Early Childhood

To ensure that children arrive in primary school ready to learn, policymakers around the world are increasingly focusing on what happens in preprimary education programs and whether childrenare developing the skills needed for primary school. But properly structuring preprimary programs and ensuring teachers are prepared requires the right training and curricula development. In some cases, it also may be necessary to help parents understand how preprimary programs, such as preschools, can best improve learning in a developmentally appropriate way.

Poor breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices predict child stunting and wasting in South Asia, suggesting that initiatives to end under nutrition in the region should focus on improving the diets of young children. This review of the literature finds that South Asia has made relatively good progress in improving breastfeeding practices compared with other regions, but the lack of diversity in complementary foods and low frequency of feeding continue to be problems.

he brief examines the existing evidence and the potential for bringing together cash transfer programs and parenting interventions on early child stimulation to improve child development outcomes, notably cognitive and language skills. The brief also provides lessons learned from implementation.

Early childhood experiences have a profound impact on brain development, affecting learning, health, behavior, and ultimately, lifetime opportunities. Yet millions of young children are not reaching their full potential due to a lack of nurturing care and support, which include adequate nutrition and health, early stimulation, and protection from stress.

This study qualitatively explores early stimulation practices in Katavi region, Tanzania. It also quantitatively investigates the links between these early stimulation practices and development of children 0-3 years of age in the Katavi region. A comparative qualitative case study was carried out in Zanzibar region and findings have been presented throughout discussion section of this report, in parallel to the case of Katavi.

Substantial work has demonstrated that early nutrition and home environments, including the degree to which children receive cognitive stimulation and emotional support from parents, play a profound role in influencing early childhood development. Yet, less work has documented the joint influences of parenting and nutrition status on child development among children in the preschool years living in low-income countries.

The conference on strengthening early childhood development in Western Balkans was held in Skopje, Macedonia on May 3 and 4, 2018. The event, organized by the World Bank Group’s Education Global Practice in cooperation with the Macedonian Ministry of Education, brought together key education stakeholders, representing the Ministries of Education, Social Protection, Health, and Finance of Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.

To prepare for the future, countries must invest in the earliest years of their citizens’ lives. Robust scientific and economic evidence shows that experiences in early childhood have a profound impact on brain development with implications for learning, health, and adult productivity. How Africa manages the upcoming demographic transition will have an indelible influence on the continent’s growth and competitiveness, and requires addressing key human capital challenges.