Early childhood development index in Brazil: regional analysis

Abstract

The present study, a result of a work promoted by UNICEF, has the objective to show the advances in the different Brazilian geographic areas, on the basis of the Index of Early Childhood Development (IDI) of 1999 and 2004. This index tries to integrate, in a single information, relevant data about children aged 0 the 6 years old. Its use is very important for the formulation and monitoring of public politics focused on early childhood. In this measure, the text presents some considerations about early childhood, shows its proportional representation in the population and presents a comparative analysis of the regional results of IDI and the indicators of health and education that integrate it. Thus, this article contributes to describe the Brazilian infancy situation in the beginning of Century XXI.

child; education; maternal and childish health