Annual Report 2023

2023 Annual Report

A Letter from the management

Working for the cause of early childhood is a complex challenge, involving multiple actors, spheres, sectors, people and emotions. This was no different in 2023. Our conviction about the value of investing resources, focus, and love in early childhood development remained steadfast.

By “complex challenge,” we mean that the early years of life consist of numerous interconnected elements that must work together to function well. Strategic choices must be made to effectively direct energy and investments. In 2023, we evaluated these aspects and made significant progress. We focus on two pillars: advancing public policies by collaborating in the creation, execution, and monitoring of actions that directly impact children and their families, and mobilizing society for early childhood by drawing attention to the importance of the first few years of life and positive parenting practice.

To promote public policies, we work with various branches of the executive and legislative sectors, which were renewed in 2023. We chose to concentrate our efforts on high-impact projects. We initiated dialogue, found opportunities, and have solidified partnerships. Our goal was to ensure that early childhood was a priority for the new leaders in all Brazilian states and the federal government. To strengthen the cause, we held events and courses in partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The results, as you will read in this report, exceeded expectations.

Together with ‘Todos pela Educação’ (‘All for Education’), we took on the role of technical rapporteurs for the Early Childhood Working Group within the Council for Sustainable Economic and Social Development (‘CDESS’ in the Portuguese acronym), known as the “Conselhão,” and we are diligently working on recommendations for a draft of a National Policy for Early Childhood, which will be delivered to Brazil’s President. In Congress, we advocated for the inclusion of early childhood education in the Multiyear Plan and raised our voices against the advancement of the bill authorizing homeschooling.

Mariana Luz, CEO

Tracy Francis, Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees

On the other hand, we work to mobilize society to increase awareness of the importance of early childhood, recognize the potential of this phase, and understand their rights. We have increased efforts to raise journalists’ awareness through training programs like the fellowship with the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma at Columbia University and partnerships with independent or marginalized journalists, such as our collaborations with ‘Nós, Mulheres da Periferia’ (‘We, the Women on the Margin’)—a news website run by Black and marginalized women in São Paulo—and Alma Preta.

We also had help from ‘Nelson, o Nenê’—a Brazilian animated character created to engage and educate young audiences about the importance of early childhood development and collective care—who expanded his role as a spokesperson for young children beyond digital channels, reaching communities in partnership with the NGO Gerando Falcões. In Ferraz de Vasconcelos, São Paulo, Nelson featured in the Criança é responsa de todo mundo! (‘Children are everyone’s responsibility!’) campaign, highlighting the importance of collective care for young children.

We also have some exciting news to help raise awareness: as of 2023, August has been officially designated as Early Childhood Month.

To support these initiatives, we believe in continually expanding and strengthening our ecosystem, creating new connections, and uniting partners to drive early childhood development. We’re focusing even more on this in 2023, but it’s been a commitment throughout the Foundation’s history.

This commitment is evident in our celebration of the 10th international edition of the ‘Programade LiderançaExecutivaemDesenvolvimentodaPrimeira Infância’ (‘Executive Leadership Program in Early Childhood Development’ / ‘ELP’), held at Harvard University and Insper, and the 10th International Symposium on Early Childhood Development—both initiatives of the Núcleo Ciência pela Infância (NCPI).

Another significant milestone is the creation of the Intelligence Committee, which brings technical expertise to evaluating the positive impacts of theFoundation’s work, fortifying our planning and governance capabilities.

These advancements—and many others detailed in the following pages—are the results of a year of dedication and commitment from our team, governance, and the Souto Vidigal family. We warmly thank each and every person who has been part of another year of work and love for early childhood in Brazil.

We know there’s still a lot of work to be done. As with any complex issue, it will require commitment, resilience, focus, and love for the cause. We are confident that none of these will be lacking.

Thank you very much, and enjoy the read.

