Social Policy Report Emphasizes Importance of ECD Quality

Early Childhood Development Programs In Global Contexts: Improving Quality

The Society for Research in Child Development recently published a social policy report, Quality of Early Childhood Development Programs in Global Contexts. The report highlights the fact that a quarter of the world's youngest children suffer one or more forms of severe deprivation and risk, such as poverty, disease, and exposure to violence. Early childhood development (ECD) programs are considered one of the most promising approaches to providing more equitable outcomes for deprived and at-risk children and families. While the number of children and families served by ECD programs has grown, research shows that without a concurrent commitment to program quality, potential gains for children may be lost and glaring disparities in outcomes maintained.

This Social Policy Report (pdf available here) is by Pia Rebello Britto, Associate Research Scientist at Yale University, Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Professor of Education at Harvard University, and Kimberly Boller, Senior Research Psychologist at Mathematica Policy Research.