Advancing the nutrition and early childhood development agenda: indicators and guidance

The importance of early childhood development (ECD) is scientifically established and is increasingly recognized by governments and international organizations. However, progress in protecting and improving ECD is constrained by multisectoral influences on ECD, the multiple sectors and venues for delivering services, the lack of a common fiscal and policy space, and weak or fragmented data and monitoring systems. This paper describes two tools and strategies to strengthen multisectoral, system-wide policy environments for ECD. One is the Systems Approach for Better Education Results (SABER)-ECD framework for tracking progress toward an integrated ECD system. Developed by the World Bank, SABER-ECD assists governments and their partners to take stock of their existing ECD policies and programs, analyze strengths and areas for improvement using common metrics, and learn from international examples. The other tool is an Agenda-Setting and Commitments framework, based on research in global health and nutrition that can guide national-level actors in their advocacy and strategic efforts to strengthen the integrated ECD system. These represent practical and research-based tools to translate scientific evidence concerning ECD into effective and large-scale actions.