Early Child Development Policy and Program:

The First Step to Sustainable Economic Growth and Development

Fifth Meeting of the Ministers of Education

November 15-16, 2007Cartagenas, Colombia

Mary E. YoungHuman Development Network

World Bank

Consulta de San José2007

The best ways to improve public spending in Latin America prioritized by top-economists

“If Latin America were willing to spend, say, $10 billion over the next five years on improving welfare, which projects would have the greatest benefits?”

Out of the 29 specific projects identified to tackle Latin America’s biggest challenges, top priority given to:

• Early childhood development to meet the challenge of poverty and inequality

Literacy vs. Income

80%

82%

84%

86%

88%

90%

92%

94%

96%

98%

100%

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 8,000 9,000 10,000 11,000 12,000 13,000

GDP per capita

Lite

racy

Rat

es

Argentina

Bolivia Brazil

Ecuador

Chile

Colombia

Cuba

Mexico

Peru

Paraguay

Uruguay

Venuezuela

Source: OECD, UNESCO (2003) Literacy skills for the world of tomorrow, Fig. 2.5, p.76

Mean Reading Literacy of 15-year-olds

325

350

375

400

425

450

475

500

525

550

575

600

Education of the new generations in Latin America

Source:Juan Luis Londono (1996), Poverty, Inequality and Human Capital Development in LA, 1950-2025

Expected Abilities

Industrial• Special skills• Planning &

implementation• Navigating the

bureaucracy• Following the

heritage

Post-industrial• Communications• Teamwork• Human relations• Problem-solving• Design & innovation • Personal responsibility• Self-management• Ethics, values, principles

Source: Cheng, Kai-ming, Education versus Learning: the Post-Industrial Challenge, presentation at the World Bank Human Development ForumOctober 31, 2006

WHAT DO WE NOW KNOW?

Findings from Neuroscience: Early Experiences Shape…

Brain architectureNeurochemistryGene expression

Cognitive+

Emotional+

Social Behavior

Prerequisitefor a healthy,

competent, tolerant population.

Experience and Brain Development

• Stimuli switch on genetic pathways that differentiate the function of billions neurons and connections (synapses) among the billions of neurons

• Cognitive, linguistic, social, and emotional competencies are interdependent and are all shaped by early experience.

• Neural pathways follow a bottom up, hierarchical sequence. Later attainment build on foundations that are laid down earlier.

0 1 4 8 12 16

AGE

SensingPathways

(vision, hearing)

LanguageHigherCognitive Function

3 6 9-3-6

Months Years

C. Nelson, in From Neurons to Neighborhoods, 2000

Con

cep t

i on

Window of Opportunity - ECD

Literacy and Vocabulary Growth

– First 3 Years

High SES

Middle SES

Low SES

1200

600

012 16 20 24 26 32 36

Vocabulary

Age (Months)

Source: B.Hart & T. Risley. Meaningful Differences in Everyday Experiences of Young American Children, 1995.

Vocabulary Scores by SES quartiles in 36 to 72 month old children Ecuador

age in months

Source: C. Paxson, N. Schady: Cognitive development among young children in Ecuador : The roles of wealth, health

and parenting, The World Bank, Policy Research Working Paper, 3605, 2005.

Cognitive Development Gap

Source; Barnett, W. S. (2007). Original analysis of data from the US Department of Education, National Center for Educational Statistics, ECLS-K Base Year Data files and Electronic Codebook (2002).

Median Abilities of Entering Kindergarteners by Family Income

40.00

45.00

50.00

55.00

60.00

Lowest 20% 4th Quintile Middle 20% 2nd Quintile Highest 20%

Reading

Math

GeneralKnow ledge

Lost Potential Growth

Health and Income for Children and AdultsU.S. national health interview survey 1986-1995:

High Score is Bad

Source: Case, Lubotsky, and Paxson (2002)

Impacts of Quality Early EducationIncreased Educational Success and Adult Productivity• Achievement test scores• Special education and grade repetition• High school graduation• Behavior problems, delinquency, and crime• Employment, earnings, and welfare dependency Decreased Costs to Government• Schooling costs • Social services costs• Crime costs • Health care costs (teen pregnancy and smoking)

Source: Barnett, W. S. (2002) Early childhood education. In A. Molnar (Ed.) School reform proposals: The research evidence (pp.1-26). Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing

High/Scope Perry Preschool: Educational Effects

Source; Berrueta-Clement, J.R., Schweinhart, L.J., Barnett, W.S., Epstein, A.S., & Weikart, D.P. (1984). Changed lives: The effects of the Perry Preschool Program on youths through age 19. Ypsilanti, MI: High/Scope Press

45%

15%

34%

66%

49%

15%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Graduated from highschool on time

Age 14 achievementat 10th %ile +

Special Education(Cog.)

