Investments in early childhood development give the highest rates of return to education¹ – although obviously these benefits will only be realised if the rest of the education system is in place.
Economic productivity cannot be viewed as the only indicator for human development. But it is an important marker and is helpful in aligning public spending with interventions likely to give the greatest returns.
A pivotal factor in early childhood development is adequate nutrition, and in fact height-for-age at two years has been shown to be the strongest predictor of human capital attainment (as measured by educational achievement and economic productivity).² Yet the two national nutritional surveillance studies conducted in South Africa in 1994 and 1999 found that nearly a quarter of children under the age of six years are stunted.³
We aim to support the compelling case for early childhood development as a critical foundation for the new South Africa by showing how ECD provision can be extended and linking it to other key strategies for childhood development and protection.
We will support programmes that:
- Show how quality ECD can be expanded through centre- and non-centre based provision, linked to the integrated development plans of local municipalities
- Strengthen the ability of caregivers to develop and protect their children
- Support implementation of the ECD curriculum, career path development for practitioners and seamless transitioning into school
- Strengthen nutrition as an integral part of early childhood development
- Strengthen community demand and political support to increase public funding of ECD
[2] Victora C, Adair L et al (2008). Maternal and child undernutrition: consequences for adult and human capital. The Lancet 371 (9609): 340 – 357
[3] Nannan N, Norman R et al and the South African Comparative Risk Assessment Collaborating Group (2007). Estimating the burden of disease attributable to childhood and maternal under nutrition in South Africa in 2000. South African Medical Journal 97: 733 – 739