Early means early: understanding popular understandings of early childhood development in South Africa |
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| Authors: | Linda M Richter Mark Tomlinson Kathryn Watt Eric H Lindland |
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| Institution: | 1. DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Human Development, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa;2. Institute for Child and Adolescent Health Research and Department of Psychology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa;3. Department of Global Health, FrameWorks Institute, Washington, DC, USA |
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| Abstract: | Scientific and policy advances are putting early childhooddevelopment (ECD) at the center of efforts to improve humandevelopment. This study was undertaken to understand whatknowledge and attitudinal barriers exist that 25 hinder the full-scaleroll-out of services for the youngest children and their families.We used anthropological methods honed by the FrameworksInstitute to plumb beliefs about early childhood development amongmembers of the public and implementation and policy stakeholders,and compare those with the findings from ECD research. Whilemembers of the public and stakeholders agree on the importance ofECD, as demonstrated in other country settings, a major barrier todirecting services to the youngest children is a perceptual tendencyto ‘age up’. That is, to consider learning and other important skillsas being acquired in the pre-school rather than infancy period.Communication strategies that incorporate debate are neededto give full effect to the ECD and related policies, especiallyaround the topics of prioritizing the youngest 40 children, physicalpunishment, child rights, and the pervasiveness Q5 of threats toECD arising from poverty and disadvantage. |
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| Keywords: | Conceptuali?zations of early childhood implementation cultural models early childhood development |
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