The latest edition of the Harvard Executive Leadership Programme on early childhood development, hosted by the Department of Global Health and Population at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, has concluded with great success.
The programme brought together leaders from diverse sectors across Brazil to share knowledge and craft strategies that can shape the nation’s future by focusing on its youngest citizens.
Led by Professors Marcia Castro and Aisha Yousafzai, the course featured globally renowned experts like Dr. Jack Shonkoff, Dr. Charles Nelson, and Dr. David Williams. These thought leaders provided cutting-edge insights to equip participants with the tools to tackle critical challenges in early childhood development.
Striving for high-level participants from across sectors
The Harvard programme attracted a wide range of high-level participants, including key figures from federal and state governments, parliament, the judiciary, civil society, academia, and media. Among them were officials from the Ministries of Social Development, Health, and Education, along with leaders of essential programmes like Bolsa Família and Criança Feliz, which focus on poverty reduction and child and family welfare.
Reflecting Brazil’s commitment to equity, the progamme emphasised diversity and inclusion, with participants bringing perspectives from Black and Indigenous communities. This is important to ensure that the voices shaping early childhood development policies are as diverse as the children they aim to serve.
Action plans to drive policy change forward
The programme’s core focus was to empower participants with the tools and knowledge necessary to develop concrete action plans aimed at transforming early childhood development policies at municipal, state, and federal levels. Each leader created a tailored strategy to address key challenges in this area.
As they move on to the next module at Insper, participants will deepen their engagement on these action plans and refine strategies, ensuring that the insights and skills gained at Harvard translate into meaningful policy shifts that benefit young children and families across Brazil.
The programme’s success would not have been possible without the partnerships with Porticus and Fundação Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal, highlighting the importance of global and local collaboration in advancing Brazil’s early childhood agenda.