Program groupNo-program group

High/Scope Perry Preschool: Economic Effects at 40

Source; Schweinhart, L. J., Montie, J., Xiang, Z., Barnett, W. S., Belfield, C. R., & Nores, M. (2005). Lifetime effects: The High/Scope Perry Preschool study through age 40 (Monographs of the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, 14). Ypsilanti, MI: High/Scope Educational Research Foundation

50%

62%

40%

76%

76%

60%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Had SavingsAccount

Employed

Earned > $20K

Program groupNo-program group

Brain Growth

Rates of Return to Investment in Human Capital

Preschool School Post School

Preschool Programs

Schooling

Job Training

Age0

Brain Growth and Rates of Return

Source: Heckman & Carneiro Human Social Policy, 2003, RAND, Benefits and Costs of Early-Childhood Interventions, A Documented Briefing, Lynn A. Karoly, Susan S. Everingham, Jill Hoube, Rebecca Kilburn, C. Peter Rydell, Matthew Sanders, Peter W. Greenwood, April, 1997

Messages for Policymakers

• Child Development – early experience shapes brain architecture, determines all future learning, behavior and health outcomes later in life

• Effective - • Cost Efficiency - save money in the long run

because they prevent problems before they start and reduce later needs for special education and other remedial measures.

• Economics -the need for different skill sets in the

21st century.

Implement an Overall ECD Strategy

Intervene early, often and effectively

Allocate sufficient resources

Ensure relevant trainingNew generation competent in the understanding of human development

Build systems, not just projects.Emphasize equity, sustainability, and population health.

Monitor and evaluate. Measure child development outcomes

Monitoring Child Development Outcomes

Building monitoring systems

Collecting population-based child outcome data

How Are Other Nations Improving Their Children’s

Outcomes?

Child Development Program in Singapore

Inter-Ministerial Committee

Health, Education, Community Development, Youth and SportsOverall policy directions & funding, Service guidelines & Coordination,

and Professional standards

Director, Child Development ProgramMinistry of Health

Child Development Unit National Healthcare Group

Child Development UnitSingapore Health Services

Cuba ECD Programs: Initial Link

Strong National Institutions

Formal Sector

Local Capacity

Non Formal Sector

Pregnancy Childcare Centers Preschool ProgramsParent Programs (0 years) (0 to 5 years) (5 – 6 years)

French ECD System

1. Emphasis on very young children

2. Voluntary, free preschool

3. More for those with less (Educational Priority Areas (ZEP)

4. Integration of all children

5. Quality standards and accountability

6. Highly trained and well-paid teachers

7. Secure funding and infrastructure

Public and Private PartnershipsNew Zealand

• Centers must comply with minimum licensing standards.

• Bulk funding: per-child funding based on a sliding scale.

• Demand-side financing: seed fund to develop services through grants, offer loans to ECD teachers, and supplement incomes to pay for ECD fees.

South Australia – Coordinated Early Childhood Policies

• Legislative reform to integrate Education Act and Children’s Services Acts

• Creating a Birth through Age 17, Education and Childhood Development System

• Government collect child development outcome (EDI) data across state every 3 years

Sweden - Continuum of Services Children Birth to 7

Birth 1 52 43 6 yrs

Paternal Leave Pre-school programs

Preschool

Class

After school childcare

Brain Growth

Rates of Return to Investment in Human Capital

Preschool School Post School

Preschool Programs

Schooling

Job Training

Age0

Brain Growth and Rates of Return

Source: Heckman & Carneiro Human Social Policy, 2003, RAND, Benefits and Costs of Early-Childhood Interventions, A Documented Briefing, Lynn A. Karoly, Susan S. Everingham, Jill Hoube, Rebecca Kilburn, C. Peter Rydell, Matthew Sanders, Peter W. Greenwood, April, 1997

Sweden’s Public Expenditure for Children 0-17 age old

Ultimate Goal!!

Source: S. Bremberg (2006), National Institute of Public Health, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden

02-056

Policies to Foster Quality Human Capital

"We cannot afford to postpone investing in children until they become adults nor can we wait until they reach school - a time when it may be too late to intervene."

Heckman, J., 2001(Nobel Prize Economics, 2000)