Early childhood development: Why Kenya should urgently scale up investments in quality ECD services

Early Childhood Development (ECD) is the foundation upon which a child's future is built. It encompasses a child's physical, cognitive, social, and emotional growth during the first eight years of life, beginning in the mother's womb. These first eight years of life, therefore, present a ‘window of opportunity’ to nurture a child's full potential. Children who benefit from quality ECD programmes demonstrate better cognitive skills such as improved language, problem-solving, and critical thinking. They develop strong social and emotional skills with greater empathy, self-regulation, and positive relationships. These children are also better prepared for formal education or ‘readiness for schooling’ and are likely to enjoy improved livelihood prospects across their lives. Quality ECD programmes are indisputably a smart investment for the individual child, the country, and the region, argue Professor Amina Abubakar, Director of Institute for Human Development and Dr Anil Khamis, a senior researcher at the Aga Khan University.