Global minds: caregivers’ perceptions of early childhood development across sociocultural contexts

Background Global scale-up of early childhood development (ECD) interventions, including parenting programmes, has raised concerns about lack of alignment with local sociocultural values and norms. This study explored caregivers’ perceptions of ECD and their role in supporting their children’s development across sociocultural contexts. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 131 primary caregivers of children 0–36 months old in Brazil (n=21), Ghana (n=30), Guatemala (n=30), Hong Kong (n=30) and Lebanon (n=20). Thematic analysis examined common and unique themes related to caregiver perceptions of child intelligence, timing of early learning, child-directed speech and caregiver roles in promoting child development. Results Across all sites, caregivers described communication development as an important indicator of intelligence. Specific skills valued across contexts included cognitive alacrity (Guatemala, Hong Kong and Lebanon), preacademic skills (Ghana, Guatemala, Hong Kong and Lebanon) and independence with self-care activities (Brazil and Ghana). With regard to the timing of when children begin learning, caregivers across sites emphasised the developmental period between 1 year and 3 years for when children learn the most. Caregivers identified a range of ages for when they initiated speech with their children, including in the womb (Brazil and Guatemala) and across the first year of life (Ghana and Lebanon). Although caregivers across sites highlighted their role in teaching children socioemotional skills, there were site-specific differences in caregivers’ perceived roles for encouraging other skill domains (eg, preacademic skills in Brazil, motor skills in Ghana). Conclusions Findings demonstrate many similarities in caregiver perceptions of ECD across sites as well as site-specific findings that highlight unique caregiver perspectives. These results suggest that parenting interventions should consider targeting early childhood domains prioritised by caregivers across settings while also incorporating local priorities.