scholarly journals Literature Review on Policies to Support Early Childhood Development

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laudine Carbuccia
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Development ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Childhood Development ◽  
Formal Care ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
The Third ◽  
Barriers To Access ◽  
Different Dimensions ◽  
Key Dimensions

The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of what we know as scientists about the developmental dimensions in early childhood that are particularly predictive of academic achievement and future well-being, the effect of formal child care on development and the barriers to access, and the interventions that can be made with parents to support their development, always with particular attention to the impacts on inequalities of outcomes. It consists of 4 chapters, each of which is the result of a systematic review of the literature. The first chapter will provide a conceptual map of the different dimensions that appear in the literature as particularly important for child development. These dimensions will then serve as a methodological grid for two of the other three chapters, which will systematically refer to them. The second chapter will focus on the effects of formal childcare arrangements on children's development. The third chapter will discuss the barriers to accessing these different forms of formal care, as well as the interventions that can be made to overcome these barriers. Finally, the last chapter will focus on the primary mode of care for children, namely their families. This will be a review of interventions that improve their child's development in each of the key dimensions identified in the first chapter.

scholarly journals Newcomer families' experiences with programs and services to support early childhood development in Canada: A scoping review

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 182-215
Author(s):  
Alison Brown ◽  
Jessie-Lee D McIsaac ◽  
Sarah Reddington ◽  
Taylor Hill ◽  
Susan Brigham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Early Childhood Development ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Childhood Development ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Intercultural Understanding ◽  
Newcomer Families

It can be difficult for families with young children to navigate early childhood development supports. In particular, newcomer families often encounter additional barriers and require resources, programs, and services that are tailored to their unique assets, experiences, and needs. We conducted a scoping review of the literature published between 2000 and 2019 to explore what is known about newcomer families’ experiences with programs and services to support early childhood development in Canada. We searched 12 databases, screened 2390 articles, and included 34 articles for synthesis and analysis. Three common and connected themes were identified: 1) effective intercultural understanding, responsiveness, and communication are critical to ensuring full access to meaningful programs and services; 2) some newcomer families face systemic barriers exacerbated by their immigration status, and; 3) feelings and perceptions of families and service providers, as well as social supports, networks, and relationships influence how programs and services are accessed and experienced. Our review identifies the requirement for additional, participatory research that centres the voices and perspectives of newcomer children and their families and the need to expand that research to less populated and rural areas of the country to inform meaningful and culturally relevant policies, programs, and services for newcomer families to support their children’s well-being.

Parents and Technology

2019 ◽  
pp. 610-641
Author(s):  
Sean W. Mulvenon ◽  
Sandra G. Bowman
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Early Childhood Development ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Childhood Development ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Resource Model ◽  
Health And Nutrition ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Parents And Technology

The use of technology to improve the health and nutrition outcomes of children has been improving in recent years with many resources available online. Additionally, the expansion and continued growth of the Internet allows a method of access to information that transcends the traditional geographical obstacles in providing educational resources to parents in rural communities. A review of research and resources online to support parents with early childhood development is presented. A challenge identified in use of technology is the “silo” mentality of resources and the integration of education, health, nutrition, and social well-being information as a single resource for parents. Based on the research a comprehensive resource model is presented that integrates essential maturational and academic development for children. Additionally, the use for improved metrics and their development is provided.

scholarly journals Multisector governance for nutrition and early childhood development: overlapping agendas and differing progress in Pakistan

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (Suppl 4) ◽  
pp. e000678 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shehla Zaidi ◽  
Zulfiqar Bhutta ◽  
Syed Shahzad Hussain ◽  
Kumanan Rasanathan
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Development ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Capacity Constraints ◽  
Childhood Development ◽  
Tracking Systems ◽  
Effective Implementation ◽  
Policy Window ◽  
Policy Windows ◽  
Document Review

