Getting an early start.

• Position: OAS - Early childhood education in Latin America

THE REGION'S HIGHEST-LEVEL education authorities pledged to strengthen early childhood education in their countries, noting that increased attention to the critical first few years of a child's life will yield long-term results and bolster efforts to fight poverty and inequality.

The Fifth Meeting of Ministers of Education, held in November in Cartagena, Colombia, concluded that families, schools, communities, and governments should work together to promote effective public policies in this area. In the "Hemispheric Commitment to Early Childhood Education," adopted at the meeting, the countries underscored the need to give priority to the most vulnerable segments of society and groups with special educational needs.

OAS Assistant Secretary General Albert R. Ramdin, who opened the meeting along with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, emphasized that "investing in education and investing in youth are the fundamental determinants to ensure the future of our countries." Citing studies by the Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman, Ramdin said the return on investment for every dollar invested in early childhood education is higher (eight to one) than for every dollar invested in secondary and higher education (three to one).

"It is in early childhood that the foundations are laid for achievement," the Assistant Secretary General said. "Yet there remains a huge disparity among the countries of the hemisphere with regard to preschool enrollment, ranging from...