Early Child Development and Public Policy

1
Early Child Development and Public Policy
II Forum on ECCD in Colombia
Bogota, Colombia
By J. Fraser Mustard Founding President, CIAR
June 3, 2005
2
03-072
CIAR
The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
3
03-073
CIAR Programs
Population Health Human Development Economic
Growth
4
01-002
The Growth of the World Population and
6
Some Major Events in the History of Technology
?

Exponential
Knowledge
and
4
Technology
Growth
Population (x 109)

2
Beginning of
Industrial
Revolution
Printing
1st Agricultural
Press

Revolution
9BC


0
3BC
1BC
5BC
1AD
2AD
Year (x 103)
Robert W. Fogel. Economic Growth, Population
Theory, and Physiology, April 1994
5
05-130
Experience-Based Brain Development in the early
years of life sets neurological and biological
pathways that affect the quality of human capital.
Early Child Development affects
Health
Learning
Behaviour
6
03-131
NEUROSCIENCE
7
04-212
Sound Vision Smell
Touch Proprioception Taste
Neal Halfon
8
03-078
Experience and Brain Development
Stimuli in early life switch on genetic pathways
that differentiate neuron function sensitive
periods
Stimuli affect the formation of the connections
(synapses) among the billions of neurons
The brain pathways that affect literacy,
behaviour, and health form early.
From studies in humans, monkeys and rats
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00-078
Brain Pathway and Plasticity in Early Years
1. Hypothalamus pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis
- regulation of cortisol (stress)
memory, diabetes, heart disease,
cognition, behaviour sensitive periods
2. Autonomic nervous system
blood pressure, respiration, emotion
(stress)
3. Sensing pathways (vision, sound, touch etc.)
cognition, language, literacy, emotion,
behaviour etc. critical periods
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01-023
Genes and Brain Stimulation
in the dance of life, genes and environment
are absolutely inextricable partners. On the one
hand, genes supply the rough blueprint for the
brain. Then stimulation from the environment,
whether its light impinging on the retina or a
mothers voice on the auditory nerve, turns genes
on and off, fine-tuning those brain structures
both before and after birth.
Hyman, S., States of Mind, New York John
Wiley, 1999
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03-089
Serotonin Gene, Experience, and Depression Age 26
Depression Risk
.70
SS
S Short Allele L Long Allele
.50
SL
LL
.30
No Abuse
Moderate Abuse
Severe Abuse
Early Childhood
A. Caspi, Science, 18 July 2003, Vol 301.
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03-063
HEALTH
13
04-006
Swedish Longitudinal Study ECD and Adult Health
Number of Adverse ECD Circumstances
1
2
4
0
3
Adult Health
Odds - Ratios
General Physical
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1.39
1.54
2.08
2.66
1
1.56
1.53
2.91
7.76
Circulatory
Mental
1
1.78
2.05
3.76
10.27
Economic, family size, broken family and family
dissention
Lundberg, Soc. Sci. Med, Vol. 36, No. 8, 1993
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01-010
"Follow up through life of successive
samples of birth has pointed to the
crucial influence of early life on
subsequent mental and physical health
and development."
Acheson, Donald -
Independent Inquiry into
,1998
Inequalities in Health
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03-065
BEHAVIOUR
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02-008
Maltreatment at an early age can
have enduring negative effects on
a child's brain development and
function.
Martin Teicher
Scientific American, 2002
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02-011
"The aftermath can appear as
depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts or
post-traumatic stress - or as aggression,
impulsiveness, delinquency, hyperactivity
or substance abuse."
Martin Teicher
Scientific American, 2002
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05-131
Prevalence Rates of Child Emotional Behavioural
Problems - Boys
T. Miller, Health of Children in War Zones, 2000.
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03-115
LITERACY
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02-001
Literacy Early Vocabulary Growth
1200
High SES
Middle SES
Cumulative Vocabulary
600
Low SES
0
12
16
20
24
28
32
36
Age - Months
B. Hart T. Risley, Meaningful Differences in
Everyday Experiences of Young American Children,
1995
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04-153
Abecedarian Study Reading
Effect Size
Primary Grades
Preschool
Preschool Primary Grades
1.2
0.8
0.4
0
Age 8
Age 12
Age 15
Age 21
Age at Testing
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00-085
Literacy Gradients
Mean scores
350
Document
Literacy Scores
330
310
290
International
Sweden
Mean
270
250
Netherlands
230
Canada
210
190
Chile
170
0
5
10
15
20
Parents Education (years)
23
00-042
Sociocultural
360
Gradients for
Cuba
Language
320
Scores
By Country
Argentina
Chile
280
Brazil
Language Score
Colombia
Mexico
240
200
1
4
8
12
16
Parents' Education (Years)
24
05-133
ECD Cuba Ages 0-6 Educa a tu hijo
Program Institutional (Day Care,
Preschool) Non-Institutional (Educa a tu hijo)
Participation 30 70
Educa a tu hijo
25
05-066
Grade 3 Language Scores
Colombia _ _ _ _ _ _
Brazil _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Chile _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Cuba _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Mexico _ _ _ _ _ _ _
100
250
300
350
400
150
200
UNESCO, 1998
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05-134
GDP Grade 3 Language Scores
Language Score 351 247 242 240 236
Country Chile Mexico Colombia Brazil Cuba
GDP 9.930 6.769 6.347 5.928 3.100
UNESCO 1998
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05-002
EARLY CHILD DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
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05-029
Early Child Development Programs
Offer from conception to school entry Nutrition
programs Provide support for parents Provide
non-parental care Stable supportive non-violent
communities
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05-135
Early Child Development Parenting Programs
Some Canadian Provinces South Australia
For age groups 0-6 Linked to primary
schools Integrate all ECD activities Community
outcome measures (EDI)
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02-056
Policies to Foster Human Capital
"We cannot afford to postpone investing in
children until they become adults nor can we
wait until they reach school - a time when it
may be too late to intervene."
Heckman, J., 2001
(Nobel Prize Economics, 2000)
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03-074
Rates of Return to Human Development Investment
Across all Ages
8
6
Pre-school Programs
Return Per Invested
School
4
R
Job Training
2
Pre- School
School
Post School
0
6
18
Age
Pedro Carneiro, James Heckman, Human Capital
Policy, 2003
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01-039
www.founders.net
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References
References

