Primeros Pasos

In the United States, children in lower income homes are exposed to 30 million fewer words than their wealthier peers by the time they are 3 years . This means that by the time they enter kindergarten, they are behind in literacy and vocabulary. … [Read more...] about Tech that helps children talk, not isolate

by Norbert Schady.       The World Health Organization and UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme estimates that, in 2011, 94% of the population of Latin America and the Caribbean had access to an improved drinking water source (up from 85% in 1990); and 82% had access to improved sanitation facilities (up from 68% in 1990). But, does access to better water and sanitation, in … [Read more...] about World Water Day, the Link between Water Access and Better Child Outcomes

Dear readers, As you may have noticed, our posts in the First Steps Blog are less frequent. It is because we’ve moved to a different website. From now on, we’ll be publishing our content in English and Spanish on the same site, right here https://blogs.iadb.org/desarrollo-infantil/ … [Read more...] about We have Moved

By Florencia López-Boo.  I don’t think there’s any better way to ensure that children are bored and disconnected from learning than by shutting them up in a classroom and bombarding them with rules and countless tests. My field observations at child care centers and preschools have led me to think that many times children are treated like lambs in a pen instead of being … [Read more...] about Wild Child

By María Caridad Araujo.  The science of child development tells us that, for early childhood interventions, what matters is “process quality.” Process quality is not concerned with the quality of the facilities where children are given care, or the types of university degrees that their caregivers have. Rather, process quality focuses on how interactions occur in the … [Read more...] about Early Childhood Development: Three Things Experts Agree on about Outcomes, Quality, and Costs