Incluye bibliografía

1. Introduction -- 2. The concept of early childhood care and development -- 3. Coverage -- 4. Cost of ECCD programs -- 5. Per-capita cost of ECCD programs -- 6. Finance of ECCD program -- 7. Summary and conclusions -- Bibliography -- Annex.

A growing concern among the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean is how much they need to invest in Early Childhood Care and Development (ECDD) programs and what programs would be most cost-effective in this regard. Before such decisions can be made, however, it is essential to ascertain how much is currently being spent and what types of program should be included in the ECCD category. But these steps cannot be taken without a consensus on the fundamental concepts behind ECCD programs, beginning with the meaning of early childhood, childhood care, and childhood development. At present, there is no such agreement, and hence it is exceedingly difficult to prepare estimates of costs and finance, let alone determine the coverage of these programs. For the sake of the immediate well-being of children throughout the region, decision-makers and communities themselves must reach agreement on the type of programs that can best meet the needs of their individual countries and the amount of resources they are willing to invest. Such agreement will not be reached without a sound basis for comparing the real costs and impact of the various programs in the region.