Eight months have passed since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 pandemic. Since almost then, a large part of the childcare centers and preschools in Latin America and the Caribbean have been closed. According to the global tool developed by UNESCO to monitor the closure of educational centers due to the pandemic, only two countries of the … [Read more...] about Three reasons for prioritizing the reopening of childcare and preschools centers
Early Education
Responsive Interactions for Learning: Helping Children Reach Their Potential
In low- and middle-income countries, approximately 250 million children fail to reach their developmental potential. One way to help these children thrive is by supporting their parents and caregivers to engage in responsive caregiving, an important component of Nurturing Care, and a practice that has been proven to support children’s … [Read more...] about Responsive Interactions for Learning: Helping Children Reach Their Potential
Playful learning for families: the Jamaican home visiting model going to scale…in Jamaica!
The Jamaican Home Visiting intervention strengthens parents’ abilities to use responsive interactions and play to help their children develop well. The intervention has substantial benefits to children’s development and is the first early childhood stimulation program in low and middle-income countries to show long term benefits of play for adult education, income, and … [Read more...] about Playful learning for families: the Jamaican home visiting model going to scale…in Jamaica!
Can we really change parenting behavior?
This question has been on our minds as we analyze the effects of a recent home visit program implemented by the Nicaraguan government (results forthcoming, stay tuned!). The Nicaraguan intervention, like most home visit programs, targets children’s first and arguably most important teachers: their parents. The curriculum aims to strengthen parents’ knowledge of early childhood … [Read more...] about Can we really change parenting behavior?
Serve and Return: How to Build a Child’s Brain in 5 Easy Steps
Have you ever smiled back at a giggling baby or played peek-a-boo with a toddler? Did you know you were helping build connections in that child’s developing brain? At the Center on the Developing Child, we call these responsive interactions “serve and return” because they go back and forth—like players with a ball in a game of tennis or volleyball. … [Read more...] about Serve and Return: How to Build a Child’s Brain in 5 Easy Steps