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
child development
Balancing Scale and Quality: Insights from a Meta-Analysis on Early Childhood Development Programs
Early childhood development (ECD) programs play a crucial role in promoting children’s cognition and language. Many programs include home visitors or groups who work with parents and young children through play activities that not only build children’s language and cognitive skills, but also engage children and parents together to experience the joy of playing and learning … [Read more...] about Balancing Scale and Quality: Insights from a Meta-Analysis on Early Childhood Development Programs
10 Postcards of a Long Journey in Building the Regional Agenda for Early Childhood Development (Part II)
In the first part of this overview of the Bank supported operations for the design, implementation and evaluation of early childhood services, we explored 5 standout experiences from the numerous efforts that our team have made to improve early childhood development in Latin America and the Caribbean. We now complete this collection with 5 more outstanding cases. Building … [Read more...] about 10 Postcards of a Long Journey in Building the Regional Agenda for Early Childhood Development (Part II)
The tender hour: skin-to-skin contact provides the best start to life
Imagine arriving at an unknown place, a strange planet, alone, with no familiar voice and no one to guide you. At that critical moment, your survival would be at stake. But this is how a baby’s life begins outside the mother's womb. The newborn experiences an unknown external world for the first time, and that’s why his or her basic need for skin-to-skin contact with the mother … [Read more...] about The tender hour: skin-to-skin contact provides the best start to life
Women’s Day: What is the relationship between child care centers and female employment?
Today, Women's Day, we celebrate all initiatives that seek to close gender gaps in Latin America and the Caribbean. From the point of view of early childhood policies, we know that there is abundant evidence on the impacts that child care programs have both on child development and female labor participation in developed countries. However, rigorous evidence for the region is … [Read more...] about Women’s Day: What is the relationship between child care centers and female employment?