Early Childhood Development Services in Armenia : Diagnostic Report
This report assesses the key constraints on the supply of (quantity and quality) and demand for early childhood development (ECD) services for pregnant women and children under the age of five in Armenia and puts forth recommendations on how to imp...
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| Format: | Report |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2019
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/978831571250660016/Early-Childhood-Development-Services-in-Armenia-Diagnostic-Report http://hdl.handle.net/10986/32615 |
| Summary: | This report assesses the key constraints
on the supply of (quantity and quality) and demand for early
childhood development (ECD) services for pregnant women and
children under the age of five in Armenia and puts forth
recommendations on how to improve access to ECD services for
poor and socially vulnerable families. The government of the
Republic of Armenia, with support from the World Bank and
other development partners, is currently expanding the
existing social work system in Armenia to more actively link
vulnerable families to ECD services. A specific objective of
the report is to inform the design of this expansion. The
World Bank team carried out a survey of ECD services
providers in the four marzes of Ararat, Gegharkunik, Lori
and Yerevan. The report draws heavily on the findings of
this facility survey, the Integrated Living Conditions
Survey (ILCS) 2017,3 the Social Snapshot and Poverty in
Armenia, the Armenia Demographic and Health Survey (DHS)
2015-16 (NSS 2017), and on other ECD-related studies
conducted in Armenia. The report’s assessment and
recommendations are also grounded in global evidence on ECD.
This evidence highlights the importance to human development
of receiving nurturing care in the early years. There is
robust evidence that early experiences shape the brain’s
structure and functioning, and that deprivations during the
prenatal period and early childhood can have substantial
negative impacts on later cognitive ability and educational
achievement. Early childhood development services that
promote nurturing care during this period are cost
effective, and programs for disadvantaged children during
early childhood have a higher rate of return than programs
introduced later in life. Services with proven benefits to
ECD include antenatal care, promotion of child nutrition and
micronutrient supplementation, parenting education, and
preschool education. Global evidence points to specific
interventions in each area that have proven impact. |
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