Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Latin American Leaders Give Priority to Early Childhood Development Programs

The Copenhagen Consensus Center analyzes the world's greatest challenges and identifies cost efficient solutions to meeting these challenges. The Center works with multilateral organizations, governments and other entities concerned with mitigating the consequences of the challenges which the world is facing.

The Copenhagen Consensus for Latin America and the Caribbean took place in San José, Costa Rica, 22-25 October 2007. The challenges considered were:
  • Democracy,
  • Education,
  • Employment and Social Security,
  • Environment,
  • Fiscal Problems,
  • Health,
  • Infrastructure,
  • Poverty and Inequality,
  • Public Administration and Institutions, and
  • Violence and Crime.
An expert panel of nine distinguished economists considered research about each major challenge and its potential solutions.

The panel ended its brief report with the following paragraph:
Top priority was given to Early Childhood Development programs. These are interventions that improve the physical, intellectual and social development of children early in their life. The interventions range from growth monitoring, day-care services, preschool activities, improved hygiene and health services to parenting skills. Besides improving children’s welfare directly, the panel concluded these programs create further benefits for family members, releasing women and older siblings to work outside the home or to further their own education. Evidence shows that the benefits are substantially higher than the costs.
Of course, UNESCO has recognized the priority appropriate to Early Childhood Development programs long ago.