Financial Times special report on early childhood development

As the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos discusses how “human imagination and innovation” increasingly drive economies, Anne-Marie Slaughter cogently makes the case in a Financial Times op-ed for investing more in early childhood to develop these skills.

To coincide with decision-makers meeting in Davos, the Bernard van Leer Foundation has this week supported the FT to produce a special report on early childhood development comprising eight articles:

• “We need to focus on the under-fours to tackle inequality in Brazil” – Lucinda Elliott writes about how the Criança Feliz home visiting programme is supporting parents in poor districts.
• Jude Webber deep-dives into how an ancient Mayan method for learning maths is helping to teach critical thinking skills to young children in Mexico.
• Rebecca Collard reports from Beirut on how the prolonged high stress levels from growing up in a war zone can be lasting and toxic for refugee children.
• Simon Kuper summarises four things Nobel prize-winning economist James Heckman has learned from his research on interventions to improve parenting.
• Clive Cookson explains how researchers are scanning babies’ brains, before and after birth, to gain new knowledge on neurological conditions such as autism and cerebral palsy.
• Joseph Leahy reports from Amazonia on the childhood obesity epidemic that is resulting from families switching from fruit and vegetables to cheaper processed foods.
• Amy Kazmin’s dispatch from New Delhi takes a more hopeful look at malnutrition, showing how a national campaign in India is tackling stunting and anaemia.
• Neil Munshi reports from Philadelphia on an intervention to help parents teach children problem-solving skills and creativity by installing games in urban spaces.