This paper compares the policy trajectories of Nutrition and Early Childhood Development (ECD) in Pakistan, identifying enablers that led to better multisector progress for Nutrition over ECD. Specifically, it deliberates on (1) multisector policy adoption in terms of instigation, construct and stakeholder coalitions; and (2) horizontal coordination in terms of capacity, incentives and structures. The analysis builds on existing work of the authors, supplementing this with further document review and expert insights. Nutrition and ECD initiatives in Pakistan, while overlapping agendas, differed in terms of buy-in and structural grounding. A favourable policy window for Nutrition was successfully managed through coordinated advocacy, programmatic support and investment in networks, while capture of policy opportunities was not seen in case of ECD. A vague construct for ECD confined its activities narrowly to the education sector while a Nutrition discourse specifying roles for other sectors resulted in a broader coalition and expanded activities. Both Nutrition and ECD faced powerful disincentives to coordination, but Nutrition overcame this through cofinancing of different sectors and creation of structural platform in supraplanning ministries. Both Nutrition and ECD share common capacity constraints for horizontal coordination, raising concerns for effective implementation. We conclude that multisector action for child well-being requires deliberative action and investment to unlock opportunities. The analysis from Pakistan highlights four governance areas for progressing multisector action: (1) opportune management of policy windows; (2) a clear and inclusive menu of actions for stakeholder coalitions; (3) availability of cofinancing and structural platforms for catalysing coordination; and (4) investment in horizontally placed human resource and integrated tracking systems.

scholarly journals Green space and early childhood development: a systematic review

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Zahirul Islam ◽  
Jessika Johnston ◽  
Peter D. Sly
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Birth Weight ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Green Space ◽  
Early Childhood Development ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Childhood Development ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health And Well Being

AbstractBackgroundThe urban environment presents significant health challenges for children, such as discouraging physical exercise and increasing exposure to air pollution, excessive noise and higher temperatures. Reducing exposures to these negative environmental factors can have great benefits on a child’s well-being and lower their risk of developing chronic diseases later in life. There is increasing evidence that suggests that the presence of urban green space can offer benefits to human health and well-being. While studies have reported the impact green space exposure has on the individual health outcomes of children, few have paid attention to the link between green space and the child’s development. This review aims to synthesise the evidence of the effect green space exposure has on early childhood development.ObjectivesTo explore the relationship between green space and early childhood development.MethodsAn online search was conducted using pre-identified keywords related to green space and early childhood development using search engines such as PubMed, MEDLINE, Web of Science, MeSH and PsycINFO. Peer-reviewed papers published in the past 10 years were included in this review. Papers were selected, extracted, analysed and interpreted based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.ResultsFifty-one papers were identified, of which 28 were excluded due to duplications or irrelevance, yielding a total of 23 papers to be reviewed. Articles were categorised based on reported outcomes: perinatal health, physical health, psychological health and respiratory health. An increase in green space during pregnancy was associated with increased birth weight and a decreased risk for low birth weight (LBW). Further, higher greenness exposure during childhood was associated with increased levels of physical activity and a lower risk of obesity and neurodevelopmental issues such as inattentiveness. While green space exposure was negatively associated with wheezing and bronchitis in some cohorts, certain plant species increase asthmatic symptoms during childhood, indicating that plant species type is an important determinant.ConclusionThe extant literature on green space exposure and early childhood development is small. Regardless, the existing research provides promising insights into the benefits of green space exposure on children’s health and well-being in an ever-increasing urban world. Further research is needed on the causal relationships between both quantity and quality of green space to early childhood development.

scholarly journals The experiences of early childhood development home visitors in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lenette Azzi-Lessing ◽  
Kim Schmidt
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Home Visiting ◽  
Early Childhood Development ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Childhood Development ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Scarce Resources ◽  
Home Visitors