Mariana Luz, CEO

Tracy Francis, Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees

Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal Foundation

Governance

Board of Trustees

Investment Committee

Intelligence Committee

Alexandre Carmona Grynberg

Igor Lima

Maria Helena de Bueno Vidigal Chagas

Marina Guaspari De Brito Gonçalves

Rachel Maia

Sandra Grisi

Tracy Francis (Chair)

Fiscal Board

Adriana Katalan (Chair)

Paulo Sergio Mion

Roberto Munhoz Miranda

André Reginato (Chair)

Guilherme Vidigal Andrade Gonçalves

Hans Phillip Mueller

Hélio Nogueira da Cruz

Igor Lima

Roberto Manoel de Oliveira Chagas Neto

Communication

Committee

Alexandre Carmona Grynberg

Beatriz Azeredo

Clarissa Orberg

Luciana Alves

Tania Savaget

Teresa Guarita Grynberg (Chair)

Antonio Napole Dandara Ramos

Fabio Muniz

Renard Aron

Sandra Grisi

Teresa Surita

Early Childhood

Early childhood is the most intense and crucial phase of human development. During this period, the brain forms up to one million synapses per second, undergoing complete construction. Children are receptive to exploring the world and quickly assimilate all their experiences. These first six years are a window of opportunity, laying the foundations for motor, cognitive, linguistic, and socio-emotional development.

Scientific research indicates that a healthy and stimulating early childhood can reduce inequalities, break cycles of poverty, combat various forms of violence, and ultimately contribute to societal development.

That’s why, since 2007, the Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal Foundation has been dedicated to ensuring that all Brazilian children in early childhood have the right to reach their full potential.

The Foundation’s mission is in line with Target 4.2 of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aims to “ensure that all girls

and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre- primary education so that they are ready for primary education.”

Our work also adheres to the Child and Adolescent Statute, the Legal Framework on Early Childhood, and Article 227 of the Federal Constitution of 1988, which establishes children as an absolute priority.

In this context, given the importance of development in the first few years of life, children in early childhood also become a priority. It’s not about favoring one group over another; it’s about nurturing the early years when the foundations are laid for a child’s social, physical, cognitive, and emotional development to reach their full potential. Caring for this period means protecting the present and boosting their future. Caring for early childhood development also means taking care of society as a whole.

That’s why the Foundation, in collaboration with various partners, is committed to making early childhood a national priority. Not tomorrow, but right now.

The Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal Foundation has been dedicated to ensuring that all Brazilian children in early childhood have the right to reach their full potential

Our History

The 59-year history of the Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal Foundation began as a tribute by Gastão Eduardo de Bueno Vidigal and his wife, Maria Cecília Souto Vidigal. They established the organization in 1965 in memory of their daughter, Maria Cecilia, who passed away at the age of 13 from leukemia. Until 2001, the Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal Foundation worked in partnership with the University of São Paulo Medical School to promote research, translation, and dissemination of knowledge in the field of hematology.

Gradually, after thoughtful reflection on societal demands and influenced by scientific studies, the oundation embraced the cause of Early Childhood. They believe that experiences in the early years are crucial not only for the child’s development but also for society as a whole.

Since then, the Foundation has collaborated with various partners, contributing to Brazil’s having one of the most advanced pieces of legislation across the globe based on scientific evidence: the Legal Framework on Early Childhood. This law is the result of joint efforts by different agents and entities.

Through influential work with policymakers to bolster policies for children and families, the Foundation aims to make early childhood a national priority by mobilizing the entire ecosystem and engaging society in this vital cause.

The Foundation aims to make early childhood a national priority by mobilizing the entire ecosystem and engaging society in this vital cause.

How we work

Our initiatives focus on advancing public policies and mobilizing society for early childhood

Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal Foundation's initiatives are based on two main strategies to prioritize the cause of early childhood:

Advancing public policies and

Mobilizing society

These strategies are both complementary and progressive. A society that recognizes the importance of early childhood and the fundamental rights of children will naturally advocate for policies that protect them. Providing quality services to the population is crucial for child development and contributes to building a fairer and more equitable country.

