Over the past few decades, preschool enrollment has grown significantly worldwide: from 29% in 1990 to 49% in 2015. While it is crucial for governments to expand access to early childhood education programs, it is equally important to focus on improving their quality. In fact, if these programs are not good enough to foster children’s development, their impact can be limited—or … [Read more...] about How to Improve the Quality of Preschool Education?
Marta Rubio-Codina
Marta Rubio-Codina is a Senior Economist in the Inter-American Development Bank’s Social Protection and Labor Markets Division, where she works on early child development projects. Previously she was a researcher at the Institute for Fiscal Studies in London. She has a Doctorate in Economics from the Université de Toulouse in France.
Challenging Inequalities: Key Policies to Advance the Early Childhood Agenda
We tend to remember very little about what happens to us in the early years of life. And yet, it is during those years that the foundations of learning and our future trajectory are built," said Diana Rodríguez, Special Advisor on Gender and Diversity to the President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), during the opening of the event where we celebrated World … [Read more...] about Challenging Inequalities: Key Policies to Advance the Early Childhood Agenda
Shaping the Future of Childhood: Two Key Pillars to Improve Child Development in Ecuador
"My son came here unable to speak. He wouldn't talk, he wouldn't share. He went through a total change. He is an open, cheerful, fun child today," Alexandra tells us excitedly. She is one of the mothers who takes her son to the Child Development Center (CDI) in Ibarra, Ecuador, every morning. It is a free service that is a great help for her son's upbringing and … [Read more...] about Shaping the Future of Childhood: Two Key Pillars to Improve Child Development in Ecuador
Ecuador and Its Adaptation Strategy to Care for the Youngest During Times of Crisis
In order to care for the most vulnerable people in times of crisis, social protection systems need to be adaptive and resilient –– that is, they need to be able to adjust and respond flexibly and efficiently to different emergency scenarios. At the Regional Policy Dialogue, we met with policy and decision-makers from Latin America and the Caribbean to review and discuss best … [Read more...] about Ecuador and Its Adaptation Strategy to Care for the Youngest During Times of Crisis
The Impact of Working with Families on the Development of the Most Vulnerable Children
Programs working with families through group visits and/or group sessions have shown significant impacts on children's development – both in the short term through cognitive and language improvements and in adulthood through improved academic and work performance. Conceptualizing and implementing programs of this type from scratch can be costly and challenging, especially … [Read more...] about The Impact of Working with Families on the Development of the Most Vulnerable Children