Latin America and the Caribbean remain the most unequal regions in the world. Employment, housing conditions, wages, and access to health and education reveal profound disparities, and addressing them can feel overwhelming. Early childhood offers a solid starting point, as many of these inequalities begin in the earliest years of life. What challenges and progress does Mexico … [Read more...] about What Is the Situation of Early Childhood in Mexico?
Policies and Programs
Extreme Heat and Its Impact on Early Child Development: How Can We Protect Young Children?
Climate change affects children’s development in different ways and extreme heat is a crucial factor that must be kept in mind. Last year – 2023 – was estimated to be the hottest year on record, ever since temperatures began to be recorded. Heat waves are occurring with greater frequency and lasting for longer periods of time. We are experiencing much higher temperatures than … [Read more...] about Extreme Heat and Its Impact on Early Child Development: How Can We Protect Young Children?
Healthier children, in healthier cities
Among the initiatives of the IDB Cities Lab, a now widely spread documentary has circulated a provocative phrase: "Your zip code affects your health more than your genetic code." But what does that mean? A zip code is a number assigned to identify and locate a given geographical area. The genetic code is the set of information and rules that determine cell reproduction. How can … [Read more...] about Healthier children, in healthier cities
How to Apply Behavioral Economics to Early Childhood? Some Experiences from the Region
Understanding how people make decisions is of interest not only to economists, but has become a focus for many disciplines that now recognize the growing contribution of behavioral change approaches to policies and programs. In this way, behavioral economics has made its way into global social agendas due to its broad impact, and fortunately, the early childhood agenda is no … [Read more...] about How to Apply Behavioral Economics to Early Childhood? Some Experiences from the Region
Climate change and its impact on young children: there’s no time to lose
The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child recently adopted General Comment 26 on children’s right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. This comment emphasizes how climate change and environmental degradation jeopardize the rights of children in general. It calls for urgent action to protect those who are most vulnerable. What is climate change and … [Read more...] about Climate change and its impact on young children: there’s no time to lose