Evidence of the benefits of early childhood programs on child development in international contexts

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

Over 550 million children under age five reside in non-industrialized countries, and 22% live in poverty (Unesco, 2015). These children are at risk for not reaching their full potential because they face environmental conditions that threaten their health, cognitive, and behavioral development (Black et al., 2017). In recent years, early childhood programs have expanded across the globe to address child poverty and related problems (Unesco, 2015). This symposium brings together new international evidence about the benefits of early childhood programs on child development in the short-, medium- and long-term. Evidence of this type is crucial to inform programs aiming at improving opportunities for disadvantaged children. The first paper presents results from a meta-analysis, providing a comprehensive perspective on the characteristics of interventions that show stronger and more persistent benefits around the globe. The second paper uses data of children residing in low-income communities in Peru, Vietnam, and India to examine whether preschool attendance confers benefits for academic achievement from early childhood to adolescence. The third paper uses three measures of classroom quality to examine whether the quality of preschool experiences in Colombia relates to children’s academic achievement in third grade. The fourth paper presents results of an intervention aiming to increase child-parent reading among low-income families in Chile. Using an experimental design, this study evaluates whether providing families with a personalized book increases parent perception of children’s interest in books. Together, these papers help to advance knowledge of the potential of early childhood programs to provide immediate and lasting effects.

Sub Unit

• Solicited Content: Global South

Chair

• Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal, University of Pittsburgh

Individual Presentations

• Understanding the short-, medium- and long-term impacts of early childhood interventions across the globe. - Presenting Author: Milagros Nores, National Institute for Early Education Research; Non-Presenting Author: Raquel Bernal, Universidad de los Andes

• Long-term associations between early childhood education and academic achievement in low- and middle-income countries - Presenting Author: Laura Betancur, Iowa State University; Non-Presenting Author: Portia Miller, University of Pittsburgh; Non-Presenting Author: Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal, University of Pittsburgh

• Pre-Kindergarten Quality and Children’s Academic Achievement in Third Grade: Evidence from Colombia - Non-Presenting Author: Carolina Maldonado-Carreño, Universidad de los Andes (Uniandes); Non-Presenting Author: Catalina Rey-Guerra, Boston College; Non-Presenting Author: Tiffany Jimenez, Universidad de los Andes (Uniandes); Presenting Author: Tatiana Plata, Universidad de los Andes (Uniandes); Non-Presenting Author: Paola Andrea Guerrero-Rosada, Texas A&M University - College Station

• Does personalized book intervention promote parental beliefs regarding their toddlers’ interest in shared reading? - Presenting Author: Susana Mendive, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; Non-Presenting Author: Katherine Strasser, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile; Non-Presenting Author: Paola Domínguez, Universidad de Concepción; Non-Presenting Author: Natalia Kucirkova, Norwegian Centre for Learning Environment and Behavioural Research, University of Stavanger