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The World Bank created this Early Child Development (ECD) Guide in response to a growing demand from Task Team Leaders (TTLs) for advice and support to facilitate the policy dialogue on the topic of ECD and to help policy makers make and implement relevant choices on how to best invest in ECD in the context of their country's economy and national priorities. This Guide fills a gap in the literature by (i) distilling existing information in a user-friendly format, (ii) providing practical information on topics that have recently become particularly relevant in ECD (e.g., measuring child develop

Child development -- Developing countries. --- Child welfare -- Developing countries. --- Early childhood education -- Developing countries. --- Child development --- Child welfare --- Early childhood education --- Social Welfare & Social Work --- Social Sciences --- Child & Youth Development --- Child study --- Children --- Development, Child --- Development --- Education --- Developmental biology --- Developmental psychobiology --- Child rearing

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This study analyzed the impact of a community-based preschool program on child development and schooling outcomes in high-poverty areas of rural Mozambique. Preschools were randomly assigned to 30 of 76 eligible communities. Using a panel survey of 2,000 households with preschool aged children, the study found that children who attended preschool experienced gains in cognitive development, communication, fine motor skills, and socio-emotional skills, scoring 0.33 standard deviations higher on a child development screening test. Preschoolers were 21 percentage points more likely to be enrolled in primary school, 14.9 percentage points more likely to enroll at the appropriate age, and had higher cognitive and communication scores in first grade. Treatment effects were generally larger for children from vulnerable households, those with higher initial development levels, and those with longer exposure to treatment. The preschool intervention also generated positive spillovers by increasing the school enrollment of older siblings and labor supply of adult caregivers. At a cost of approximately USD 3 per child per month, community-led preschools have the potential to be a cost-effective policy option for helping children meet their development potential even in the most resource deprived parts of the world.

Early Childhood --- Early Childhood Development --- Education --- Education Finance --- Human Capital --- Poverty --- Poverty Reduction --- Preschool