New policy brief: Early Childhood Development in the SDGs

• Date: 17 Feb 2016
• Series: Young Lives Policy Brief 28
• Author: Martin Woodhead
• Download the file ( English, 357 KB, PDF document )

Agreement on the Sustainable Development Goals signals that early childhood development (ECD) will be a priority focus for the twenty-first century. Explicit mention is made in SDG Target 4.2 which states that by 2030 countries should: ‘ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education’. But SDG commitments to ECD are much broader than this education-focused target. Strengthening early childhood development is key to achieving at least seven of the SDGs, on poverty, hunger, health (including child mortality), education, gender, water and sanitation and inequality.

The emphasis on ‘quality’ in Target 4.2 is crucial. The strongest evidence demonstrating the potential of ECD comes from well-planned and well-resourced programmes that:

• are ‘developmentally appropriate’ respecting children’s rights, needs, capacities, interests and ways of learning at each stage of their early lives;
• recognise the interdependencies between nutrition, health, care and education, from the ‘first 1000 days’ onwards;
• build on and support children’s key relationships, especially with their mother, father and wider family in the specific physical, social, cultural and language contexts that are the foundation for well-being.

This Policy Brief offers five key messages that can underpin delivery of the SDGs through the transformative potential of accessible, inclusive, quality ECD – for all young girls and boys, and for their families.

1. Early deprivation affects the growth and changing structure and function of the brain: Research from neuroscience helps explain why experiences during infancy and early childhood, are so critical for health, social adjustment and well-being. Neuroscience renews the imperative to ensure high-quality ECD for every child, from before birth onwards.
2. Inequalities emerge – and are best prevented – early in life: The link between poverty, child development outcomes and widening inequalities is well known. Early deprivations impact cumulatively on children’s long-term outcomes. For example, one multi-country study showed that for every 10% increase in levels of stunting among children, the proportion of children reaching the final grade of school dropped by almost 8%.
3. Early child development programmes are cost-effective: Economic analysis adds to the weight of evidence that ECD is not only critical but also cost-effective. Life-course evidence demonstrates the returns to children and society through, for example, reduced costs of special education, reduced social protection costs, higher earnings, etc.
4. The first three years matter too: The investment potential of ECD is not just about ‘pre-primary’ and school readiness. Systematic studies across diverse contexts, sectors and delivery platforms show that the biggest returns may come from programmes targeted towards the very youngest children and parents.
5. The importance of ensuring programmes are targeted, equitable and inclusive: One of the biggest challenges for scale-up is to reach the poorest, most remote and marginalised children. Indeed, one of the reasons poorer children lose out in their later learning outcomes may be because they are attending poorer quality pre-primary and primary schools than their better-off peers.

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