Santiago is 2 years old. His mother is a street vendor and can’t take care of him. That’s why she takes him to daycare every morning at 8:00 am, and picks him up every night at 6:00 or 7:00 pm. This scene could take place in Managua, Buenos Aires, Tegucigalpa or Asuncion. Like Santiago’s mother, many women don’t have the luxury of wondering if the activities offered by the … [Read more...] about Don’t send your child to daycare
An urgent need to address violence
Not very long ago I wrote a post about an interesting series of articles on child development that was published in a recent issue of the journal The Lancet. One of those articles identified the main risk factors that keep children from reaching their full potential. There are many that stand out, but today I want to talk about one that is particularly alarming for Latin … [Read more...] about An urgent need to address violence
LACEA, early childhood and… good news
On November 10-12, 2011, Adolfo Ibáñez University hosted the annual LACEA-LAMES conference in Santiago, Chile. LACEA is an international association of economists with common research interests. Founded in 1992, it serves as a forum in Latin America where economists and policymakers share ideas. Since its creation, LACEA has grown into an organization with around 1,000 … [Read more...] about LACEA, early childhood and… good news
Steps that leave footprints in Panama
By Mónica Rubio I want to share some information about the positioning, design and initial implementation of Panama’s early childhood policy, which the IDB has supported enthusiastically. The First National Forum on Early Childhood in Panama, titled “Securing the Future Today,” which was held on October 19-20, 2011, was a milestone in this process. The Forum brought … [Read more...] about Steps that leave footprints in Panama
Social benefits and private costs
One of the latest issues of the prestigious medical journal The Lancet offers an update to a special series of articles on child development that was originally published in the same journal in 2007. The original articles from 2007 effectively raised the profile of this topic among researchers and public policy decision-makers. The new series is expected to continue to … [Read more...] about Social benefits and private costs