What matters most for early childhood development? Evidence from Malda district, India

Correction: What matters most for early childhood development? Evidence from Malda district, India

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268985.].

School-Based Pre- and Post-Intervention Tests Assessing Knowledge about Healthy Lifestyles: A National School Health Awareness Campaign on Children Aged between 3 and 12 Years Old

In response to the diverse health challenges faced by today's youth and their extensive time spent in schools, we conducted a school health awareness campaign aimed at prioritizing well-being and academic performance. This analytical longitudinal study, spanning 27 schools in Lebanon, aimed to assess the impact of the awareness campaign on the health knowledge and practices of 5-, 8-, and 11-year-old students throughout pre- and post-intervention testing focused on general health and healthy habits, employing 11, 14, and 15 questions tailored to 5, 8, and 11 year olds, respectively. The questions covered various aspects, including sleep, personal and dental hygiene, nutrition, physical activity, addiction, security measures, and bullying. Out of the 7100 students who participated, 16.11% (1144 students) were evaluated before and after the campaign. The results indicated a significant increase in health awareness post-intervention across all age groups. For instance, in 5-year-olds, limited awareness decreased from 91.6% to 36.38%, while adequate awareness rose from 8.03% to 62.3%. Improvement varied across health knowledge topics, with security-related questions showing the highest enhancement. Factors such as governorate, normal-weight status, and close supervision influenced improvement. However, no significant correlations were found with school type, size, gender, age, nationality, parental factors, or comorbidities. The study concludes that the school health awareness campaign successfully heightened children's health awareness, advocating for the integration of regular health promotions into the standard educational curriculum.

Reading, singing, and storytelling: the impact of caregiver-child interaction and child access to books and preschool on early childhood development in Ghana

Optimal early childhood development (ECD) is crucial in shaping future academic and economic accomplishments. Recognising its profound influence, the United Nations has included a specific target and indicator related to ECD in the Sustainable Development Goals to ensure universal access to high-quality ECD for all preschoolers by 2030. This study investigated whether caregiver-child engagements, early stimulation, and learning opportunities are associated with ECD among children aged 36-59 months. Data on 6752 children were pooled from the 2011 and 2017 Ghana Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys. The ECD outcomes of interest were literacy-numeracy, social-emotional, learning-cognitive, and physical development, measured with UNICEF's Early Childhood Development Index (ECDI). Binary logistic regression assessed the effects of various caregiver-child engagements and early learning opportunities on the ECD outcomes. We found that most children were developmentally on track in the physical (95.0%) and learning-cognitive (86.4%) domains, but fewer were on track in the literacy-numeracy (36.7%) and social-emotional (68.6%) domains. Reading to or with a child (aOR 1.72; 95% CI 1.35-2.19), telling them stories (aOR 1.61; 95% CI 1.26-2.04), counting or drawing with them (aOR 1.63; 95% CI 1.30-2.04) and a child's attendance at preschool (aOR 4.62; 95% CI 3.34-6.38) were associated with a higher odds for on track literacy-numeracy development. Playing with a child was associated with higher odds of on-track social-emotional development (aOR 1.29; 95% CI 1.04-1.59), physical development (aOR 1.61; 95% CI 1.01-2.55), and learning-cognitive development (aOR 1.51; 95% CI 1.14-2.00). However, singing songs to or with a child (aOR 0.78; 95% CI 0.62-0.89) and taking a child outside the home (aOR 0.78; 95% CI 0.64-0.95) were associated with lower odds for on track social-emotional development. Access to children's books at home was associated with higher odds for on track literacy-numeracy and social-emotional development. In subgroup analysis, some observed associations varied depending on a child's residence (urban or rural). Our findings confirmed that caregiver-child  interaction and early learning opportunities could increase a child's likelihood of achieving early developmental milestones.

Dietary Intake among Children Attending Childcare Centers: Impact of the New CACFP Meal Guidelines

Through the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, USDA (US Department of Agriculture) made the first major changes in the CACFP (Child and Adult Care Food Program) meal and snack menu patterns. Childcare centers that serve low-income families qualify to participate and receive reimbursement for meals and snacks served. The purpose of this study was to assess what changes in children’s dietary behaviors occurred as a result of the new CACFP meal pattern requirements. This study evaluated these changes at childcare centers operating in Houston and San Antonio, Texas, USA, areas enrolled in the CACFP, pre- (Spring 2016) and post-implementation (Fall 2016–Spring 2017) of the new meal patterns. Dietary intake was assessed via observations of children, 3–5 years old, conducted at breakfast, lunch, and snack times. Results showed improvements in adjusted means of several nutrients and food groups consumption, post-implementation of new CACFP meal guidelines compared to baseline, specifically intake of whole grains, milk, and juice. Additional studies are needed to confirm the impact of the revised CACFP meal patterns along with strategies to assist providers in meeting the new standards to increase the access to and intake of items in accordance with the CACFP meal pattern requirements in childcare settings.