Africa's Future, Africa's Challenge : Early Childhood Care and Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

by World Bank

• ISBN13: 9780821368862
• ISBN10: 0821368869
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-01-18
• Publisher: World Bank

Summary

Early childhood, from birth through school entry, was largely invisible worldwide as a policy concern for much of the twentieth century. Children, in the eyes of most countries, were "appendages" of their parents or simply embedded in the larger family structure. The child did not emerge as a separate social entity until school age (typically six or seven). Africa's Future, Africa's Challenge: Early Childhood Care and Development in Sub-Saharan Africa focuses on the 130 million children south of the Sahel in this 0-6 age group. This book, the first of its kind, presents a balanced collection of articles written by African and non-African authors ranging from field practitioners to academicians and from members of government organizations to those of nongovernmental and local organizations. Africa's Future, Africa's Challenge compiles the latest data and viewpoints on the state of Sub-Saharan Africa's children. Topics covered include the rationale for investing in young children, policy trends in early childhood development (ECD), historical perspectives of ECD in Sub-Saharan Africa including indigenous approaches, new threats from HIV/AIDS, and the importance of fathers in children's lives. The book also addresses policy development and ECD implementation issues; presents the ECD programming experience in several countries, highlighting best practices and challenges; and evaluates the impact of ECD programs in a number of countries.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. xix
Acknowledgments	p. xxi
Contributors	p. xxiii
Abbreviations	p. xxvii
Introduction	p. 1
Children in Sub-Saharan Africa	p. 1
Children as Social Entities	p. 2
Children on the Agenda in Africa	p. 3
Why This Volume?	p. 3
Sections and Chapters	p. 4
Notes	p. 6
References	p. 6
Contexts	p. 9
The State of Young Children in Sub-Saharan Africa	p. 11
Indexes Indicate the Conditions of Children	p. 14
Children in Sub-Saharan Africa Fare Worse than Children in Most Other Regions	p. 17
Investments in Young Children	p. 26
Notes	p. 27
References	p. 27
Positioning ECD Nationally: Trends in Selected African Countries	p. 29
Africa's Young Children	p. 30
Evolution of ECD Policy	p. 31
ECD Links with International and Regional Conventions and African Development Policies	p. 32
National ECD Policies: Needs and Challenges	p. 36
Policy Development Process	p. 39
Conclusion and Key Actions	p. 44
Note	p. 48
References	p. 48
Early Childhood Care and Education in Sub-Saharan Africa: What Would It Take to Meet the Millennium Development Goals?	p. 51
Can the World's Goals for Children Be Met?	p. 52
Arguments to Support the Extension of ECCD Activities in Sub-Saharan Africa	p. 60
Policy Implications for Reaching ECD Goals	p. 66
Conclusion	p. 69
Notes	p. 69
References	p. 70
Brain Development and ECD: A Case for Investment	p. 71
The Economics of ECD	p. 72
Africa Today	p. 73
Why ECD?	p. 74
Brain Development and Function: The Science	p. 74
Literacy and Health	p. 80
Turning Around Poor Development in the Early Years	p. 83
Vulnerability and Cognition	p. 84
The Benefits of ECD for Africa	p. 85
Conclusion	p. 87
Notes	p. 88
References	p. 88
New Threats to Early Childhood Development: Children Affected by HIV/AIDS	p. 93
HIV/AIDS and Young Children: The Problem	p. 94
The Rationale for a Response	p. 100
Young Children Affected by HIV/AIDS: The Way Forward	p. 105
Notes	p. 108
References	p. 108
Sociohistorical Contexts	p. 115
ECD in Africa: A Historical Perspective	p. 117
ECD in the Colonial Era	p. 118
Indigenous ECD in Historical Perspective	p. 123
A Contemporary Community-Based ECD Model: Kenya's Harambee Preschools	p. 126
Conclusion	p. 130
References	p. 130
(Mis)Understanding ECD in Africa: The Force of Local and Global Motives	p. 135
Whose Interests Are Addressed in ECD Programs?	p. 136
Fundamentals of Indigenous African ECD	p. 139
Concluding Thoughts	p. 144
References	p. 146
Fathering: The Role of Men in Raising Children in Africa-Holding Up the Other Half of the Sky	p. 151
Absent Fathers	p. 152
Why Is It Important to Involve Men in the Care of Young Children?	p. 155
What Do Children Say About Fathers?	p. 158
Men's Care and Protection of Young Children	p. 159
What Still Needs to Be Done?	p. 161
References	p. 163
Policy Development	p. 167
