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The children born this year--2004--will be eleven years old in 2015--the age of primary school completion in most countries. This is the MDG (Millennium Development Goal) generation--for whom the international community has pledged that by 2015, all children will be able to complete primary schooling. Ensuring good early child development is the first essential step toward achieving these goals. The early development of these children will determine, to a large extent, whether they succeed in school and later in life. Investments before a child enters school (as compared with remedial programs) have high payoff. Well-targeted ECD programs cost less--and produce more dramatic and lasting results--than education investments at any other level. Early child development and education have positive effects on achievement, grade retention, special education, and high school graduation and socialization. These positive effects can change the development trajectory of children born into poverty. In developing countries, the barriers to success in school and society include malnutrition, ill health, HIV/AIDS, and war. This note series is intended to summarize lessons learned and key policy findings on the World Bank's work in education.

Since two thirds of the country's children reside in the countryside, improving child development services in rural areas is one of China's most pressing concerns. This report details the current situation of children in rural and urban China and identifies problems related to child development. The report also presents evidence of the effect of investment in interventions targeted to the early years, assesses the socioeconomic development of such investment, and outlines a program of interventions in both health and education to improve the outcomes for children in rural China. The proposed program calls for an information campaign to educate rural parents about infant care and development, preparation of children for school, and adequate and appropriate nutrition for young children. Interventions in the early years of life (ages 0-6) have the best chance of permanently enhancing children's cognitive skills, personality, and social attitudes and behavior. Early childhood education programs attack a root cause of poverty by helping to provide poor rural children (especially girls) with a fair start. (Contains 28 references.) (HTH)

Early childhood programs have been shown to enhance school readiness, increase the efficacy of investments in primary schools and human capital formation, foster beneficial social behavior and, thereby, lessen social welfare costs, and promote community development. The World Bank has directed investment toward young children, including supporting immunizations, basic health care, prenatal care, and nutrition services. This report provides an overview of programs around the world targeting children from birth to age eight. Covering both theory and practice, the sections are (1) "The Case for Early Intervention," including the scientific basis, socioeconomic returns, and policy implications; (2) "Approaches to the Development of Young Children," covering program design options and working with nongovernmental organizations and other agencies; (3) "Paying for Child Development Programs"; (4) "Educating Parents"; (5) "Training Caregivers"; (6) "Delivering Services to Children"; (7) "Reforming Formal Education Systems to Include Preschoolers"; and (8) "Educating through the Mass Media." Contains 103 references. (BGC)

Designed primarily for World Bank staff and their colleagues in borrowing countries, this paper summarizes why investment in human capital formation through early child development is worthwhile. Chapter 1 introduces the importance of early childhood programs, noting events that have given new visibility to children's issues at the international level. Chapter 2 presents scientific support, socioeconomic reasons, the intersecting needs of women and children, and the synergistic effects of health, nutrition, and stimulation on early childhood development, as rationale for investment in early childhood care and development. Chapter 3 seeks to determine which early childhood programs provide the most reliable outcomes, given the resource constraints of a developing country. It examines program options and programming experiences with projects both inside and outside the purview of the World Bank. Chapter 4 reviews the essential minimum inputs and approaches to packaging such projects. Policy formation and targeting at-risk populations are considered key elements in any early child development strategy. The next chapter suggests three kinds of actions that the World Bank can take: (1) undertake more projects on integrated early child development; (2) support sector work and policy dialogue to assess needs of integrated child services; and (3) fund research and evaluation. The concluding chapter notes that the Bank should increase its lending for early child development investments. The report's three appendices include evidence from developed and developing countries that supports the case for early childhood care, a summary of Bank-financed projects, and examples of projects packaged with different design approaches. (BAC)