Safe water and sanitation are essential for sustainable development, yet over 2 billion people worldwide still lack access to safely managed drinking water, and 3.5 billion lack safe sanitation. These gaps are not just inconvenient; they are dangerous. Poor water and sanitation infrastructure leads to high rates of waterborne illness, drains household time and income, and … [Read more...] about Why Water and Sanitation in Early Life Matter for Long-Term Cognitive Development
Early Education
How to Improve the Quality of Preschool Education?
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?
The Power of Timely Interventions in Early Childhood Development
What happens when a family receives concrete tools to support their child’s development from the earliest months of life? And what if that support comes right on time—just as the child begins to show signs of developmental delay? In Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Primeros Pasos program set out to answer these questions with promising results. Inspired by Reach … [Read more...] about The Power of Timely Interventions in Early Childhood Development
Early Years, Lifelong Impact: Key Insights on Supporting Child Development
Early childhood is a crucial period for human development. It is during these initial years—even before birth—that the foundations for lifelong learning, health, and well-being are established. To delve deeper into this topic, we spoke with three experts: Maureen Black, emeritus professor in pediatric psychology at the University of Maryland; Orazio Attanasio, an economics … [Read more...] about Early Years, Lifelong Impact: Key Insights on Supporting Child Development
Innovating to Transform Early Childhood
Parenting, like life, is dynamic and demands constant adaptation. Let's just think about our parents’ childhoods: they were very different from ours, and the childhood of a child born in 2025 will be even more so. Many of the challenges the region must address around early childhood have evolved over the years. But there are also long-standing issues that still require new … [Read more...] about Innovating to Transform Early Childhood