Tracing the Consequences of Child Poverty : Evidence From the Young Lives Study in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam

Available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence. What matters most in how poverty shapes children's wellbeing and development? How can data inform social policy and practice approaches to improving the outcomes for poorer children? Using life course analysis from the Young Lives study of 12,000 children growing up in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam over the past 15 years, this book draws on evidence on two cohorts of children, from 1 to 15 and from 8 to 22. It examines how poverty affects children's development in low and middle income countries, and how policy has been used to improve their lives, then goes on to show when key developmental differences occur. It uses new evidence to develop a framework of what matters most and when and outlines effective policy approaches to inform the no-one left behind Sustainable Development Goal agenda.|Available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence. What matters most in how poverty shapes children's wellbeing and development? How can data inform social policy and practice approaches to improving the outcomes for poorer children? Using life course analysis from the Young Lives study of 12,000 children growing up in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam over the past 15 years, this book draws on evidence on two cohorts of children, from 1 to 15 and from 8 to 22. It examines how poverty affects children's development in low and middle income countries, and how policy has been used to improve their lives, then goes on to show when key developmental differences occur. It uses new evidence to develop a framework of what matters most and when and outlines effective policy approaches to inform the no-one left behind Sustainable Development Goal agenda. TRACING THE CONSEQUENCES OF CHILD POVERTY Contents List of figures and tables Notes on authors Acknowledgements 1. Introduction: From surviving to thriving? A study of the children of the millennium Policy challenges ahead Young Lives study countries How evidence is used in this book Structure of the book 2. The Young Lives design and conceptual framework Study design and relevance for policy The Young Lives conceptual framework Conclusion 3. Growing up in a time of extraordinary change The current generation of children is doing much better than previous generations Rural children fall behind their urban peers Children in urban areas still face many risks Some children face multiple hazards, with cumulative adverse effects Not all change is perceived as improving children’s wellbeing Conclusion 4. Early childhood: The essential foundation A healthy start has long-term benefits Early learning programmes enhance literacy and numeracy Key findings of what mattered in early childhood from Young Lives Policy interventions in early childhood Conclusion 5. Middle childhood: A key time for healthy development and learning Early nutrition is crucial but later growth recovery and faltering is evident Schooling dominates children’s lives during middle childhood Mass school enrolment has not been matched by equal learning gains Key findings of what mattered in middle childhood from Young Lives Policy interventions in middle childhood Conclusion 6. Adolescence and youth: A time of responsibility and transformation Nutrition and growth patterns during adolescence Education remains crucial to skills development during adolescence The demands of education, work and care can be excessive Gender is a defining aspect of adolescent experience Social networks are vital to resilience and coping in the face of adversity Key findings from Young Lives on what matters in adolescence and youth Policy interventions in adolescence and youth Conclusion 7. Modelling the development of language and mathematics abilities from early childhood to adolescence Latent Growth Modelling Determinants of growth in receptive vocabulary Determinants of growth in mathematics abilities Common findings: what mattered most for the development of language and mathematics abilities Conclusion 8. Conclusion: Learning from the experiences of Young Lives children A rising tide, but one that didn’t lift all boats Untangling the multidimensionality of children’s lives Priority investments for children start young Effective systems need capacity, coverage and funds A postscript on the experience of running a comparative cohort study References Appendix 1: How Young Lives measures cognitive skills Appendix 2: Growth recovery – is it real or an artefact of measurement? Appendix 3: Variables used in analyses of predictors of the development of language and mathematics abilities from 5 to 15 years Index

Available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence. What matters most in how poverty shapes children's wellbeing and development? How can data inform social policy and practice approaches to improving the outcomes for poorer children? Using life course analysis from the Young Lives study of 12, 000 children growing up in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam over the past 15 years, this book draws on evidence on two cohorts of children, from 1 to 15 and from 8 to 22. It examines how poverty affects children's development in low and middle income countries, and how policy has been used to improve their lives, then goes on to show when key developmental differences occur. It uses new evidence to develop a framework of what matters most and when and outlines effective policy approaches to inform the no-one left behind Sustainable Development Goal agenda.

Available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence. This book draws on evidence on two cohorts of children, from 1 to 15 and from 8 to 22 growing up in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam over the past 15 years. It examines how poverty affects children's development in these countries, and how policy has been used to improve their lives. This text draws on evidence on two cohorts of children, from 1 to 15 and from 8 to 22 growing up in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam over the past 15 years. It examines how poverty affects children's development in these countries, and how policy has been used to improve their lives