• From Early Child Development to Human
  Development. Editor Mary Eming Young, World
  Bank, Washington, 2000.
• Synaptic Self How Our Brains Become Who We Are.
  Joseph LeDoux, Viking Penguin, New York, 2003.
• The End of Stress As We Know It. Bruce McEwen,
  Joseph Henry Press, Washington, 2002.
• Developmental Health and the Wealth of Nations.
  Editors Daniel P. Keating, Clyde Hertzman, The
  Guilford Press, New York, 1999.
• From Neurons to Neighborhoods. The Science of
  Early Child Development. Editors Jack P.
  Shonkoff and Deborah A. Phillips, National
  Academy Press, Washington, 2000.
• Early Years Study, Final Report Reversing the
  Real Brain Drain. Hon. Margaret Norrie McCain and
  J. Fraser Mustard, Publications Ontario,
  Toronto,1999.

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References

• 7. Vulnerable Children. Editor J. Douglas
  Willms, University of Alberta Press, Edmonton,
  2002.
• 8. Readiness to Learn at School. Magdalena
  Janus and Dan Offord, In Isuma (Canadian Journal
  of Policy Research) Vol. 1, No. 2, 2000.
• 9. Why are some people healthy and others not?
  Editors Robert G. Evans et al, Aldine De
  Gruyter, New York, 1994.
• The Early Years Study Three Years Later. Hon.
  Margaret Norrie McCain and J. Fraser Mustard, The
  Founders Network, 2002.
• Choice for parents, the best start for children
  a ten year strategy for childcare. Dept. for
  Education and Skills, HM Treasury.
  www.hm-treasury.gov.uk. 2004.