Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/reaching-the-most-vulnerable-children/5016641/
In recent years, advocates and policy makers from around the world have made tremendous gains in the international community’s commitment to extending basic education to all children. From the Education for All objectives set forth in Jomtien, Thailand, in 1990 to the more recent pledges of the Millennium Development Goals, the conviction that universal education is not only a human right but also an achievable aspiration has earned widespread support.From the very outset of this movement, the importance of early childhood care and development (ECCD) has been clearly referenced. Indeed, formally adopted by the World Education Forum held in Dakar, Senegal, in 2000, the collective commitments affirm the international goal of “expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children” (UNESCO, 2005). While experts are not always in agreement regarding the precise outcomes of ECCD in developing countries, research shows that young children who participate in such programs are more likely to succeed in primary school and to remain enrolled through grades higher than do their peers who did not attend preschool (World Bank, 2004).
Beyond increasing primary school enrollment and retention, however, many communities around the world have come to view the care ...