Background: This article examines the development of early childhood development (ECD) home-visiting services in South Africa.Aim: To examine the factors that could support the success of home-visiting programmes as well as to explore the experiences of bachelor’s-level home visitors rendering such services.Setting: This study was conducted in the Eastern Cape, a highly impoverished area of South Africa.Methods: It begins with a discussion of the emergence of home-visiting as a strategy for the delivery of ECD services in South Africa and a review of the literature on ECD home-visiting, particularly with highly vulnerable, impoverished families. Next a focus group conducted with a small sample of home visitors as part of a multi-faceted community assessment is described. The results are examined within the context of challenges facing this particular part of South Africa and the nation as a whole.Results: Four themes emerged as most prominent: (1) encountering the effects of extreme family poverty, (2) identifying high rates and multiple aspects of child maltreatment, (3) encountering scarce resources in high-need areas and (4) finding rewards and maintaining a desire to continue serving challenging populations.Conclusion: This study provides a unique window on the challenges that ECD home visitors are likely to encounter when working with families living in extreme poverty, the resourcefulness that home visitors often demonstrate and the rewards to be found in this work.

scholarly journals Comparative analysis of policies and programs to support families and children during COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne Kearon ◽  
Mark Cachia ◽  
Sarah Carsley ◽  
Meta van den Heuvel ◽  
Jessica Hopkins
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Early Childhood ◽  
Child Health ◽  
Early Childhood Development ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Childhood Development ◽  
Manual Search ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Policies And Programs

AbstractBackgroundPolicies and programs that promote positive social environments for young children and their families have the potential to improve early childhood development and long-term health. However, due to the community-wide public health measures implemented to reduce transmission of COVID-19, many families are experiencing health and socio-economic challenges and pre-existing supports and services may no longer be available. In this study, we compared the policies and programs countries have implemented to support maternal and child health during the first wave of COVID-19.MethodsWe compared the policies and programs implemented to support child health and well-being during the first wave of COVID-19 in Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Singapore, the UK, and the USA. A grey literature review was performed to identify policies, announcements, and guidelines released from governmental and public health organizations within each country related to children, parents, families, early childhood development, adverse childhood experiences, child welfare, pre-school, or daycares. We also performed a manual search of government websites. Both provincial and federal government policies were included for Canada.ResultsThe main policies identified were focused on prenatal care, well-baby visit and immunization schedules, financial supports, domestic violence and housing, childcare supports, child protective services, and food security. All of the included countries implemented some of these policies, but there was a large variation in the number, size, and barriers to access these supports. None of the countries implemented supports in all of the potential areas identified.ConclusionPolitical legacy and previous redistributive policies might have influenced the variation in policies and programs introduced by governments. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, further opportunity for governments to implement supportive programs and policies for children and families exists.

scholarly journals Immigrant and ethnic neighbourhood concentration and reduced child developmental vulnerability

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daphne N. McRae ◽  
Nazeem Muhajarine ◽  
Magdalena Janus ◽  
Eric Duku ◽  
Marni Brownell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Development ◽  
Developmental Outcomes ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Childhood Development ◽  
Median Income ◽  
Structural Disadvantage ◽  
Neighbourhood Level ◽  
Neighbourhood Characteristics ◽  
Ethnic Homogeneity

