A wide range of programs and policies can be used to encourage proper early childhood development.
Interventions encompass a wide variety of programs, including
- Preschools, day cares
- Parental education programs
- Counseling of parents on an individual or group basis, often through home visits
- Health care for mothers and young children
- High-level sensitization or communication campaigns (e.g., community-wide information campaigns to improve knowledge and practices related to early childhood development, improve women’s standing in communities, or increase community resources for, and appreciation of, early childhood development)
- Educational media for children
Interventions may be formal (e.g., day cares, preschools, health care facilities) or informal (e.g., in the home or non-formal preschool).
Interventions work with a wide variety of stakeholders, including
- Children
- Parents, particularly mothers
- Non-relative caregivers (e.g., preschool teachers, day care workers)
- Health workers
- Communities (e.g., through sensitization on the importance of early childhood development)
- Governments (e.g., to encourage prioritization of early childhood development)
Financing and in-kind support for programs has a wide variety of sources, including
- Governments
- Households
- Civic organizations
- Private sector/private employers
- International organizations