The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The symposium was the third in a series of conferences held by the World Bank to highlight the importance of investing in early childhood development (ECD) as "the natural starting point" for human development programs and policies.
The ECD Agenda: Closing the Gap
We know that early childhood development is an essential component of human development and that investing in RD programs contributes. The conference included presentations on the economic case for RRD programs and the neuroscientific link between early childhood development and human development.
Investment in ECD—Benefits for Society and Children
A Productive Investment
Early Child Development
Our finding was based on several longitudinal studies that essentially came to the same conclusion -. the profitability of flat decentralization programs focused on vulnerable families far exceeds the profitability of most projects funded as economic development. We believe that this tension around accountability—the problem inherent in measuring children's outcomes and using that data to provide performance incentives—will ultimately be productive.
Early Child Development Is a Business Imperative
Fraser Mustard founded the Council for Early Child Development (CECD) based on the recommendations of Canada's Early Years Study (McCain and Mustard 1999). Investments in the early development of children are investments in knowledge and innovation and therefore investments in the future.
Experience-based Brain Development: Scientific
Underpinnings of the Importance of Early Child Development in a
There are sensitive periods in the early years when the nerve pathways important for brain function, connecting the different parts of the brain and body, develop. There is no doubt that early childhood development has a major impact on physical and mental health and well-being in the later stages of life. The evidence reinforces the idea that brain development in the early years is a key factor influencing risks for physical and mental health problems and learning in adult life.
Sternberg (2000) points out that the connections between brain and body are crucial for the function of the immune system and the host's defence. This may be one of the reasons why quality stimulation of brain development in the early years is associated with better health in adult life. These findings are remarkably consistent with what we now know about brain development in early years and its effect on physical and mental health in later life.
Many of the teenage males in the chronic group ended up in the criminal justice system. Proficiency in the second language is directly related to the size of this part of the brain. Recent studies of the biological pathways and development in the 1958 British birth cohort at age 45 years have shown that cortisol secretion patterns at age 45 are correlated with conditions affecting early childhood development.
The results of this operational research project are compatible with the findings on experience-based brain development in the early years. These findings are all compatible with what we now know about experience-based brain development in the early years.
Evaluating ECD Outcomes—
Lessons from Longitudinal Studies
Outcomes of the High/Scope Perry Preschool Study and
In 1962–67, David Weikart and colleagues directed the High/Scope Perry preschool program for young children in the Ypsilanti School District, Michigan (Weikart et al. 1970). Because the study was based on random assignment and the characteristics of the children in both groups were almost exactly the same -. Preschool experience is the best explanation for differences in children's subsequent performance over time.
Beyond high school. The benefits of participating in the ECD program extended beyond high school. Gender specific program effects. The findings indicated that women and men gained different benefits from participating in the ECD program. causal model. The data show consistent effects of participation in the ECD program between the ages of 4 and 40 years.
Both the High/Scope Perry Preschool and MSRP evaluations measured children's performance in two groups, one that participated in the program and one that did not. The missing data rate of only 6 percent for all measurements in the High/Scope Perry study is far too high. The evaluation may consist of systematic observation tools (e.g., the High/Scope. Child Observation Record) or tests (e.g., the Woodcock-Johnson Achievement Test), or both.
The Abecedarian Experience
Additionally, developmental delays may be associated with behavioral disorders during children's school years. However, children with delays are unlikely to be able to make the full 33 months of development in just 9 calendar months—the amount needed to close the achievement gap. Free or reduced-cost medical care (in accordance with the highest levels of professionally recommended pediatric care) for the first 5 years of children's lives.
In the Abecedarian Project, researchers measured many aspects of the Abecedarian children's growth and development during their preschool years. The alphabetic preschool intervention had other benefits as well, which included benefits for the children's mothers. Children's IQ at age 36 months as a function of maternal education, infant health, and developmental program.