IntroductionStudies have consistently demonstrated a gradient between median neighbourhood income and child developmental outcomes. By investigating statistical outliers—neighbourhoods with children exhibiting less or more developmental vulnerability than that predicted by median neighbourhood income—there is an opportunity to identify other neighbourhood characteristics that may be enhancing or impeding early childhood development. ObjectiveTesting a variety of neighbourhood factors, including immigrant or ethnic concentration and characteristics of structural disadvantage (proportion of social assistance recipients, homes in need of major repair, residents with high school education only, lone parent families, and residents moving in the last year) we sought to identify factors associated with more or less developmental vulnerability than that predicted by median neighbourhood income, for young children. MethodsFor this cross-sectional study we used validated Early Development Instrument (EDI) data (2003-2013) linked to demographic and socioeconomic Census and Tax Filer data for 98.3% of Canadian neighbourhoods (n=2,023). The purpose of the instrument is to report, at a population-level, children’s school readiness. Children’s developmental vulnerability was assessed in five domains (physical health and well-being, emotional maturity, social competence, language and cognitive development, and communication and general knowledge) in relation to the 10th percentile from a national normative sample. Levels of children’s neighbourhood vulnerability were determined per domain, as percent of children vulnerable at a given domain. Neighbourhoods were grouped into three cohorts, those having lower than predicted, as predicted, or higher than predicted children’s vulnerability according to neighbourhood median income. Using multivariable binary logistic regression we modelled the association between select neighbourhood characteristics and neighbourhoods with lower or higher than predicted vulnerability per domain, compared to neighbourhoods with predicted vulnerability. This allowed us to determine neighbourhood characteristics associated with better or worse child developmental outcomes, at a neighbourhood-level, than that predicted by income. ResultsIn neighbourhoods with less child developmental vulnerability than that predicted by income, high or low immigrant concentration and ethnic homogeneity was associated with less vulnerability in physical (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.66, 95% CI: 1.43, 1.94), social (aOR 1.30, 95% CI: 1.11, 1.51), and communication domains (aOR 1.24, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.47) compared to neighbourhoods with vulnerability concordant with income. Neighbourhood ethnic homogeneity was consistently associated with less developmental vulnerability than predicted by income across all developmental domains. Neighbourhood-level structural disadvantage was strongly associated with child developmental vulnerability beyond that predicted by median neighbourhood income. ConclusionCanadian neighbourhoods demonstrating less child developmental vulnerability than that predicted by income have greater ethnic and ethnic-immigrant homogeneity than neighbourhoods with child developmental vulnerability concordant with income. Neighbourhood social cohesion and cultural identity may be contributing factors. Neighbourhood structural disadvantage is associated with poorer early childhood development, over and above that predicted by neighbourhood income. Neighbourhood-level policy and programming should address income and non-income related barriers to healthy child development.

Parents and Technology

2016 ◽  
pp. 63-93
Author(s):  
Sean W. Mulvenon ◽  
Sandra G. Bowman
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Early Childhood Development ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Childhood Development ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Resource Model ◽  
Health And Nutrition ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Parents And Technology

The use of technology to improve the health and nutrition outcomes of children has been improving in recent years with many resources available online. Additionally, the expansion and continued growth of the Internet allows a method of access to information that transcends the traditional geographical obstacles in providing educational resources to parents in rural communities. A review of research and resources online to support parents with early childhood development is presented. A challenge identified in use of technology is the “silo” mentality of resources and the integration of education, health, nutrition, and social well-being information as a single resource for parents. Based on the research a comprehensive resource model is presented that integrates essential maturational and academic development for children. Additionally, the use for improved metrics and their development is provided.

scholarly journals Early childhood development: an imperative for action and measurement at scale

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (Suppl 4) ◽  
pp. e001302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Richter ◽  
Maureen Black ◽  
Pia Britto ◽  
Bernadette Daelmans ◽  
Chris Desmond ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Development ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Childhood Development ◽  
Measurement Tools ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Standardise Measurement ◽  
Monitoring Progress

Experiences during early childhood shape biological and psychological structures and functions in ways that affect health, well-being and productivity throughout the life course. The science of early childhood and its long-term consequences have generated political momentum to improve early childhood development and elevated action to country, regional and global levels. These advances have made it urgent that a framework, measurement tools and indicators to monitor progress globally and in countries are developed and sustained. We review progress in three areas of measurement contributing to these goals: the development of an index to allow country comparisons of young children’s development that can easily be incorporated into ongoing national surveys; improvements in population-level assessments of young children at risk of poor early development; and the production of country profiles of determinants, drivers and coverage for early childhood development and services using currently available data in 91 countries. While advances in these three areas are encouraging, more investment is needed to standardise measurement tools, regularly collect country data at the population level, and improve country capacity to collect, interpret and use data relevant to monitoring progress in early childhood development.

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