Abstract
A poor start in life shapes children’s development over the life-course. Children from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are exposed to low levels of early stimulation, greater socioeconomic deprivation and persistent environmental and health challenges. Nevertheless, little is known about country-specific factors affecting early childhood development (ECD) in LMICs. Using data from 68 LMICs collected as part of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys between 2010 and 2018, along with other publicly available data sources, we employed a multivariate linear regression analysis at a national level to assess the association between the average Early Childhood Development Index (ECDI) in children aged 3–5 and country-level ecological characteristics: early learning and nurturing care and socioeconomic and health indicators. Our results show that upper-middle-income country status, attendance at early childhood education (ECE) programs and the availability of books at home are positively associated with a higher ECDI. Conversely, the prevalence of low birthweight and high under-5 and maternal mortality are negatively associated with ECDI nationally. On average, LMICs with inadequate stimulation at home, higher mortality rates and without mandatory ECE programs are at greater risks of poorer ECDI. Investment in early-year interventions to improve nurturing care and ECD outcomes is essential for achieving Sustainable Development Goals.
Highlights
Children’s well-being and development are central themes of the United NationsSustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which focus on the achievement of a better and more sustainable future for all
That study did not account for exogenous variables, and only analysed four potential early childhood development (ECD) risk factors nationally: (1) stunting, (2) poverty, (3) home stimulation and (4) early childhood education (ECE) attendance. To address this evidence gap, the analyses presented here explore the association between ecological country-specific factors and ECD in 68 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), taking a broader view of possible risk factors compared with previous literature and combining publicly available data from different sources to facilitate the inclusion of a greater number of countries
Our study’s findings show that maternal and child mortality, attendance at early childhood education programs, having books at home and income distribution within countries are associated with early child development outcomes among children aged
Summary
Children’s well-being and development are central themes of the United NationsSustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which focus on the achievement of a better and more sustainable future for all. Children’s well-being and development are explicitly targeted by Goal 4 (quality education), which aims to ensure that all children have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education Likewise, these themes are targeted by several other goals, such as poverty reduction, health and nutrition, gender equality and ending violence [1,2]. Effective early childhood development (ECD) programmes have been proven to improve nutrition, health status, cognition, socioemotional status and language proficiency [3]. These gains can reduce disparities throughout the life-course [3,4,5,6,7]. The early years shape individuals’ developmental trajectory and interventions in this life stage generally comprise cost-effective strategies to promote human development while decreasing criminality and rates of behaviour disorders [8,9,10]
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