Active experience is defined as the parents' strong interest in curriculum activities and the child's mastery of these activities. The only other study of early academic intervention in the United States that followed children into adulthood—High/. The only way to support this journey is to provide children with a strong social-cognitive foundation—the hallmark of successful early childhood development programs.
Monitoring ECD Interventions—
Country Experiences
Colombia: Challenges in Country-level Monitoring
Beginning in September 2006, the government will conduct a second evaluation of the impact of the HCB program – 20 years after the program started. Although the structure and services of the HCB program have diversified over time, family homes remain dominant. Additionally, the HCB program was referenced in an evaluation of the impact of Families in Action, another program designed to implement government social policy.
ICBF contributed to the preparation and implementation of the survey and to the analysis of the responses. The first evaluation of the HCB program was a comprehensive examination of program outcomes after the first 10 years (ICBF 1997). Meeting this need is beyond the structure of the HCB program and will require aggressive family intervention.
A second evaluation of the impact of the HCB program will begin in September 2006 and conclude 18 months later. Contrary to the first attempt, this evaluation will include a comparison of the positions of the children benefiting from the program. The impact of the program on children's quality of life, particularly on diet and nutrition, health, psychosocial development and cognitive development.
Step by Step: A Multicountry
Perspective on Implementing and Monitoring ECD Programs
In these countries, Step by Step has become an integral part of the education systems. In the decade from 1994 to 2004, the Step by Step program expanded to include a range of initiatives for children aged 0 to 10 years. As mentioned earlier, Step by Step trained more than 222,000 educators and parents in 30 countries in its first 10 years.
National studies of the Step-by-Step programs are carried out as determined by the Ministry of Education in each country. An impact study of Step by Step preschool projects in four countries—funded by USAID in 1998. Sources of Funding for the Step by Step Program, Open Society Institute (OSI) and Other Sources, 1994–2005.
Currently, the Open Society Institute sponsors qualitative case studies of Step by Step programs in 28 countries. Anja's professional journey – a teacher's experience of the step-by-step certification process in Slovenia. Negotiation of the relationship between Step by Step and the Ministry of Education of Belarus.
Canada: Longitudinal Monitoring of ECD Outcomes
Participating families and communities are diverse, and findings are used across Canada to inform local and national policy decisions about child health and development. In 1994, the Canadian government launched its first national survey of child health and development, the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY). It is designed to be used by teachers to monitor the school readiness of young children in their communities.
The EDI is being tested across Canada and is becoming a standard measure of early childhood development in all Canadian provinces. See "The Early Development Instrument: A Tool for Monitoring Children's Development and Readiness for School," by Magdalena Janus in this publication. Linking EDI data on children's readiness to learn with other data (e.g. household income, reading ratings).
Researchers collected EDI data in 2004 to identify changes in the community and improvement in preschool children's vulnerability over time. Communities can draw on many sources to collect, collect and report data on all aspects of children's health and well-being. In order to have the greatest and long-lasting effect, the programs should cover children from 0 to 6 years old and be linked to children's entry into primary school.
The Early Development
Instrument: A Tool for Monitoring Children’s Development and
Readiness for School
Implementation of early childhood development (ECD) programs alone is not sufficient, even when programs are designed based on the best evidence of effectiveness. Implementation should be appropriate to the environment (families and communities) and should be complemented by monitoring progress – for the programme, children and families and the community (Janus and Offord 2000). Both evaluation and monitoring of children's outcomes are essential, and while the same tools can be used for each, the methodologies are different.
A proven and effective tool for monitoring children's readiness for school is the Early Development Instrument: A Population-based Measure for Communities (EDI). This instrument, developed by Janus and Offord (2000), is used across Canada and elsewhere to estimate and monitor children's healthy development at school entry. EDI offers applications and customization options that cannot be matched by any other tool currently available in the ECD space.
In this sense, readiness for school is an indicator of the health of children in the community. School readiness reflects a broader concept of developmental health, is a population-level indicator, and is useful for understanding and comparing variables and differences between groups.
