January 26, 2007—Helping an estimated 200 million disadvantaged children reach their potential could pay dividends for developing countries. That’s the central finding of a research paper in the medical journal, The Lancet, co-authored by World Bank child development specialist Mary Eming Young. Poor nutrition, lack of stimulation, exposure to disease or unhealthy environmental conditions before age 5 put millions at risk. But early childhood programs in developing countries are showing that investments in the youngest citizens have an impact, according to Strategies to avoid the loss of developmental potential in more than 200 million children in the developing world, published January 20 (article available on The Lancet website to paying subscribers). “Evidence from developing countries reinforces what developed countries have shown—that the early years are important, and programs that service children directly and support parents through training make a difference in children’s development and long term outcome,” says Young. Young and her co-authors looked at 20 research studies in developing countries and found that early interventions promote child development and prevent developmental loss. The benefits and costs of such investments are comparable to “investing in infrastructure,” says Young. “Investing in children has a positive benefit, a rate of return,” she says. Countries “need to invest in young children for their economy to develop and grow.” In a project in Bolivia, neighborhood child care givers were trained in nutrition, how to stimulate children and encourage play. The program created $2 in benefits for every $1 invested—a good rate of return, says Young. The 40-year follow-up of the U.S. Perry Preschool Study shows that high quality early intervention programs for disadvantaged children result in higher educational attainment and income, better health, and lower crime even decades later. The benefits were as high as $17 for every dollar of investment, notes Young. More to Do The World Bank funds US$1.7 billion in early childhood development programs and is currently the “biggest lender among the donor community,” says Young. The Bank also serves as a center for knowledge sharing, capacity building, technical assistance, and advice on policies that affect young children. But, “the challenge is so much more, because we know now that the quality of human capital, for the knowledge economy, really hinges on the quality of children, how they develop.” The development of children’s brains in their early years affects their physical and mental health, learning, and behavior throughout their lives, says Young. Children who are well nurtured as infants and young children tend to do better in school, stay in school longer, and stand a better chance of developing the skills required to contribute productively to social and economic development. But governments faced with competing demands—such as getting children into primary school—often don’t see early childhood programs as top priority, Young says. What’s not fully understood is primary school education is less likely to be successful if a student has not been properly nurtured as a young child, she adds. “There are so many demands, and governments ask, how can we start looking at the early years before getting all the children in primary school? They believe they are reaching children early enough through primary education “But that’s the kind of misconception we are trying to clarify. Large disparities in children’s development (cognitive and noncognitive skills) are set early in life, long before children start school. The most disadvantaged children never catch up. They tend to drop out early, and not progress through school.“ Carla Bertoncino, an economist leading the Bank's involvement in an early childhood development program in Eritrea that the government intends to continue once the project ends in March, says it helps to have demand for such programs “at the community level. If parents are aware of the benefits, they are more likely to ask governments to offer them. “But often they don't realize that unless you cultivate your children well, you will have intergenerational transmission of poverty forever.” |
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