Culture and Early Childhood Development

Abstract

Universal aspects of early childhood development (ECD) are recognized globally, but cultural expectations of children’s competence vary widely across different domains, such as literacy and domestic responsibilities. The core challenge of ECD programs and policies is to integrate interventional goals with the biologically based developmental agendas of young children and the cultural expectations that shape their daily lives. This chapter presents a theoretical framework—the developmental niche—to help to clarify the issues involved in ECD across various cultural contexts, particularly in economically developing societies. We begin with a brief review of concept of culture as it applies to children and families, drawing from recent scholarship in psychology and anthropology. We then provide a description of the developmental niche as a framework for informing policy and improving program effectiveness. The final section illustrates the relevance of the developmental niche for ECD policy, using examples from several cultural regions.

Contextual and socioeconomic variation in early motor and language development

“…The presumed negative relationship between country income and early childhood development (ECD) is contrasted by a large body of work from cross-cultural psychology documenting that children from sub-Saharan Africa and other low-income country settings develop specific basic motor skills substantially earlier than children in high-income settings 13–17. This cross-cultural evidence suggests that early development may be less vulnerable to poverty and local environmental conditions than what has been documented for early life physical growth, and that other behavioural, cultural and environmental factors such as child care practices and resource access may be more important for early development than local income levels 18…”

“Poor brain development” in the global South? Challenging the science of early childhood interventions

“…Only a small number of cultural psychologists and anthropologists of childhood have begun to make use of this potential. Sara Harkness and colleagues addressed the need to consider children's specific developmental niche in ECD interventions (Harkness et al., 2013; Harkness and Super, 2020). Moreover, a group of anthropologists and psychologists outline the problems resulting from the global application of attachment theory to parenting interventions (Rosabal‐Coto et al., 2017) and raise ethical questions related to such interventions (Morelli, Quinn, et al., 2018).…”

“…To counter this deficit view, ethnographic research that accounts for the positive side of childrearing around the world—both in terms of what is actually there and what is valued—needs to be included in the knowledge base of global ECD. We hold that the recognition of caregivers’ beliefs, goals, and reasons behind their childrearing practices is a crucial precondition to avoid misjudgments and to develop truly meaningful projects for children and their families (see also Harkness et al., 2013; Morelli, Quinn, et al., 2018; Pence and Nsamenang, 2008; Scheidecker, Spallek, et al., 2021). Thus, context‐sensitive research on early childhood has important contributions to make regarding the fundamental premises of global ECD and specific programs.…”

Internal consistency and concurrent validity of the Peruvian Infant Development Scale tool in high-altitude rural Andean Peru

“…A number of factors contribute to good child development, including health, nutrition, safety, responsive parental care, and early stimulation (Black et al, 2017; Britto, Engle, & Super, 2013). In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), children often receive less stimulation during their early childhood years than those in high-income countries (Bornstein & Putnick, 2012; S Grantham-McGregor et al, 2007).…”