Challenging Inequalities: Key Policies to Advance the Early Childhood Agenda

We tend to remember very little about what happens to us in the early years of life. And yet, it is during those years that the foundations of learning and our future trajectory are built," said Diana Rodríguez, Special Advisor on Gender and Diversity to the President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), during the opening of the event where we celebrated World Children's Day.

During the event-which you can read more about here-we discussed, alongside regional experts, the challenges and urgent actions needed to reduce the inequalities faced by young children. In this article, we highlight progress, challenges, and additional reflections.

Advancements in the Early Childhood Agenda: The Role of Evidence and Public Policies

The panel featured Dr. Mauricio Hernández Ávila, Director of Economic and Social Benefits at the Mexican Social Security Institute; Dr. Eunice Deras, Executive Director of the Crecer Juntos Institute in El Salvador; David Evans, Principal Economic Advisor for the Social Sector at the IDB; and Florencia López Boo, Director of Global TIES for Children at New York University.

During the discussion, the experts highlighted significant advancements in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) over the past 35 years, including:

• Improved Understanding of Children's Needs Through Population Measurement: Several countries, such as Chile, Uruguay, Peru, and Colombia, have implemented longitudinal surveys that track a group of children over time, shedding light on their developmental trajectories, parenting practices, and access to services.

• Impact Evaluations Enhancing Knowledge of What Works: Thanks to these evaluations, our understanding of what works and what doesn't has been revolutionized, revealing that early childhood development (ECD) programs benefit both children and their mothers.

• Early Childhood's Political Prioritization: In El Salvador, for instance, a specialized public policy was created, and regulatory frameworks were strengthened in areas such as respectful childbirth, nurturing care, and breastfeeding.

• Cost of Inaction Estimates Published in The Lancet: These estimates allow policymakers to understand the future costs of failing to invest in early childhood. For example, in our region, denying children an additional year of preschool amounts to an average annual GDP loss of 1.6%, as it deprives children of higher incomes in adulthood.

Where to Invest? Future Priorities

One regional challenge is expanding the coverage of childcare services. In Mexico, for instance, the goal is to increase coverage from 8% to 20%. To achieve this, faster construction models for childcare centers and expanded services for informal sector workers are proposed.

Another shared challenge is the quality of care. The panel emphasized the need to define quality care frameworks and provide professional development opportunities to incentivize and reduce turnover among formal caregivers.

Emerging regional challenges include climate change and migration. For example, Hurricane Otis in Mexico left thousands of families without access to early childhood education services. In response, El Salvador is working to adapt services for emergencies through a shock-responsive social protection system. Regarding child migration, there is a lack of data and evidence. Research from other regions could inspire interventions in our region, such as a recent Global TIES study on accelerated and remote preschool for Syrian refugee children, demonstrating the feasibility of quality education in mobility contexts.

Additional Reflections on the Future of Early Childhood

During the event, the audience raised thought-provoking questions and comments, such as:

• Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic: The disruption of ECD services highlighted their adaptability to remote or hybrid formats. With high family acceptance of these modalities, protocols for service continuity during potential emergencies are being developed, as in El Salvador and Ecuador.

• Interventions to Reduce Violence Against Children: While evidence mainly comes from high-income countries, small-scale programs in Chile, Jamaica, Panama, and national programs in Peru, have successfully reduced corporal punishment.

• Innovation in Design, Implementation, and Evaluation: Innovation often involves risks and resistance. Mechanisms are needed to fund, design, implement, and evaluate scalable solutions aimed at improving early childhood outcomes. The Early Childhood Development Innovation Fund has already benefited over a million vulnerable families, reducing inequality.

The challenges ahead are many, but the commitment is clear, and the objectives are well-defined. By focusing on addressing inequalities, we can build a better future for children. Learn more about our Early Childhood Development Sector Framework, download this infographic for an overview of the IDB's work agenda for the coming years, and don't miss the event video.

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