'Report Card' Compares 25 Wealthy Nations, Plus First-ever School Success Index Ranks 100 Developing Countries

WESTPORT, Conn. (May 5, 2009) — Sweden tops the wealthiest countries in its commitment to early childhood development while Cuba and Armenia lead 100 developing countries in preparing young children to succeed in school, according to the 10th annual State of the World's Mothers 2009 report issued today by Save the Children, a global independent humanitarian organization.

The new report presents a first-ever index of 100 developing nations that ranks how well-prepared their youngest children are to succeed in school. Following Cuba and Armenia at the top are Cyprus, Chile and Azerbaijan. Children face the greatest obstacles to thrive at school in Chad, followed by Afghanistan, Burundi, Guinea-Bissau, and Mali.

In addition, an early childhood development "report card" compares 25 wealthy nations on how they meet 10 key benchmarks of early childhood development. Sweden meets all 10, while Canada and Ireland meet only one. 

Following top-ranked Sweden as the "best in class" are Iceland, which meets nine of 10 benchmarks, and Denmark, Finland, France and Norway, which meet eight. The poorest-performing countries after Canada and Ireland are Australia, which meets two benchmarks, and Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States, all of which only meet three. 

"Comprehensive early childhood development programs, starting in infancy, can put millions of children worldwide on the path to school success," said Charles MacCormack, president and CEO of Save the Children. "There are simple steps that parents and caregivers, even the poorest, can do to help babies and toddlers grow up healthier, do well in school, and reach their full potential."

School Success in Developing Countries

The report's School Success Index for Developing Countries is based on an analysis of key indicators of early childhood growth and development that together are highly predictive of completion of primary school. The indicators include a country's under-5 child survival rate, grade-one repetition rate, female literacy rate, and total fertility rate.

Among the report's key findings for the developing world:

• Countries in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa dominate the lower end of the report's School Success Index for Developing Countries, due to higher poverty, poor health care and inadequate schools throughout these regions.

• Twenty of the bottom 31 countries in the index are either currently experiencing armed conflict, emerging from conflict, or hosting large refugee populations from conflict in neighboring countries.

• Worldwide, at least 75 million children are not in primary school, either because they have dropped out in the early grades or because they never got the chance to attend school at all.

• World Bank economists estimate that each additional year of primary education increases a person's future productivity by 10 to 30 percent, depending on the country.

• Nearly 40 percent of all children under 5 in the developing world fail to reach their potential in cognitive development because of poverty, poor health and nutrition and deficient care. That's more than 200 million children worldwide.

Recommendations

To help ensure more children succeed in school, Save the Children has developed the following recommendations:

• Invest in better health care for mothers and young children.
• Provide coaching and information to help mothers and fathers give their young children the best possible chance to succeed.
• Improve training and support for early child care providers and preschool teachers.
• Expand early learning opportunities for children affected by AIDS, conflict and natural disasters.
• Increase government support for proven early childhood development solutions around the world.

Besides seeking support for early childhood education, Save the Children also is calling on world leaders to make more resources available to reduce child mortality rates worldwide and to meet the goal of providing primary education to all of the world's school-aged children.

"This report shows what a difference investing in a child's early years can make, and that making a commitment to mothers and their young children can change a country. It also shows how much more we need to do to give young children a better start in so many communities. But we can do it," MacCormack said.

Watch our YouTube video " A Success Story in Nepal" at:www.savethechildren.org/youtube

Download the report at: www.savethechildren.org/worlds-mothers-report-download

For more information, go to: www.savethechildren.org/worlds-mothers-report

Save the Children is the leading, independent organization that creates lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world.Save the Children works in more than 30 countries globally in partnership with governments, communities and corporations to deliver innovative early childhood development programs for children from birth through age 8.  Save the Children USA is a member of the International Save the Children Alliance, a global network of 27 independent Save the Children organizations working to ensure the well-being and protection of children in more than 120 countries. Follow us on Twitter.