In this context, the Foundation’s strategies focus on thematic areas – early childhood education, parenting, and early childhood development – and engage with priority groups, the federal executive and legislative branchess, state and municipal executive branches, communicators, opinion leaders, the general public, families in vulnerable situations, and the broader ecosystem.

Theme areas Early childhood development evaluation

Monitoring each child’s development is crucial to ensure they reach their full potential. That’s why it’s essential to build a care network trained in monitoring, screening and stimulating this development. This network must collaborate with caregivers, keeping them informed and engaged to provide the necessary stimuli, incentives, and support for every child’s early life.

Most information available in Brazilian research and databases focuses on survival or biological aspects (such as weight and height), often overlooking significant milestones in child development. Important tools for data collection, such as the Child Health Care Handbook and certain conditions of income transfer programs, have low adherence or insufficient information.

This lack of metrics is an obstacle to effectively planning and implementing public policies that address children’s needs and reduce inequalities that emerge in early childhood and persist throughout life.

Consequently, the Foundation has prioritized early childhood development evaluation as a key theme area of action. After all, what cannot be measured, cannot be improved.

The Foundation’s strategies are developed based on action in theme areas and engagement with priority groups

Early Childhood Education

Early childhood education, the first stage of basic education, is a constitutional right of every Brazilian child and should promote proper development and learning opportunities. A poor-quality education at this stage can inhibit the child’s development, which is why this stage is so crucial. Studies show that access to quality education in the first few years of life contributes to a child’s development of skills and abilities, having a positive impact on the subsequent stages.

Despite the fact that Brazil has made advances in recent decades, children’s access to this stage of education has not achieved the goals set forth in the National Education Plan (‘PNE’ in the Portuguese acronym). The goal was to reach 50% of children enrolled in daycare by 2024, but we have achieved only 38.7%—even though this stage is not mandatory. As for preschool, which is mandatory for children between 4 and 5 years old, the goal was to serve 100% of the public. However, 441,000 children (7.1%) in this age group are still out of school. These figures are from the 2023 National Household Sample Survey (PNAD) on Education.

Although 99% of municipalities have curricula aligned with Brazil’s National Learning Standards (BNCC) for Early Childhood Education, assessing the quality of implementation remains a challenge. Most surveys only provide data on access or infrastructure, failing to analyze other crucial aspects such as pedagogical practices, interactions between children, and the diversity of learning opportunities.

Early childhood education was chosen as one of the priority theme areas for action because it is a fundamental stage for girls and boys to develop, experience all the richness of the early years, prepare for the next stages of learning.

Consequently, the Foundation advocates for the provision of quality education in daycare for those who want or need it and preschool for all children.

Parenting

Parenting, the relationship between the adult and the child, plays a central role early childhood development.

Care, stimulation, and affection from the first few years of life help build solid and secure bonds and can be decisive in children’s lives, impacting both their present and future. Conversely, exposure to adversities and risk factors such as poverty, food insecurity, and violence poses severe obstacles to child development.

Of the 18.1 million children in early childhood in Brazil today, 10 million (55.4%) are in situations of poverty. One in three households with young children experiences food insecurity, and child vaccination coverage has declined from 100% in 2002 to 78% in 2022. The country continues to face profound and structural challenges with gender, ethnic-racial, socioeconomic, and regional inequalities.

Initiatives and public policies that support adults in their role as caregivers and promoters of child development, such as income transfer programs, parental empowerment, and home visits, have proven effective in combating these challenges. Therefore, it is essential to expand and enhance these services to serve families in their various forms, especially those in vulnerable situations.

Parenting was chosen as one of the Foundation’s priority themes because it is crucial to ensure that families and children in early childhood are supported, protected, and have their rights fully met.

Activities

Production of Knowledge

The aim is to generate analysis, data, and information that support and enhance the other strategies.

