It is inevitable that many of the issues affecting families over the last year predate the pandemic and remain once infection rates fade out and masks come off. These are issues that have been long-demanded but have not received adequate attention. We must keep them in focus during the recovery period in all countries and regions. That is why in this two-part post, we look back … [Read more...] about A Year in the Life of an American Family during the Pandemic (part I)
Measurement and Indicator
Can you assess early childhood development remotely? Distance assessment of preschoolers
Many of the world’s school systems struggle to monitor student learning even in the best of times. As face-to-face learning assessments ceased because of pandemic-related lockdowns, school systems were left in the dark about the impact of school-closures and distance education on student learning and the development of gaps. Absent hard data on learning, school systems are … [Read more...] about Can you assess early childhood development remotely? Distance assessment of preschoolers
What’s the status of the global agenda on child development measurement for very young children?
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges and new perspectives for early childhood agendas, including efforts to measure children’s development, which are more pressing now than ever. This post gives an update on some of these efforts in the midst of the emergency. In addition, we introduce an innovative child development curve that uses a common scale for all … [Read more...] about What’s the status of the global agenda on child development measurement for very young children?
Thinking About Racial Disparities in COVID-19 Impacts Through a Science-Informed, Early Childhood Lens
The COVID-19 virus is ruthlessly contagious and, at the same time, highly selective. Its capacity to infect is universal, but the consequences of becoming infected are not. While there are exceptions, children are less likely to show symptoms, older adults and those with pre-existing medical conditions are the most susceptible, and communities of color in the United States are … [Read more...] about Thinking About Racial Disparities in COVID-19 Impacts Through a Science-Informed, Early Childhood Lens
Four Steps to Adapt a Child Development Program in Times of COVID-19
Evidence-based science has shown the importance of parental programs to promote early child development like the Reach Up program from Jamaica. Even though the studies have demonstrated relevant effect sizes in overall childhood development, we still need to understand how to transfer and scale up those interventions across countries, especially now with the current pandemic, … [Read more...] about Four Steps to Adapt a Child Development Program in Times of COVID-19