Examining Early Child Development in Low-Income Countries

Fernald, Lia C. H.; Kariger, Patricia; Engle, Patrice; Raikes, Abbie

Examining Early Child Development in Low-Income Countries

Autores

Editor

World Bank, Washington, DC

Descripción

The primary purpose of this toolkit is to provide a resource for researchers from various disciplines interested in planning and evaluating programs or interventions aimed at improving the health and development of infants and young children. The toolkit aims to: provide an overview of issues affecting early development and its measurement; discuss the types of tests typically used with children under five years; provide guidelines for selecting and adapting tests for use in developing countries, and make recommendations for planning successful assessment strategies. The toolkit focuses on children who have not yet entered school, and are thus under six years old. The primary reason we are focusing on this age group is that during the first five years of life, children's language, early understanding of mathematics and reading, and self-control emerge. The extent to which children master these skills during this critical period has implications for success in school (Lerner, 1998), and thus we wanted to focus on children in this pre-school period. The toolkit is essential at this time for the following reasons: children in developing countries are growing up at a disadvantage; assessments of children must expand to include a wider range of outcomes; and no such toolkit exists as present.

Palabras clave

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, ACCOUNT, ACHIEVEMENT, ADAPTATION, ADOLESCENCE, ADULT LITERACY, AGED, AGGRESSIVE, APTITUDES, ATTENTION, BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS, BEHAVIORAL DEVELOPMENT, BELIEFS, CAREGIVERS, CHILDHOOD, CHILDREN AT RISK, CLASSROOM, COGNITION, COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT, COGNITIVE PROCESSES, COGNITIVE SKILLS, COGNITIVE TESTS, COMMUNICATION SKILLS, COMMUNITY HEALTH, COMPETENCE, COMPETENCIES, CURRICULUM, DEPRESSION, DEVELOPMENTAL ASSESSMENT, DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES, DEVELOPMENTAL POTENTIAL, DEVELOPMENTAL SCREENING, DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN, EARLY CHILD DEVELOPMENT, EARLY CHILDHOOD, EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE, EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT, EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, EARLY CHILDHOOD INTERVENTIONS, EARLY EDUCATION, EARLY INTERVENTION, EARLY LEARNING, EDUCATION PROGRAMS, EDUCATIONAL SERVICES, EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT, EMPATHY, ENROLLMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES, FAMILIES, FATIGUE, FIRST GRADE, GENDER, GIRLS, HEALTH CARE, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES, INFANCY, INFANT NUTRITION, INFANTS, INFECTIOUS DISEASES, INHIBITION, INSTRUCTION, INTELLIGENCE, INTERVENTIONS, KINDERGARTEN, LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT, LANGUAGE SKILLS, LEARNING, LEARNING ACTIVITIES, LEARNING DISABILITIES, LIBRARIES, LIFE EVENTS, LITERACY, LIVING CONDITIONS, MATURATION, MEMORY, MENTAL, MENTAL HEALTH, MOTIVATION, MOTOR SKILLS, NUTRITION, OLDER CHILDREN, PARENTING, PERCEPTION, PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT, POSITIVE FEEDBACK, PRE-SCHOOL PERIOD, PRESCHOOLERS, PSYCHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS, PSYCHOLOGISTS, PSYCHOLOGY, QUALITY CONTROL, READING, REASONING, RECALL, RECOGNITION, RISK FACTORS, RURAL GIRLS, SCHOOL READINESS, SCHOOLING, SCHOOLS, SCREENING, SOCIAL SKILLS, SOCIAL WORKERS, SPEECH, TEACHERS, TEACHING, THINKING, THOUGHTS, VERY YOUNG CHILDREN, VIOLENCE, WAGES, WALKING, WORKERS, WORKING MEMORY, YOUNG CHILD, YOUNG CHILDREN, YOUNGER CHILDREN