Zambian Early Childhood Development Project
While a large number of studies have investigated the impact of early childhood experiences on children’s developmental, health, and educational outcomes in developed countries, relatively little evidence is available on early childhood development in sub-Saharan Africa. To address this knowledge gap, the Zambian Ministry of Education, the Examination Council of Zambia, UNICEF, the University of Zambia, and the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University launched the Zambian Early Childhood Development Project (ZECDP) in 2009, a collaborative effort to measure the effects of an ongoing anti-malaria initiative on children’s development in Zambia.
Faculty Spotlight: Günther Fink
As a health economist, Günther Fink had never focused on early childhood development issues. That was until he was in the midst of studying whether a major, ongoing anti-malaria initiative in Zambia could—beyond the obvious effects on health—benefit the long-term development of the impoverished country. Fink wondered, too, if the campaign could have an effect on child development. It turned out that if he wanted a comprehensive, culturally appropriate measure of child development, he’d have to build a new one—a task easier said than done.
Un Buen Comienzo
Un Buen Comienzo (UBC), "A Good Start," is a collaborative project in Santiago, Chile, to improve the quality of early childhood education through teacher professional development.
Applying the Science of Early Childhood in Brazil
As part of its Global Children’s Initiative, the Center is launching Núcleo Ciência Pela Infância, its first major programmatic effort outside the United States. In collaboration with local experts, the project aims to use the science of child health and development to guide stronger policies and larger investments to benefit young children and their families in Brazil.
Executive Leadership Program
The mood was buoyant and collegial, but the stakes were high—planning a better future for children in a country experiencing rapid economic growth and wide societal disparities. This group of nearly 50 Brazilian politicians, policymakers, public managers and civil-society leaders had come together for the first time just five days earlier. What united them—both physically and philosophically—was an executive leadership course on early childhood development (ECD), which was hosted by the Center on the Developing Child.
