commentary: Implications For Capacity / Aster Haregot ; Closing Commentary: The Future Of Ecd In The Global Development Agenda / Charles M. Super, Pia Rebello Britto, And Patrice L. Engle. Edited By Pia Rebello Britto, Patrice L. Engle, Charles M. Super ; Consulting Editors, Lonnie R. Sherrod, Nurper Ulkuer. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Cover 1 Contents 8 Preface 12 Acknowledgments 18 About the Editors 20 Contributors 22 SECTION I: Introduction and Framework for Early Childhood Development Policies 26 1. Early Childhood Development: Translating Research to Global Policy 28 2. The Powerful Reach of Early Childhood Development: A Science-Based Foundation for Sound Investment 49 3. Situational Analysis of Young Children in a Changing World 60 4. Global Policy Landscape and Early Childhood Development 90 SECTION II: Analytic and Disciplinary Perspectives 108 5. The Nature and Impact of Risk and Protective Influences on Children’s Development in Low-Income Countries 110 6. Economic Perspectives on Some Important Dimensions of Early Childhood Development in Developing Countries 148 7. Culture and Early Childhood Development: Implications for Policy and Programs 167 8. Voices Less Heard: The Importance of Critical and “Indigenous” Perspectives 186 SECTION III: Programmatic Approaches to Early Childhood Development 206 9. The Role of the Health Sector in Early Childhood Development 208 10. Nutrition-Based Approaches to Early Childhood Development 227 11. Education-Based Approaches to Early Childhood Development 252 12. Preventing Violence Against Young Children 267 13. Social Protection and Welfare Systems: Implications for Early Childhood Development 285 14. Community-Based Approaches to Early Childhood Development: A Matter of Degree 300 15. Parents and Communities: The Key to Understanding “Faith-Based” Early Childhood Services and Programs 315 16. Early Education for All: Is There a Role for the Private Sector? 333 17. Media and Early Childhood Development 354 SECTION IV: Measurement and Monitoring of Programs and Policies 374 18. Assessing Early Childhood Development 376 19. Monitoring Progress Toward Fulfilling Rights in Early Childhood Under the Convention on the Rights of the Child to Improve Outcomes for Children and Families 396 20. Improving Policies and Programs for Educational Quality: An Example from the Use of Learning Assessments 414 SECTION V: Building and Strengthening the Early Childhood Development Programs 432 21. National Agency Systems 434 22. Capacity Building for Early Childhood Development 450 23. Barriers to Service Provision: Lessons Learned from Donor-Supported Early Childhood Development Projects 457 24. Building and Strengthening National Systems for Early Childhood Development 468 25. Effective Financing 492 SECTION VI: Conclusions 510 26. Paradigm Shifts and New Directions in Research on Early Childhood Development Programs in Low- and Middle-Income Countries 512 27. Closing Commentary: Implications for Development 526 28. Closing Commentary: Implications for Capacity 531 29. Closing Commentary: The Future of Early Childhood Development in the Global Development Agenda 533 Index 542 A 542 B 543 C 543 D 546 E 546 F 548 G 548 H 549 I 550 J 551 K 551 L 551 M 552 N 553 O 554 P 554 Q 556 R 556 S 557 T 559 U 559 V 560 W 561 Y 561 Z 561 "Early childhood development research offers solutions to several of the world's social and economic problems - solutions that can break the cycle of intergenerational poverty, improve the health, education, and wellbeing of the global population, and yield high rates of return on investment in the formative years of life. And yet over one-third of children worldwide under five years of age still fail to achieve their full developmental potential due to malnutrition, poverty, disease, neglect, and lack of learning opportunities. Handbook of Early Childhood Development Research and Its Impact on Global Policy calls for placing early childhood development at the top of the global policy agenda, enabling children to achieve their full developmental potential and to contribute to equitable economic and social progress worldwide. The volume presents evidence-based programs and policies for advancing the positive development of young children across the globe, focusing on developing countries. An international ensemble of scholars, policymakers, and practitioners present evidence from multiple disciplinary, sectorial, and analytical perspectives, emphasizing the importance of scientific findings in promoting child development and addressing programmatic challenges to quality, sustainability, measurement, finance, and capacity. Sponsored by the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD), the premier international association of developmental scientists, and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), a leading organization for promoting children's wellbeing worldwide, this Handbook will be invaluable to policy advocates, program managers of national governments, international NGOs, and development agencies, as well as to scholars and students in the areas of child development and global policy."--Résumé de l'éditeur ## Abstract Globally, young children bear the greatest burden of poverty, disease, neglect, and lack of educational opportunities. This volume’s goal is to promote evidence-based policies for advancing the positive development of young children everywhere, with a specific focus on developing countries. It brings scientific knowledge about early child development in both developed and developing countries to bear on international programs and policies that affect young children and families, focusing on the whole child. The evidence framework is presented from multiple disciplinary and analytical perspectives. The volume includes traditional sectoral approaches (e.g., health, nutrition, and education), as well as newer sectors such as child protection, social assistance, and child rights; and it addresses nongovernmental actors, such as community- and faith-based agencies, nonprint media, and the private sector. The volume also focuses on the “how to” of using evidence to address the greatest challenges to program quality, sustainability, and “scaling up"—the challenges of capacity building, governance, and finance. Also presented is a clear set of recommendations for future research, policy, and programmatic directions for the field, addressing not only the implications of evidence, but also recognizing the importance of including families and serving vulnerable and disadvantaged populations. The comprehensive nature of this book and its compelling use of evidence are thanks to its contributors—researchers, policymakers, and practitioners from around the world—and its organizational sponsorship by the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), both leading organizations in promoting children’s well-being.