Quisqueya Empieza Contigo: How The Dominican Republic’s National Early Childhood Policy can Reach Vulnerable Populations in Elias Piña

• In Event: Poster session III
  In Poster Session: Poster session 3

Proposal

Relevance
There is increasing global awareness that social inequalities are linked to children’s well-being during the first five years of life, and even in utero (De Andrade et al., 2015). In Latin America, a region characterized by entrenched inequalities, this has spurred a proliferation of national, interdisciplinary early childhood development (ECD) policies specifically targeting vulnerable young children and their families (De Andrade et al., 2015). Through this poster, we will examine one such policy, the Dominican Republic’s Quisqueya Empieza Contigo (QEC) [Quisqueya Starts with You]. Our research will contribute to the conversation surrounding the equitable and contextualized implementation of national early childhood policies.

Context
The Dominican Republic remains one of the world’s most unequal countries. Its Human Development Index of 0.763 falls to 0.581 when discounted for inequality, indicating a 21% loss in human development due to unequal distribution of income, education, and life expectancy (UNDP, 2018). Since launching QEC, ECD coverage has expanded from 18,000 to 92,197 children (Víctor et al., 2017). However, disaggregating QEC’s gains reveals extreme regional disparities in access to ECD. There remains an 8% gap in ECD coverage between urban and rural areas, and an 18% gap between the highest and lowest income quintiles (Painter et al., 2017). Inequitable implementation of QEC builds on existing social disparities with implications for the isolated and multi-cultural communities of Elias Piña.

Methodology
We will review QEC’s technical proposals, project framework, and implementation reports, as well as World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank reports. We will also review documentation from service delivery organizations such as CONANI , INFOTEP , DIGEPEP , INAIPI , and MINERD , operating under the QEC umbrella.
We will then:
1. Examine QEC’s design, service delivery, and results, through a lens of equity, to determine the implications of the policy for marginalized populations within the Dominican Republic
2. Offer recommendations on how QEC could be more uniquely tailored to the specific context and needs of the Dominican Republic’s most vulnerable region, Elias Piña (UNDP, 2013)

Findings
Our preliminary research suggests that when tailored to local context and the needs of vulnerable populations, national ECD policies can promote equal opportunity from an early age and narrow gaps in educational outcomes. However, adapting QEC to the needs of Elias Piña, including reaching isolated communities, providing materials in Haitian Creole, and building capacity of local service providers, will require significant national investment.

Conclusion
Early experiences can lay a strong foundation for learning. However, children without access to ECD may never realize their developmental potential. Inadequate nutrition and stimulation in early life may lead to poor academic performance and decreased income, perpetuating intergenerational transmission of poverty (Grantham-McGregor et al., 2007). If the Dominican Republic is to break the cycle of early disadvantage, they must prioritize their youngest and most vulnerable citizens.

Authors

• Sydney Anne Dinenberg, University of Pennsylvania

• Gabrielle Carvajal-Poisson, University of Pennsylvania