Samuel Berlinski

The Early Years: Child Well-being and the Role of Public Policy

This synopsis reviews the arguments in favor of a larger role for public policy in determining the well-being of young children. It explains where the region is in terms of child well-being today, how it should go about improving public programs, and the institutional challenges to implementing those programs. Together, this synopsis and the table of contents provide just a taste of the rich information and valuable policy implications contained in this years edition of the DIA.El bienestar infantil es importante tanto por razones eticas como economicas porque los ninos que prosperan en los primeros anos tienen mas probabilidad de volverse ciudadanos productivos y saludables en el futuro. Este ano, la edicion de Desarrollo en las Americas (DIA) se centra en el bienestar infantil desde la concepcion hasta los 8 anos de edad y establece la necesidad por la intervencion publica para mejorar los resultados de los ninos. El proceso del desarrollo del nino - fisico, comunicativo, cognitivo y socio-emocional - esta determinado por las experiencias que los ninos acumulan en el hogar, las guarderias, y en la escuela. Los padres, familiares, otros cuidadores, maestros y el gobierno influyen en la formacion de esas experiencias. Este libro ofrece sugerencias para la formulacion de la politica publica para mejorar esas experiencias de manera que sin duda marcaran la vida de los ninos y las sociedades en las que viven.

Los primeros años : el bienestar infantil y el papel de las políticas públicas

This synopsis reviews the arguments in favor of a larger role for public policy in determining the well-being of young children. It explains where the region is in terms of child well-being today, how it should go about improving public programs, and the institutional challenges to implementing those programs. Together, this synopsis and the table of contents provide just a taste of the rich information and valuable policy implications contained in this years edition of the DIA.El bienestar infantil es importante tanto por razones eticas como economicas porque los ninos que prosperan en los primeros anos tienen mas probabilidad de volverse ciudadanos productivos y saludables en el futuro. Este ano, la edicion de Desarrollo en las Americas (DIA) se centra en el bienestar infantil desde la concepcion hasta los 8 anos de edad y establece la necesidad por la intervencion publica para mejorar los resultados de los ninos. El proceso del desarrollo del nino - fisico, comunicativo, cognitivo y socio-emocional - esta determinado por las experiencias que los ninos acumulan en el hogar, las guarderias, y en la escuela. Los padres, familiares, otros cuidadores, maestros y el gobierno influyen en la formacion de esas experiencias. Este libro ofrece sugerencias para la formulacion de la politica publica para mejorar esas experiencias de manera que sin duda marcaran la vida de los ninos y las sociedades en las que viven.

More Bang for the Buck: Investing in Early Childhood Development

Spending resources on early childhood may be one of the best investments a government can make. To begin with, the earlier the government invests in a child, the longer the country has to reap the benefits. Moreover, the rate of return to some investments may be lower if made later in life (e.g., it may be hard to achieve gains in IQ after a certain age). Finally, investments in early childhood development generate potential ripple effects on investments made later on; in other words, the returns to investment in human capital are higher if investments were made in the early years. Also, disparities in child development outcomes are present before children enter primary school. Public investment in early childhood can be a powerful equalizing force. Do government spending priorities reflect these opportunities? How can governments in Latin American and Caribbean countries maximize the returns to investments in early childhood development?

A Report Card on Early Childhood Development

Child well-being is multidimensional. This chapter summarizes the evidence on the health, nutrition, cognitive, language, socioemo-tional, and motor development of young children in Latin America and the Caribbean. These measures are important in their own right, and because of their implications for long-term productivity and growth in the region. Where possible, comparisons across countries, changes over time, and differences within countries, especially by wealth or parental education—so-called socioeconomic gradients— are made to provide an added dimension to the description, and a clearer picture of the state of well-being of the region’s children.

Os primeiros anos: O bem-estar infantil e o papel das políticas públicas

This synopsis reviews the arguments in favor of a larger role for public policy in determining the well-being of young children. It explains where the region is in terms of child well-being today, how it should go about improving public programs, and the institutional challenges to implementing those programs. Together, this synopsis and the table of contents provide just a taste of the rich information and valuable policy implications contained in this years edition of the DIA.El bienestar infantil es importante tanto por razones eticas como economicas porque los ninos que prosperan en los primeros anos tienen mas probabilidad de volverse ciudadanos productivos y saludables en el futuro. Este ano, la edicion de Desarrollo en las Americas (DIA) se centra en el bienestar infantil desde la concepcion hasta los 8 anos de edad y establece la necesidad por la intervencion publica para mejorar los resultados de los ninos. El proceso del desarrollo del nino - fisico, comunicativo, cognitivo y socio-emocional - esta determinado por las experiencias que los ninos acumulan en el hogar, las guarderias, y en la escuela. Los padres, familiares, otros cuidadores, maestros y el gobierno influyen en la formacion de esas experiencias. Este libro ofrece sugerencias para la formulacion de la politica publica para mejorar esas experiencias de manera que sin duda marcaran la vida de los ninos y las sociedades en las que viven.

Early Schooling: Teachers Make the Difference

School enrollment in the early grades is close to universal in Latin America and the Caribbean, but the quality of education is generally poor. As a result, many children in the region learn little in their first years of formal schooling. Since early education is considered vital for economic and social progress, the region’s failure in this area is of great concern.

Drawing Up an Institutional Architecture

Much of the research on early childhood development focuses on evaluating the impact of interventions and developing best practices. However, interventions are not implemented by fiat; they take place in a cultural, socioeconomic, and institutional context that affects both whether best practices are implemented and how effective they will be. Ultimately, the institutional arrangements a country puts in place to implement public policy have important implications for the quality, equity, and sustainability of early childhood services.

The Task at Hand: Anything but Child’s Play

Children are the adults of the future. How they are raised will determine their well-being and the future of the countries they live in. Policies for young children should be at the core of a country’s development agenda—no less than policies to develop infrastructure or to strengthen institutions.

Raising Children: The Case for Government Intervention

Well-being is “the state of being happy, healthy, or prosperous,” according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. The Early Years: Child Well-Being and the Role of Public Policy focuses on the well-being of children in the early years of their lives, from conception to approximately 9 years of age. Scientists in the fields of biology, psychology, and economics have a clear view of what outcomes (and trajectories) define a happy, healthy, and potentially prosperous child; they are discussed in this chapter. What is less clear is how to raise children in order to achieve these outcomes and who should be involved in that process. Why should the government be directly involved in the welfare of children?

Daycare Services: It's All about Quality

Daycare services (daycare) refer to services that offer childcare outside the family home for young children, particularly children who are not yet of an age to be covered by the formal school system. Many governments in Latin America and the Caribbean have subsidized or directly provided daycare.