Mobilization of leaders

This initiative seeks to raise awareness among decision-makers—and those who influence them—about early childhood public policies at the municipal, state, and federal levels.

Technical support and public policies

The goal is to collaborate in the creation, implementation, and monitoring of actions that directly benefit children and their families.

Raising the awareness of society

This effort focuses on drawing society’s attention to the importance of early childhood and promoting positive parenting practices.

Strengthening the ecosystem

The objective is to expand the network of organizations and partners working to bolster policies and actions for early childhood.

Advancing public policies

As part of its strategy to leverage policies, the Foundation works at the federal, state, and municipal levels, as well as with the federal legislature, to ensure that providing quality services to the population has a crucial impact on child development

Initiatives Federal Executive Branch

rnment administration Vidigal Foundation sed its efforts on raising awareness and se of early peration with Since August last year, Educação’ have or the Early in the Council for l Development nym), known as the mmendations for cy to be delivered

It was also a year of solidifying partnerships with national and international organizations to conduct studies and research, enabling the country to understand how young children are developing in various dimensions and progressing towards Target 4.2 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Among these initiatives, the Foundation is leading the coalition to conduct research in Brazil using instruments from the International Early Learning and Child Well-being Study (IELS) of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Global Scales for Early Development (GSED) of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Early Childhood Working Group of the Council for Sustainable Economic and Social Development (CDESS)

In partnership with ‘Todos Pela Educação’, the Foundation acts as the technical rapporteur for the Early Childhood Working Group within the Council for Sustainable Economic and Social Development (‘CDESS’ in the Portuguese acronym), known as the “Conselhão.” This working group is one of eight formed by the Conselhão, a consultative body associated with Brazil’s current administration.

The primary goals of this working group, which includes various advisors and civil society representatives, are to elevate early childhood issues on the federal government’s agenda in a comprehensive, intersectoral manner and to help develop an Integrated National Policy for Early Childhood.

Launched in August 2023 and set to run for 180 days, the Early Childhood Working Group has facilitated debates, roundtables, mapping efforts, and technical meetings focused on advancing public policies for children up to age six and their families.

Immersions and regional meetings were held to understand the main local policies and practices for early childhood in areas such as Recife (PE), Fortaleza (CE), São Paulo (SP), and Boa Vista (RR). Experiences were also examined in Colombia, known for its ‘De cero a siempre’(‘From zero to forever’) policy, an intersectoral federal government strategy for comprehensive early childhood care.

At the end of 2023, the Foundation participated in the Council’s plenary session, where part of the proposal to build an Integrated National Policy for Early Childhood was presented. The work will continue into 2024, culminating in the completion and submission of the plan to Brazil’s President.

Assessing Preschool Child Development: Implementing the International Early Learning and Child Well-being Study (IELS) in Brazil

The International Early Learning and Child Well-being Study (IELS) is an initiative by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) aimed at collecting unpublished data and producing indicators on the well-being, learning, and development of 5-year-old children across different countries. Its goal is to generate a comprehensive diagnosis to support the formulation and strengthening of national policies, particularly in early childhood education, and to enable comparative analyses between countries.

In Brazil, the implementation of IELS is led by a coalition spearheaded by the Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal Foundation, with funding partners including B3 Social, Instituto Beja, Instituto Tecendo Infâncias, Itaú Social, and the Lemann Foundation. The study will be conducted between 2024 and 2026, involving a survey of families and educators of 4,000 children in over 280 schools. The final results and analysis will be made available upon completion.

The initiative combines information on the child’s background and previous experiences, emerging literacy and numeracy, self-regulation, and socioemotional skills. By considering the environments in which children live and allowing them to express their interests and future aspirations, the study aims to broaden the understanding of diverse childhoods across the country, encompassing different regions and contexts of vulnerability.

