- Foster economic growth and development—in a continually
changing global market, societies depend on having well-
educated and adaptable workers with strong problem-solving
skills, emotional resilience, and capacity to work with others to
remain competitive.
➣ See “A Productive Investment: Early Child Development,” by Rob
Grunewald and Arthur Rolnick, and “Early Child Development Is a
Business Imperative,” by Charlie Coffey in this publication.Societies are beginning to identify alternative options for garnering
public and private investments for ECD programs. This creativity is
occurring across all regions—Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Central
Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North
Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa. In this publication alone, we note
that:
- Indonesia is exploring public financing of community-driven
ECD programs. - Brazil is partnering with foundations and private banks to build
capacity in ECD caregivers. - The Open Society Institute continues to provide catalytic fund-
ing and assistance across 30 countries. - Jamaica is initiating legislation and policies to stimulate fund-
ing for early child development. - The Dominican Republic has established a Competitive Fund
for Educational Innovations.
Yet, much more action is needed to close the gap between what is
known about early child development and what communities and
governments are doing to improve early child development.
Action—Inaction
Two reasons currently impeding accelerated action to improve early
child development worldwide are the lack of shared understanding—
across disciplines and sciences—about the importance of children’s
258 J. Fraser Mustard and Mary Eming Young