In January 2014, the Board on Children, Youth, and Families of the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council, in collaboration with the IOM Board on Global Health, launched the Forum on Investing in Young Children Globally. At this meeting, the participants agreed to focus on creating and sustaining, over 3 years, an evidence-driven community of stakeholders that aims to explore existing, new, and innovative science and research from around the world and translate this evidence into sound and strategic investments in policies and practices that will make a difference in the lives of children and their caregivers.

Financing Investments in Young Children Globally is the summary of a workshop hosted by the Forum on Investing in Young Children Globally in August 2014. This workshop, on financing investments for young children, brought together stakeholders from such disciplines as social protection, nutrition, education, health, finance, economics, and law and included practitioners, advocates, researchers, and policy makers. Presentations and discussions identified some of the current issues in financing investments across health, education, nutrition, and social protection that aim to improve children's developmental potential. This report explores issues across three broad domains of financing: (1) costs of programs for young children; (2) sources of funding, including public and private investments; and (3) allocation of these investments, including cash transfers, microcredit programs, block grants, and government restructuring.

Contents

• THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
• PLANNING COMMITTEE ON FINANCING INVESTMENTS IN YOUNG CHILDREN GLOBALLY
• FORUM ON INVESTING IN YOUNG CHILDREN GLOBALLY
• BOARD ON CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND FAMILIES
• BOARD ON GLOBAL HEALTH
• Reviewers
• Acknowledgments
• 1. Introduction
  • FORUM ON INVESTING IN YOUNG CHILDREN GLOBALLY OVERVIEW
  • WORKSHOP FRAMING
  • WORKSHOP OVERVIEW
  • ORGANIZATION OF THE WORKSHOP SUMMARY REPORT
• 2. The Case for Financing Investments in Young Children
  • REFLECTING ON FINANCING FOR EARLY CHILD DEVELOPMENT
  • BUILDING AN INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD
  • BUILDING A FRAMEWORK WITH THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
• 3. Financing for Outcomes and Equity
  • KEYNOTE: WHAT IT MEANS TO FINANCE INVESTMENTS IN YOUNG CHILDREN
  • FINANCING IN THE CONTEXT OF CHILD RIGHTS
  • WHERE FINANCING IS MINIMAL
  • FINANCING SERVICES FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES: SHISHU BIKASH KENDRA CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTERS OF BANGLADESH
• 4. Lessons on Financing Investments from India
  • INVESTING IN YOUNG CHILDREN: INDIA'S EXPERIENCE
  • LESSONS LEARNED
• 5. Building Equitable Costing Models
  • HOW TO BUILD COSTING MODELS ON THE PRINCIPLE OF EQUITY FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
  • WHAT IS THE COST OF INVESTING IN YOUNG CHILDREN IN INDIA?
  • DESIGNING COSTING MODELS
• 6. Cash Transfers and Affordability
  • FAMILY INVESTMENTS
  • A HUMAN DEVELOPMENT PLATFORM WITH CASH TRANSFERS AND QUALITY SERVICES
  • CASH TRANSFERS, SOCIAL CARE, AND HIV PREVENTION
• 7. Models of Financing Structures
  • PUBLIC–PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS
  • ILIFA LABANTWANA: INCREASING ACCESS, INCREASING EQUALITY
  • THE EXPERIENCE OF PRATHAM
  • CONVERGING FUNDS FOR IMPACT
• 8. Linking Financing and Outcomes in Early Childhood Development
  • THE COST OF INACTION: A PRIORITY-SETTING FRAMEWORK FOR INVESTMENT
  • EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND PARENTAL EDUCATION IN WESTERN AND CENTRAL AFRICA
  • RESULTS-BASED FINANCING
  • INVESTING TO IMPROVE OUTCOMES
• References
• APPENDIXES
  • Appendix A Abbreviations and Acronyms
  • Appendix B Workshop Agenda
  • Appendix C Biographical Sketches of Workshop Speakers
  • Appendix D Poster Session Abstracts

Rapporteurs: Deepali M Patel and Charlee M Alexander.

This activity was supported by contracts between the National Academy of Sciences and the Accordia Global Health Foundation; the Aga Khan Foundation (unnumbered); Autism Speaks (unnumbered award); the Bernard van Leer Foundation (222-2012-043); The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1084405); the Fraser Mustard Institute for Human Development; Grand Challenges Canada (unnumbered); the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation (2013-9204); the Inter-American Development Bank (unnumbered); the Jacobs Foundation (2013-1079); the National Institutes of Health Fogarty International Center, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and National Institute of Mental Health; Nestlé Nutrition Institute (unnumbered); Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation; the Open Society Institute–Budapest Foundation (OR2013-10010); ReadyNation (unnumbered); the Society for Research in Child Development (unnumbered); UNICEF (unnumbered); U.S. Agency for International Development; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; U.S. Department of State (SAQMMA14M0612); the Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal Foundation (unnumbered); and the World Bank (unnumbered). The views presented in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the activity.

Suggested citation:

IOM (Institute of Medicine) and National Research Council (NRC). 2015. Financing investments in young children globally: Summary of a joint workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

NOTICE: The workshop that is the subject of this workshop summary was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.