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Early Childhood Development in Latin America and the Caribbean

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  • Norbert Schady

Abstract

There is considerable evidence that young children in many developing countries suffer from profound deficits in nutrition, health, fine and gross motor skills, cognitive development, and socioemotional development. Early Childhood Development (ECD) outcomes are important markers of the welfare of children in their own right. In addition, the deleterious effects of poor outcomes in early childhood can be long-lasting, affecting school attainment, employment, wages, criminality, and measures of social integration of adults. This paper considers the theoretical case to be made for investments in early childhood, selectively reviews the literature on the impact of ECD programs in the United States, discusses the evidence from Latin America and the Caribbean, and suggests avenues for future research. The focus is on the relation between outcomes in early childhood and measures of household socioeconomic status, child health, and parenting practices, as well as on the impact of specific policies and programs. The knowledge base on early childhood outcomes is still thin in Latin America and the Caribbean. There are, therefore, very high returns to comparative descriptive analysis in the region, as well as to careful evaluations of the impact of various programs.

Suggested Citation

  • Norbert Schady, 2006. "Early Childhood Development in Latin America and the Caribbean," Economía Journal, The Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association - LACEA, vol. 0(Spring 20), pages 185-225, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:col:000425:008650
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    3. Azevedo, Viviane & Bouillon, César P., 2009. "Social Mobility in Latin America: A Review of Existing Evidence," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 1656, Inter-American Development Bank.
    4. Arteaga, Irma & Glewwe, Paul, 2019. "Do community factors matter? An analysis of the achievement gap between indigenous and non-indigenous children in Peru," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 80-91.
    5. Alderman, Harold & Yemtsov, Ruslan, 2012. "Productive role of safety nets : background paper for the World Bank 2012-2022 social protection and labor strategy," Social Protection Discussion Papers and Notes 67609, The World Bank.
    6. Macours, Karen & Vakis, Renos, 2010. "Seasonal Migration and Early Childhood Development," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(6), pages 857-869, June.
    7. Cruces, Guillermo & Glüzmann, Pablo & Calva, Luis Felipe López, 2012. "Economic Crises, Maternal and Infant Mortality, Low Birth Weight and Enrollment Rates: Evidence from Argentina’s Downturns," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(2), pages 303-314.
    8. Samuel Berlinski & Sebastian Galiani & Patrick J. McEwan, 2011. "Preschool and Maternal Labor Market Outcomes: Evidence from a Regression Discontinuity Design," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 59(2), pages 313-344.
    9. Premand, Patrick & Barry, Oumar, 2022. "Behavioral change promotion, cash transfers and early childhood development: Experimental evidence from a government program in a low-income setting," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    10. Paglayan, Agustina S., 2008. "Reading between the lines: A closer look at the effectiveness of early childhood education policy to reduce inequality in Argentina," MPRA Paper 17899, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised May 2009.
    11. Jorge Cuartas, 2017. "Neighborhood Crime Undermines Parenting: Violence in the Vicinity of Households as a Predictor of Aggressive Discipline," Documentos de trabajo 17646, Escuela de Gobierno - Universidad de los Andes.
    12. Prashant Bharadwaj & Katrine Vellesen L?ken & Christopher Neilson, 2013. "Early Life Health Interventions and Academic Achievement," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 103(5), pages 1862-1891, August.
    13. Diana Lopez-Avila, 2016. "Child Discipline and Social Programs: Evidence from Colombia," Working Papers halshs-01305961, HAL.
    14. Cruces, Guillermo & Gluzmann, Pablo & Lopez-Calva, Luis Felipe, 2010. "Permanent Effects of Economic Crises on Household Welfare: Evidence and Projections from Argentina’s Downturns," MPRA Paper 42949, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Vegas, Emiliana & Santibáñez, Lucrecia, 2010. "The Promise of Early Childhood Development in Latin America and the Caribbean," IDB Publications (Books), Inter-American Development Bank, number 362, March.
    16. Janssens, Wendy & Rosemberg, Cristina, 2014. "The impact of a Caribbean home-visiting child development program on cognitive skills," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 22-37.
    17. Hasan,Amer & Nakajima,Nozomi & Rangel,Marcos A., 2020. "Mama Knows (and Does) Best : Maternal Schooling Opportunities and Child Development in Indonesia," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9355, The World Bank.
    18. Outes, Ingo & Porter, Catherine & Sanchez, Alan & Escobal, Javier, 2011. "Early Nutrition and Cognition in Peru: A Within-Sibling Investigation," Working Papers 2011-017, Banco Central de Reserva del Perú.
    19. Grace E. Noboa-Hidalgo & Sergio S. Urzúa, 2012. "The Effects of Participation in Public Child Care Centers: Evidence from Chile," Journal of Human Capital, University of Chicago Press, vol. 6(1), pages 1-34.
    20. Aimee Verdisco & Santiago Cueto & Jennelle Thompson, 2016. "Early Childhood Development: Wealth, the Nurturing Environment and Inequality First Results from the PRIDI Database," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 95256, Inter-American Development Bank.
    21. Karen Macours & Norbert Schady & Renos Vakis, 2012. "Cash Transfers, Behavioral Changes, and Cognitive Development in Early Childhood: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 4(2), pages 247-273, April.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Early childhood development; household socioeconomic status; Latin Amerci and the Caribbean;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth

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