A little boy sitting with his parents at a restaurant starts to get bored. It’s not long before he begins the routine that every two-year-old has down pat: throwing the silverware on the floor, climbing out of his chair and crawling around under the table. Dad looks at Mom, she nods in approval, and Dad hands over his smartphone to the toddler. The child beams and seconds … [Read more...] about A Pacifier for the New Millennium: The Smartphone
More than Words
Do you think it matters how much children talk (expressive language) or how many words they recognize when they hear them (receptive language)? Literature shows that a child’s exposure to an environment rich and diverse in language between birth and age three is crucial for their language development and actually has important long-term impacts, like better school and labor … [Read more...] about More than Words
Words of Love
What nicknames do you have for your children to show them love? With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, we wanted to talk about the terms of endearment that we use with our children. So, why are we interested in words? The answer lies in the fact that language is a fundamental means of expressing affection, and the ability to communicate is precisely one of the most … [Read more...] about Words of Love
New influential publication from the New York Academy of Sciences launched at UNICEF yesterday
Dear readers, We highly recommend you check out a new publication launched yesterday at UNICEF headquarters Every Child’s Potential: Integrating Nutrition and Early Childhood Development Interventions (see video of the launching event here) … [Read more...] about New influential publication from the New York Academy of Sciences launched at UNICEF yesterday
Reinventing Childcare Centers in Ecuador
by Lesley O’Connell I love going on field visits. It is by far one of my favorite activities as an IDB sector specialist, because it reminds me of the reality of our countries and what our programs are trying to achieve. One thing that has impressed me from my field visits in Ecuador is that in almost every remote corner I have visited there has been an early childcare … [Read more...] about Reinventing Childcare Centers in Ecuador