Since well before Boa Vista joined the Bernard van Leer Foundation’s Urban95 programme in 2017, the city’s five-term mayor, Teresa Surita, had prioritised early childhood development services as crucial for narrowing the gap between rich and poor.
Surita had long viewed early childhood development services as crucial for improving life chances and attaining that goal, and she had partnered with several programs to expand parent coaching and other opportunities.
Building on work already done, Surita and her department heads undertook projects that included adapting a neighbourhood to the needs of young children and their caregivers and building a cutting-edge data dashboard and alert system designed to ensure citizens would get help when they needed it.
This case study explores how those efforts stayed on track while also extending assistance to families among the refugees fleeing deprivation and violence in neighbouring Venezuela.
We commissioned this case study with Princeton University as part of a series that explores Urban95 implementation from a municipal leadership perspective.
Management case studies
A Solid Start for Every Child: The Netherlands Integrates Medical and Social Care, 2009−2022
Management case studies
Seizing Opportunities, Strengthening Synergies: Lima Frames a Collective Strategy to Advance Early Childhood Development, 2019–2021
Management case studies
Bridging the Divide: Coalition Building for Early Childhood Development in Istanbul, 2016–2020
Management case studies
Governing from a Child’s Perspective: Recife Works to Become Family Friendly, 2017–2019
This collection of seven case studies from Princeton University documents how municipalities have prioritised their youngest residents through Urban95.
