For over a decade, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has been generating evidence and promoting best practices for the design, implementation and evaluation of early childhood services. Alongside the knowledge that the IDB produced through numerous studies and evaluations, its lending and technical assistance operations have contributed to strengthening the regional agenda for early child development. This journey has accumulated diverse experiences that demonstrate how knowledge and implementation science work together in developing and refining policies for children’s development.
We invite you to review a selection of 10 outstanding cases in celebration of the 10th anniversary of our Blog Primeros Pasos.
Closing Coverage Gaps in the Provision of Services in Panama
Panama has notably expanded the quality and coverage of early childhood development services. With support from the IDB, the Ministry of Social Development (MIDES) established quality standards and created a monitoring system to apply them in Centros de Atención Integral a la Primera Infancia (CAIPI). During the post-pandemic recovery, the IDB supported the reopening of these centers by improving their infrastructure to ensure proper hygiene and sanitation conditions. This sustained effort over several years in Panama continues to advance through the diversification of the service offerings with the launch of the “Cuidarte” Program, a community-based care modality inspired on Jamaica’s “Reach Up” model, which has reached children living in extreme poverty in rural and indigenous areas.
Promoting Early Interventions in Primary Health Care in Paraguay
Primary care in public health systems plays an essential role in providing critical services for child development. A key component in this effort is the institutionalization of care models that promote children’s growth, nutrition and stimulation. With IDB funding, Paraguay’s Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare fostered the “Paraguay Creciendo Juntos” Program to contribute to the cognitive, emotional and physical development of children under 5 years old. The Program has promoted the construction of Unidades de Salud de la Familia (USF), some located in indigenous communities in el Chaco Central, which have received essential health services for the first time.
Developing Interventions in Contexts of Extreme Poverty in Nicaragua
Overcoming poverty requires prioritizing early childhood development. With IDB support, Nicaragua implemented the Programa Urbano de Bienestar para la Niñez over a decade ago in several stages, aiming to increase the availability and quality of childcare centers in municipalities with the highest proportion of households in extreme poverty. The Program established Centros Infantiles Comunitarios (CICO) for children aged 1 to 4 years and developed and implemented a curriculum to stimulate their comprehensive development. The program’s data are not anecdotal: there is robust evidence of its implementation quality and the critical role of monitoring as key factors. In addition, an experimental impact evaluation showed positive effects on the development of socio-emotional skills of children attending CICO and a significant economic impact on their mothers’ labor force participation.
Diversifying Options for Family Support for Childcare in Uruguay
Uruguay committed early to invest in expanding the coverage of quality early childhood services. One of its initiatives has been to ensure the quality of the Centros de Atención a la Infancia y la Familia (CAIF), that the National Institute for Children and Adolescents (INAU) operates. The IDB-funded program supported the expansion of coverage by building new CAIF centers in regions with high concentrations of children under 3 years old from vulnerable households. It also funded a strategy for workforce training and the design and implementation of a program to promote positive parenting and strengthen caregiving skills within households. This effort is part of the design and launch of a Comprehensive National Care System that seeks to institutionalize care policy for various populations, including early childhood.
Adding Pedagogical Innovation to Early Childhood Infrastructure in Argentina
As part of Argentina’s Plan Nacional de Primera Infancia and the Política de Universalización de la Educación Inicial, the IDB supported the launch of an initiative to increase the coverage of quality early childhood education for children aged 3 to 5 years in the most vulnerable areas of Buenos Aires Province. The project has expanded infrastructure by creating, enlarging and equipping early childhood centers. To improve pedagogical quality and management, these spaces received educational materials. A key innovation was equipping educational units with play libraries, books, musical instruments, science kits and technological equipment.
In a few days, Part II of our journey through some snapshots of the Bank’s operational work in supporting quality interventions to promote child development in Latin America and the Caribbean will be available. Don’t miss it!
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