The Jamaican Home Visiting intervention strengthens parents’ abilities to use responsive interactions and play to help their children develop well. The intervention has substantial benefits to children’s development and is the first early childhood stimulation program in low and middle-income countries to show long term benefits of play for adult education, income, and … [Read more...] about Playful learning for families: the Jamaican home visiting model going to scale…in Jamaica!
Early Childhood Development
Why are economists so interested in ECD and what can they contribute to the field?
Traditionally, economists have focused on how to improve productivity and the ability to generate income by adult workers. But in the last two decades, the percentage of economists who work in the development of our youngest has been growing. The reason? Find out in this article. … [Read more...] about Why are economists so interested in ECD and what can they contribute to the field?
Can we really change parenting behavior?
This question has been on our minds as we analyze the effects of a recent home visit program implemented by the Nicaraguan government (results forthcoming, stay tuned!). The Nicaraguan intervention, like most home visit programs, targets children’s first and arguably most important teachers: their parents. The curriculum aims to strengthen parents’ knowledge of early childhood … [Read more...] about Can we really change parenting behavior?
Serve and Return: How to Build a Child’s Brain in 5 Easy Steps
Have you ever smiled back at a giggling baby or played peek-a-boo with a toddler? Did you know you were helping build connections in that child’s developing brain? At the Center on the Developing Child, we call these responsive interactions “serve and return” because they go back and forth—like players with a ball in a game of tennis or volleyball. … [Read more...] about Serve and Return: How to Build a Child’s Brain in 5 Easy Steps
An Early Start in the Most Challenging Circumstances
Ansumana sat listening intently to her teacher before playing happily with her friends when I met her earlier this year. Just three years old, she and her older brother Bandu are students at the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) early childhood class serving urban refugees in Kampala, Uganda. Their father, whom I spoke briefly with, told me they fled the Central African Republic … [Read more...] about An Early Start in the Most Challenging Circumstances