Early Childhood Development on the Post-2015 Development Agenda

"The global early childhood development (ECD) community proposes a global goal and urgent call to action to ensure that all children under the age of 5 reach their developmental potential through access to quality ECD programs and policies. In addition, it calls for increased investment in and attention to the early primary grades (1 to 3) as key to ensuring and improving learning outcomes and efficiency at every level of the education system."

This response to the May 2013 report of the High-Level Panel (HLP) of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda is intended to address the future of over "200 million children under 5 years of age in low-income and middle-income countries and increasing numbers in OECD [Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development] countries and emerging economies", who are now surviving infancy in greater numbers. Risks for children considered in the document include: economic poverty; poor health, including HIV/AIDS and malnutrition; high levels of family and environmental stress and exposure to violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation; and inadequate levels of care and learning opportunities.

The advocacy document considers what is known from ECD research:

• "inequalities in child development begin before a child is born and continue and often widen in the early years through poverty-related risks that impact children’s developing brains
• risks and adverse experiences, particularly in the first five years of life, have a profound negative impact on a child’s future well-being, especially in regard to health, education and academic outcomes and earning potential
• the impact of these risk factors and adverse experiences can be mitigated by strengthening the environments in which young children grow and thrive through evidence-based strategies including: parenting interventions; early detection and intervention for developmental delays and disabilities; early childhood programs of care, support and learning, where possible integrated into home visiting programs; targeted health, nutrition, sanitation and social protection services; and good quality preschools
• increasing preschool enrolment rates to 25% could yield an estimated US$10.6 billion through higher educational achievement, while a 50% increase could generate $33.7 billion. Such investments in centre-based early childhood development yield even greater dividends when they are coupled with community-based nutrition and parenting programmes."

The document promotes actionable and measureable ECD goals, for example, goals on early education that are measurable by child learning outcomes rather than inputs (e.g., teacher qualifications or infrastrucutre) to ensure equity in both access and learning. The document lists the May 2013 report targets and adds revision language, for example:

1. "[Ensure that a]ll children [are] able to access and complete at least one year of preprimary education...;
2. Ensure universal and equitable access to safe, quality primary education...;
3. Increase by x% the number of children growing up within protective and responsive family care...;
4. Ensure that all children grow up in healthy environments, free from exposure to environmental and occupational toxicants and hazardous materials...;
5. Reduce violent deaths per 100,000 by x and eliminate all forms of violence against, and exploitation and abuse of children...."

Through the link below, pages 2-4 of the document highlight, in red, the original language of the goals and in green, the proposed changes