A few days ago a good friend shared with me an article from the BBC about Chinese boarding kindergartens for 3, 4 and 5 year olds. These are preschools where children actually study, play, eat and live from Monday to Friday. They go back home with their parents on the weekends. According to the article, thousands of young children in the large cities of China attend boarding … [Read more...] about Looking East
Lessons from Niger
by Patrick Premand Policy discussions about early childhood development (ECD) in Latin America often raise the question of how to “go to scale.” In Africa, many policymakers also wonder how to scale-up, although the challenges tend to be even bigger. … [Read more...] about Lessons from Niger
Suriname: New Year, New Projects
by Ronald Jubitana The IDB, the Government of Suriname (GOS) and the Foundation for Human Development (FHD) signed a Technical Cooperation (TC) on 30 October 2013 to kick-start implementation of the Early Childhood Development (ECD) Program in Suriname. Evidence has shown that if children are exposed early to comprehensive child development support services, learning … [Read more...] about Suriname: New Year, New Projects
Yes to Gifts, No to Begging
For many years, the city streets and highways of Ecuador filled with children in the days leading up to Christmas. The vast majority came from rural communities. They roamed in small groups, knocking on doors or stopping passing cars to beg for something for Christmas. The most heartbreaking side of child begging was on display in the days just before the December holidays, … [Read more...] about Yes to Gifts, No to Begging
Too young for childcare?
By María Julia Acosta It’s Sunday at noon. Analía and Javier sit down to a family lunch where Mateo, their 15-month-old son, is the main attraction in the eyes of his aunts, uncles and grandparents. But this low-key lunch quickly turns into a lively debate. Are you really thinking of sending Mateo to nursery school when he’s still so little? Don’t you think the best … [Read more...] about Too young for childcare?