Early childhood matters

Havana, 12 April 2024 - Early childhood learning and education are fundamental items of the package of services for the holistic development of children in the first years of life and underpin the social ecology of “loving and responsive care.” These services also encompass health, nutrition, early stimulation through responsive care and protection.

Quality Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE, by its initials in Spanish) services, including childcare, kindergarten education and preschool programmes (early childhood education), are fundamental to reducing inequalities, reducing cycles of poverty and guaranteeing the full exercise of rights.

The vital importance thereof is reflected in Target 4.2 of the Sustainable Development Goals. Quality early childhood education incorporates developmental educational strategies, supports the continuous training of academic staff and agents, and promotes the creation of safe, stimulating and enriching learning environments. At the same time, it facilitates the training of parents and caregivers to participate positively in the growth and education of their children during the early years of life.

Research has shown that children who attend quality early education programmes achieve better cognitive, physical and emotional development. They also acquire better conditions for timely entry and overall performance in elementary school and increase their chances for greater well-being and civic engagement and stability in their adolescent, young adult and adult lives.

Quality Early Childhood Care and Education enable children to reach their full potential as subjects of rights and participatory citizens, and represent an opportunity to develop effective programmes against discrimination, gender-based violence or violence against children. It also makes it possible to promote positive family environments and helps women or families in vulnerable situations to have better conditions for employment and economic entrepreneurship.

A new project for early childhood 

Early childhood education in Cuba is public and is considered the first sub-system of the National Education System. It is run by the Ministry of Education (MINED, by its initials in Spanish) and covers children from birth until they enroll in elementary school. It has two main modalities: institutional (childcare facilities and nursery schools) and non-institutional (Educate-your-child Programme).

UNICEF has been supporting early childhood education in Cuba for more than 15 years, including the strengthening of the Educate Your Child community social programme, the establishment of casitas infantiles (corporate childcare centres) and support to nursery schools in the aftermath of natural disasters.

Under this premise, UNICEF will continue strengthening early childhood education through the project “Increasing early childhood education coverage through the institutional modality. Strengthening comprehensive education and implementing parenting programmes with a gender focus in Cuba (2024-2027).”

In coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Trade, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and the Federation of Cuban Women, and backed by the financial support of the Generalitat Valenciana, the project will have a national scope. Notwithstanding, some interventions will be focused on communities or municipalities in vulnerable situations in Matanzas, Ciego de Avila, Havana and Holguín provinces.

The project will contribute to strengthening developmental education strategies and rehabilitating 21 nursery schools. It will also establish and fortify over 80 casitas infantiles, enabling more than 9,000 children to access quality education programmes. Moreover, it will support the entry of more than 9,000 women, including those in vulnerable situations, into the labour market, while more than 2,500 families will strengthen their capacities for positive, co-responsible and violence-free parenting. This initiative will also foster partnerships with national and local networks on care, women’s entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibility.

UNICEF is committed to investing in and promoting quality early childhood education initiatives because they represents a collective gain with a high social and economic rate of return for children, their families, education systems and societies as a whole.