Seven other countries are part of the initiative: Azerbaijan, Belgium, the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands, England, Malta, and Switzerland. By participating in the group evaluated by IELS, Brazil joins an international community that prioritizes early childhood as its primary focus — a valuable forum for exchanging ideas and jointly developing public policies for early childhood.

Support for the Global Scales for Early Development (Gsed): assessment of the development of children up to 3 years old

In 2023, Fundação joined the group of global organizations that support the second phase of the Global Scales for Early Development (Gsed), an initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO) to contribute to the monitoring of the achievement of goal 4.2 of the Sustainable Development Goals, which foresees the guarantee of care, quality early childhood education, and comprehensive development in early childhood for all children by 2030.

Gsed aims to build a set of free-to-use and internationally comparable instruments to monitor the comprehensive development of children up to 36 months at the population and individual levels. Moreover, it assesses the impact of programs and policies for this purpose.

The first phase of the project included the validation of instruments in three countries: Bangladesh, Pakistan and Tanzania. The second stage is ongoing, between

2023 and 2025, in Ivory Coast, China, the Netherlands and Brazil. The goal is to create development standards (DPI curves) and adapt the tool for clinical assessment use in cases of children at risk of development. The Child Development Center of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of São Paulo is the technical partner in Brazil and will conduct the study in São Paulo (SP) and Pelotas (RS).

The set of Gsed tools will collaborate for an in-depth analysis of the current situation of child development in the very early childhood in Brazil, providing unprecedented information to support the strengthening of public policies that serve infants, young children and their families.

2022 PIPAS Project: Comprehensive child development in Brazilian capitals

The ‘PrimeiraInfânciaParaAdultosSaudáveis’/ ‘PIPAS’ Project (‘Early Childhood for Healthy Adults’), a partnership between the Ministry of Health and the Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal Foundation, expanded this year to reach 13 Brazilian capitals. This strategy was developed to rapidly collect information from young childrens caregivers on health, nutrition, learning, responsive care, safety, and the development of motor, language, cognitive, and socio- emotional skills, similar to multi-vaccination campaigns.

In addition to workshops supporting the capitals in creating action plans to improve critical early childhood indicators, a publication, “2022 PIPAS

Project: Indicators of comprehensive child development in Brazilian capitals,” was released presented the

results of a survey of 13,435 caregivers of children aged 0 to 5 in these capitals. The initiative was launched during the 10th International Symposium on Early Childhood Development, hosted by Núcleo Ciência pela Infância (NCPI) on October 25, 2023, in Brasília. It received significant national media coverage, with more than 300 articles in major media outlets.

Among the unpublished data presented, the highlights the impacts of social inequality in the country: one in four children may have developmental delays by the age of 5. The incidence is higher among those who are socially vulnerable and experience food insecurity.

The survey helps guide the implementation of actions, programs and policies focused on comprehensive care and promoting the development of infants and young children. The conclusion of this stage will include a series of workshops with the 13 capitals and a publication compiling the strategies adopted by the entities to address the critical indicators.

Quality of Early Childhood Education in Brazil: Analysis of Brazil’s

National Learning Assessment (SAEB Scale, 2021)

Released in November 2023, the study conducted by the ‘Laboratório de Pesquisa em Oportunidades Educacionais da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro’ (‘Educational Opportunities Research Laboratory of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro / ‘Lapope/UFRJ’) presents an unprecedented diagnosis of the quality and inequalities of early childhood education in Brazil. This diagnosis is based on data from Brazil’s National Learning Assessment (SAEB Scale, 2021) on Early Childhood Education (included for the first time in the assessment), the 2022 School Census, and demographic databases.

The study is divided into two additional publications: an analysis of early childhood education quality indicators for each state in Brazil and a guide with thoughtful reflections on technical aspects and suggestions for strengthening the evaluation of early childhood education quality in future editions.

These publications, available in the Foundation’s online library, provide valuable, consolidated data and important reflections that can support public policies aimed at promoting access, ensuring quality, and reducing inequalities in early childhood education.

