THE WORLD BANK INVESTS IN EARLY CHILD DEVELOPMENT (ECD)

1. THE WORLD BANK INVESTS IN EARLY CHILD DEVELOPMENT (ECD) • The World Bank : • Lends funds to client countries to support ECD projects and offers technical assistance to governments to effectively conduct the project implementation, and • Develops and disseminates knowledge on lessons learned from the implementation of ECD projects • around the world [www.worldbank.org/children] THE WORLD BANK ECD PORTFOLIOThe World Bank has increased its investment in ECD programs from approximately US$ 126 million in 1990 to a total of about US$ 1.5 billion in 2005. The World Bank has supported a total of 74 projects in about 47 countries. Of these projects, 15 have been freestanding operations and 59 have been human development projects with an ECD component. Active ECD Portfolio: Today the World Bank is supporting42 projects, 7 of which are freestanding ECD operations. Contact information: Mary Eming Young + (202) 473 3427 myoung3@worldbank.org Erika Dunkelberg +(202) 473 6733 edunkelberg@worldbank.org Marie Madeleine Ndaw+ (202) 473 3464 mndaw1@worldbank.org

2. THE WORLD BANK INVESTS IN EARLY CHILD DEVELOPMENT (ECD) LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN  • About 60 percent of children are enrolled in some form of pre-primary education (WDI 2004). • 50 percent of the total Word Bank financing has gone to countries in this region. • Today, the Bank has 1 active freestanding ECD project in the Dominican Republic and 11 country operations where ECD is a component of a larger education, health, or social protection project (this includes projects in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, and Uruguay). • Recently the Bank has been interested in Conditional Cash Transfers (CCT) as new mechanisms to deliver ECD services to children and their parents in LAC. CCT are becoming an important tool to improve young children nutrition and health outcomes. • The Bank is interested in comparing the impact of CCT on children’s outcome vis a vis alternative community interventions. SUB SAHARAN AFRICA • 12 active projects: two freestanding ECD projects (in Uganda and Eritrea), and 9 Human Development projects with an ECD component (in Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Rwanda, and Senegal). • Total Lending amounts to US$151 million. • A randomized baseline evaluation was conducted for the Uganda project. Results showed no noticeable change on cognitive development after children received ECD education but improved nutritional status for younger children and knowledge and practices of mothers. • The Bank also supports capacity building activities. The Bank sponsored the Third International ECD Conference in Ghana as well as several regional workshops. • Provides technical assistance and grants to support young children affected by HIV/AIDS. In this effort, an Operational Guidelines for Supporting ECD in Multi-sectoral HIV/AIDS Programs was published in collaboration with UNICEF and UNAIDS EAST ASIA PACIFIC • Bank portfolio is fairly recent in East Asia Pacific region and amounts to US$ 48 million • 2 of the current 14 freestanding ECD projects are in the region: in Indonesia and the Philippines • Other active projects with an ECD component include China & Vietnam. • One of the few thoroughly evaluated World Bank ECD projects is in the Philippines EASTERN & CENTRAL ASIA  • Relatively small portfolio for a total lending of US$ 28 million. • Projects focus on making ECD services available to the disadvantaged, particularly Roma children. • Supported three pilot community-based ECD programs in Kosovo, Macedonia, and Albania, with post conflict grants • The region put together a knowledge product: “the rationale for investing in ECD in ECA” which reviews the status of children ages 3 to 6 in the region. MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA • Low coverage of pre-primary EDUCATION (only 19%). • Total lending of US$ 118 • Active operations include: 2 freestanding ECD project in Egypt and Yemen, and 2 education projects with an ECD component in Turkey and Jordan SOUTH ASIA • Total lending for US$492.7. • Three large freestanding operations in India since 1990.