Los artículos presentados examinan las lecciones que pueden extraerse de las experiencias a nivel nacional en Cuba, Chile, Perú, Sudáfrica, Kenia, E.E.U.U., Reino Unido y Macedonia, así como otras derivadas de enfoques organizacionales como el aporte de Reggio Emilia en los E.EU.U., entre otras. Otros artículos debaten sobre lo que la "calidad" significa en el contexto de los servicios de la educación inicial; otro presenta la nueva herramienta del Banco Mundial para reunir pruebas sobre lo que funciona; y otro analiza cómo la tecnología interactiva puede ayudar a ampliar el aprendizaje temprano.

The latest edition of Early Childhood Matters looks at the question of how to scale up early learning provision without sacrificing quality. Articles consider lessons that can be learned from national-level experiences in South Africa, Kenya, the US, the UK, Macedonia, Cuba, Chile and Peru, as well as examining lessons at an organisational level with input from Reggio Emilia in the US, India's SEWA, the Caribbean's FDCC, ISSA in Central/Eastern Europe, and the OECD. Other articles discuss what "quality" means in the context of early education services, outline the World Bank's new SABER-ECD tool to collect evidence on what works, and ask how interactive technology can help to scale up early learning. Printed copies can be pre-ordered and will be available soon.

La violencia ejercida contra los niños pequeños se suele ocultar cuando ocurre en el hogar y la familia. Los artículos de esta edición de Espacio para la Infancia examinan la necesidad de obtener buenos datos sobre la cantidad de niños afectados, así como de disponer de mejores pruebas que muestre "lo que funciona" a la hora de reducir la violencia en el hogar. Entre las estrategias presentadas se encuentran programas para el fortalecimiento de las familias, la involucración de los padres (varones) y el desafío a las normas sociales. Entre otras, contamos con la entrevista a Maud de Boer-Buquicchio sobre el plan de acción del Consejo de Europa; los profesores Jack Shonkoff and Nathan Fox sobre la neurociencia y la exposición de los niños a la violencia en el hogar; Marta Santos Pais, la Representante de Naciones Unidas para la violencia contra los niños, analizando qué es lo que la ley puede hacer; Chris Mikton sobre cuestiones de evidencia, y UNICEF sobre su enfoque en esta temática. Además, se cuenta con experiencias en Perú (UNICEF sobre las Defensorías del Niño y del Adolescente), Países Bajos, Suecia, Brasil y Uganda.

Violence against young children is often hidden from view when it takes place in the home and the family. Articles in this issue of ECM explore the need for good data on how many children are affected, and for better evidence about what works to tackle violence in the home; among the strategies discussed in this issue are programmes to strengthen families, engage fathers in the early years and challenge social norms. Contributions include an interview with Maud de Boer-Buquicchio on the Council of Europe's action plan; Professors Jack Shonkoff and Nathan Fox on the neuroscience of children's exposure to violence in the home; Marta Santos Pais, UN Special Representative on violence against children, discussing what legislation can do; Chris Mikton on the WHO's quest for evidence and UNICEF on their approach to violence in the home; and contributions from the Netherlands, Sweden, Brazil, Uganda and Peru among others.

This working paper is part of the Studies in Early Transitions series emerging from Young Lives, a 15-year longitudinal study of childhood poverty in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam. It explores recent trends for children growing up in Andhra Pradesh, one of India’s most populous states, based on Young Lives survey data collected for a sample of 1950 young children born in 2001 plus in-depth qualitative research.

The paper discusses how poverty levels and location are strongly predictive of whether children attend government or private pre-school. It highlights policy challenges stemming from weak governance of the pre-school sector, notably how the relatively-unregulated and rapidly-growing private sector offers to initiate children into formal learning, in English, from a much earlier age than normally considered to be developmentally appropriate. And it identifies how government provision could be improved and strengthened.

Other working papers in the Studies in Early Transitions series are Early Childhood Transitions Research: A review of concepts, theory and practice (Working Paper 48, by Pia Vogler, Gina Crivello and Martin Woodhead); Equity and quality? Challenges for early childhood and primary education in Ethiopia, India and Peru (Working Paper 55, by Martin Woodhead, Patricia Ames, Uma Vennam, Workneh Abebe and Natalia Streuli); and Continuity and respect for diversity: Strengthening early transitions in Peru (Working Paper 56, by Patricia Ames, Vanessa Rojas and Tamia Portugal).

En este Cuaderno de Trabajo, los profesores de la Universidad de Gloucestershire (Reino Unido), Wendy Russell y Stuart Lester plantean el por qué el juego es fundamental para la salud y el bienestar de los niños. Argumentan que los países firmantes de la Convención de los Derechos de Niño (artículo 31 que  consagra el derecho al juego) y los adultos en general, deberían tomar seriamente la importancia de ofrecer unas adecuadas condiciones para que los niños jueguen. Según Gordon Burghardt, citado en este documento: "la problemática de definir el juego y su papel es uno de los mayores retos a los que se enfrentan la neurociencia, la biología del comportamiento, la psicología, la educación y las ciencias sociales en general … sólo una vez hayamos entendido la naturaleza del juego seremos capaces de entender cómo mejorar el destino de las sociedades humanas en un mundo mutuamente dependiente, el futuro de nuestra especie, y quizás incluso el destino de la misma biosfera."

Our annual report for 2010 details our grantmaking activities and financial situation for the past year. It discusses what impact our grantmaking has had, and what we've learned as we move forward with our new programme goals for 2011-2015. There are contributions from the chair of the board of trustees and the executive director, and an executive summary in Spanish.

In this working paper, Wendy Russell and Stuart Lester of the UK's University of Gloucestershire discuss why play is fundamental to the health and well-being of children. They argue that both state signatories to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Article 31 of which enshrines the right to play) and adults generally should take seriously the importance of providing suitable conditions for children to play. In the words of Gordon Burghardt, quoted in the working paper, "The problem of defining play and its role is one of the greatest challenges facing neuroscience, behavioural biology, psychology, education and the social sciences generally... only when we understand the nature of play will we be able to understand how to better shape the destinies of human societies in a mutually dependent world, the future of our species, and perhaps even the fate of the biosphere itself."

This edition of Early Childhood Matters looks at young children’s experiences of growing up in urban settings. A quarter of the world’s children live in poor urban settlements - a fact which presents opportunities to deliver accessible services cost-effectively, but also poses many challenges. The challenges explored in these articles include violence in Venezuela and Mexico, fear of "stranger danger" in Australia, domestic violence and space to play in Rotterdam, involving communities in Peru and Brazil, social structures of the European Roma, and emergency response in Nairobi. The articles feed into an understanding of one of the Bernard van Leer Foundation's programming goals, to improve young children's physical environments - in this case, the various root characteristics of urban  environments that impact the physical and mental development of young children throughout their lives.