Introduction

Early child development in developing countries 2011 

Four years after The Lancet published a first Series on early child development, the challenge of supporting 200 million children under five years to reach their developmental potential remains. A new Series of two papers and a Comment now documents progress worldwide. The Series aims to identify gaps in implementation and coverage of interventions, calculate the economic costs of missed investment in early learning programs, and present new evidence on the causes and effects of developmental inequities in early childhood.

1. Inequality in early childhood: risk and protective factors for early child development

2. Strategies for reducing inequalities and improving developmental outcomes for young children in low-income and middle-income countries

Video (Eng) | Child Development in Developing Countries 2011 (17:12)

Early child development in developing countries 2007

Many children younger than 5 years in developing countries are exposed to multiple risks, including poverty, malnutrition, poor health, and unstimulating home environments, which detrimentally affect their cognitive, motor, and social-emotional development.

1. Developmental potential in the first 5 years for children in developing countries

2. Child development: risk factors for adverse outcomes in developing countries

3. Strategies to avoid the loss of developmental potential in more than 200 million children in the developing world