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CTs and Early Childhood Development

Features of early childhood development interventions

childhood_development_interventions
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

Income generating activities and microfinance have also been used to accrue funds to support early child development centers.

Government homes for early childhood development interventions have varied depending on the program’s objectives, and include ministries of education, health, women, social services, and agriculture.