Early childhood development is increasingly viewed as an affirmation of children's rights. This report describes the concept of early childhood development and presents several viewpoints regarding early childhood care and development, parenting, and approaches to early education. The report also presents 10 case studies of programs to enhance the…

This document reports progress made by the Narangwal Rural Health Research Center in understanding the interactions of nutrition and infection in India. As part of a longitudinal study, 11 Punjab villages were divided into groups and received health care, nurtitional supplements or a combination of both. A control group received only symptomatic…

This document consists of the three 1999 issues of The Bernard van Leer Foundation's "Early Childhood Matters." This periodical, addressed to practitioners in the field of early childhood education, evolved from an in-house publication directed to projects funded by the Bernard van Leer Foundation. Articles in the February 1999 edition…

Examined young British and Indian children's ability to distinguish between real and apparent emotion in response to stories involving child-adult and child-child interactions. Found that the younger Indian girls performed better than the younger British girls. Other age, gender, and cultural effects suggest a more social model of the…

Examines possible solutions for improving the status of children in India. Suggests that there is a need to focus on child rights issues related to public awareness, attitudinal change, political commitment, mass sensitization, and outreach. Suggests an appropriate strategy for the restoration of the rights of children in India. (AA)

Examined sex differences in perceptual and cognitive abilities and in reading skills among 922 first graders in the United States, India, and Taiwan. Found that girls scored significantly higher than boys on reading skills, visual memory, directionality, and ability to track nonsymbolic figures. Urban children outscored rural children on four…

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have demonstrated effectiveness in a spectrum of activities, including outreach to the poor, action against gender discrimination, and relief services. Partnerships between government and NGOs offer unique opportunities for progress toward sustainable development. In the context of some recent government…

The first Innocenti Global Seminar, which was sponsored by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), investigated the topic of Early Child Development (ECD). This summary report focuses on the three objectives of the seminar, which were to: (1) review critical issues in the field of child development so as to provide a rationale for investing…

This newsletter theme issue deals with the phenomenon of mobility or transience in India, Kenya, Greece, Ireland, Malaysia, Thailand and Israel. The primary focus is on mobility's effect on young children, specifically their health and education; some of the broader concerns also addressed by the newsletter are the causes of mobility and its…

In India, the use of language dialect and style, like many aspects of Indian thought and life, follows a continuum from the ritually pure and worthy of respect to the ritually defiled and unworthy. In North India, according to adult informants, Hindi is spoken at school, in formal business contacts or government offices, in formal ceremonies; it…

"Can You Hear Me? The Right of Young Children to Participate in Decisions Affecting Them" emphasises that participation enhances children's self-esteem and confidence, promotes their overall capacities, produces better outcomes, strengthens understanding of and commitment to democratic processes and protects children more effectively.…

The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) program was designed to promote the fundamental rights of young children in India. This paper assesses its effects on the survival, development, and education of young children in India by considering the results of two national level evaluation studies. Their findings indicate that the ICDS has…

This document consists of the three 2001 issues of The Bernard van Leer Foundation's "Early Childhood Matters," a periodical addressed to practitioners in the field of early childhood education and including information on projects funded by the foundation. Articles in the February 2001 edition focus on fathers and include: (1)…

There has, in recent years, been a reemergence of interest in the early years and a renewed emphasis on the importance of early education programs to ensure that all children start school ready to learn. At the same time, the move toward evidence-based policy development has led to the need to demonstrate the effectiveness of early education…

The Suraksha monograph series contains eight volumes which discuss innovative early childhood care and education programs in India, especially those which address the intersecting needs of women, young children, and girls. Each report in this series presents a case study of one program, highlighting its achievements, philosophy and goals,…