ECD Policy: A Comparative Analysis in Ghana, Mauritius, and Namibia	p. 169
Ghana	p. 170
Mauritius	p. 173
Namibia	p. 178
Conclusion	p. 183
References	p. 185
Participatory ECD Policy Planning in Francophone West Africa	p. 187
The Three-Country Project	p. 188
Some Lessons Learned about ECD Policy Planning in Africa	p. 193
Future ECD Policy Challenges	p. 197
Note	p. 198
References	p. 198
Programming	p. 199
Responding to the Challenge of Meeting the Needs of Children Under 3 in Africa	p. 201
Key Issues: An Overview	p. 203
Case Studies: Exemplary and Innovative Approaches to Policy and Program Delivery	p. 209
Summary and Concluding Comments	p. 220
Notes	p. 222
References	p. 222
Introducing Preprimary Classes in Africa: Opportunities and Challenges	p. 227
South Africa	p. 229
Kenya	p. 232
Zimbabwe	p. 234
Lesotho	p. 238
Opportunities and Challenges: What Have We Learned?	p. 241
Conclusion	p. 244
Notes	p. 245
References	p. 246
Inclusive Education: A Mauritian Response to the "Inherent Rights of the Child"	p. 249
Inclusive Education: A Brief History	p. 251
The Experience in Mauritius	p. 252
Schools for Children with Special Education Needs	p. 253
From Segregation to Inclusion: A Long Road	p. 253
Developments	p. 259
The Inclusive Reform Strategy	p. 260
Conclusion	p. 261
References	p. 263
Parenting Challenges for the Changing African Family	p. 265
The Changing African Family	p. 265
A Focus on Families and Communities	p. 270
Strengthening Care for the Youngest Children through Parenting Programs	p. 271
Conclusion	p. 280
References	p. 281
ECD and HIV/AIDS: The Newest Programming and Policy Challenge	p. 285
Programming for Young Children Affected by HIV/AIDS	p. 285
Program Options	p. 288
Best Practices and Challenges	p. 298
The Policy Framework	p. 302
Conclusions	p. 309
Notes	p. 311
References	p. 311
Supporting Young Children in Conflict and Postconflict Situations: Child Protection and Psychosocial Well-Being in Angola	p. 317
The Angolan Wars and the Aftermath	p. 319
Tools to Support Young Children	p. 321
References	p. 328
Strategic Communication in Early Childhood Development Programs: The Case of Uganda	p. 331
The Need for Strategic Communication in ECD Programs	p. 332
Key Concepts of Strategic Communication	p. 333
Case Example: Uganda Nutrition and Early Childhood Development Project	p. 336
Conclusion	p. 344
Notes	p. 350
References	p. 350
Evaluations and Research	p. 353
The Synergy of Nutrition and ECD Interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa	p. 355
Synergy of Nutrition and Cognitive Development and School Readiness	p. 356
The Programmatic Synergy of Community Nutrition and ECD Approaches	p. 359
Conclusion	p. 367
Note	p. 367
References	p. 367
The Impact of ECD Programs on Maternal Employment and Older Children's School Attendance in Kenya	p. 371
The Kenya Household and ECD Centers Surveys	p. 373
Conclusions	p. 384
Notes	p. 385
References	p. 386
Madrasa Early Childhood Development Program: Making a Difference	p. 389
Background	p. 390
Goals	p. 392
Curriculum	p. 392
Management and Governance	p. 393
Operational Activities	p. 393
Program Sequence	p. 393
Research within the MRC Program	p. 395
Impact of the Program on the Community	p. 401
Conclusion	p. 403
Notes	p. 404
References	p. 405
Linking Policy Discourse to Everyday Life in Kenya: Impacts of Neoliberal Policies on Early Education and Childrearing	p. 407
Education Postindependence: From Harambee to the National Alliance Rainbow Coalition	p. 411
Final Reflections	p. 420
References	p. 422
Community-Based Approaches That Work in Eastern and Southern Africa	p. 427
A Review of Household and Community Interventions	p. 428
Survey Evidence on Changes in Key Family Care Practices	p. 432
Coordinating a Package of Interventions for Greater Efficiency and Effectiveness	p. 450
Conclusion	p. 453
Notes	p. 453
References	p. 454
Challenges and Ways Forward	p. 457
Can Early Childhood Programs Be Financially Sustainable in Africa?	p. 459
Considering Costs	p. 459
Policy Implications	p. 466
Creating an ECD Policy	p. 467
Unit Costs of the Policies	p. 470
The Simulation Model: Putting It All Together	p. 475
Summary and Conclusions	p. 482
Notes	p. 484
References	p. 484
A Tri-Part Approach to Promoting ECD Capacity in Africa: ECD Seminars, International Conferences, and ECDVU	p. 487
A Tri-Part Set of Initiatives: Seminars, Conferences, and the ECDVU	p. 488
Promoting Capacity through Multiple Approaches	p. 491
Next Steps	p. 498
Conclusion	p. 499
Notes	p. 500
References	p. 500
Index	p. 503
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