A few days ago a good friend shared with me an article from the BBC about Chinese boarding kindergartens for 3, 4 and 5 year olds. These are preschools where children actually study, play, eat and live from Monday to Friday. They go back home with their parents on the weekends. According to the article, thousands of young children in the large cities of China attend boarding … [Read more...] about Looking East
Yes to Gifts, No to Begging
For many years, the city streets and highways of Ecuador filled with children in the days leading up to Christmas. The vast majority came from rural communities. They roamed in small groups, knocking on doors or stopping passing cars to beg for something for Christmas. The most heartbreaking side of child begging was on display in the days just before the December holidays, … [Read more...] about Yes to Gifts, No to Begging
In Peru: Early Childhood First
During the week of October 21st, Peru’s Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion (MIDIS) dedicated its outstanding annual event, Social Inclusion Week, to the topic of early childhood. A huge sign of Peru’s commitment to early childhood is that the event was kicked off by the nation’s president along with the ministers of Development and Social Inclusion, Health, Education, … [Read more...] about In Peru: Early Childhood First
The Parenting Gap
I once overheard the following comment: “You have to take classes and pass a test to drive a car, but for something as important as raising a kid...they don’t make you do anything!” I still find this thought rather funny, and I imagine it could lead to endless debates about freedom and the role of the government (but that’s not the subject of this post). I decided to start off … [Read more...] about The Parenting Gap
Pay for Success
In recent weeks, it seems that, for me at least, all roads lead to Utah. It happens that, more than once and by different paths, I came upon the story I want to share in this post. It deals with a pioneering public-private partnership that recently came about in the Granite School District near Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. … [Read more...] about Pay for Success