Update of the National Quality Parameters for Early Childhood Education

The National Quality Parameters for Early Childhood Education establish benchmarks for the organization and operation of early childhood education institutions. This document provides crucial support for municipal networks to plan improvements in daycare and preschool services in collaboration with states and the federal government and monitor their quality

The first version of the parameters was published in 2008 and has been periodically updated, with the latest version released in 2019. In 2023, the Ministry of Education opened a new process of discussion, revision, and updating with the support of the Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal Foundation.

In December 2023, the Ministry of Education held the 1st Technical Meeting of the National Quality Parameters for Early Childhood Education. In addition to representatives from the Ministry and the Foundation as host supporters, the meeting brought together members of various organizations, including the ‘ConselhoNacionaldeEducação’ (‘National Council of Education’ / ‘CNE’), the ‘UniãoNacional dosDirigentesMunicipaisdeEducação’ (‘Brazilian

Municipal Education Directors Union’ / ‘UNDIME’), the ‘União Nacional dos Conselhos Municipais de Educação’ (‘National Union of Municipal Education Councils’ / ‘UNCME’), the ‘Conselho de Secretários de Educação das Capitais’ (‘National Council of Secretaries of Education from Capital Cities’ / ‘CONSEC’), the ‘Rede Nacional Primeira Infância’ (‘National Early Childhood Network’), UNICEF, Avisa Lá, Avante, the ‘Movimento pela Base (‘Movement for Brazil’s National Learning Standards’ / ‘BNCC Movement’), Instituto Rodrigo Mendes, Itaú Social, and the ‘Interfóruns de Educação Infantil do Brasil’ (‘Inter- forum Movement for Early Childhood Education in Brazil’). Professors Maria Malta and Zilma de Oliveira participated as guests of honor in the discussions, gathering contributions, perceptions, criticisms, and suggestions for improving the document from previous versions.

In 2024, the process will also include a public consultation and additional technical meetings to refine the version that will be submitted to the CNE for final deliberation. The Foundation will monitor the process and regulations and support the dissemination of the material in coordination with the Ministry of Education.

Reorganizing the Criança Feliz Program within the Brazilian Social Assistance System (SUAS)

The federal ‘Criança Feliz’ (‘Happy Child’) program, established in 2016 following the approval of the Legal Framework on Early Childhood, aims to promote the development of children up to 6 years old through home visits. Between 2018 and 2022, the Foundation partnered with Itaú Social and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to help the federal government evaluate the program’s impact and implementation.

Based on this evaluation, the Ministry of Development and Social Assistance, Family, and Fight against Hunger invited the Foundation and other organizations to join the Technical Chamber in 2023. Their mission is to help reorganize the program within the Brazilian Social Assistance System (SUAS) and improve social assistance for families and young children in early childhood.

Key changes include expanding the target audience of the Basic Social Protection Service at Home to include children and expectant mothers, improving the

frequency of visits and the methodologies used, and strengthening intersectoral strategies to address the challenges identified in the evaluation.

The reorganization of Criança Feliz within SUAS also involves integrating with the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) to enhance intersectoral care for pregnant women and children. This integration combines social assistance services, such as home visits, with health services like prenatal care, growth and development check- ups, and vaccinations.

Through this effort, the Foundation emphasizes the importance of evaluations as essential tools for enhancing and gradually strengthening largescale public policies. It also highlights the need for continuing home visits in coordination with other services and benefits for children in early childhood.

Quality parameters for parenting programs and services in Brazil

In partnership with experts in parenting programs and services, the Foundation published “Parâmetros de qualidade dos programas e serviços de parentalidade no Brasil: guia de orientações” (The Guide for Quality Parameters for Parenting Programs and Services in Brazil) in 2023. This publication includes indicators, criteria, and strategic components of these programs, tailored to the Brazilian context. The document was completed after an in- depth literature review, input from managers, and technical advice.

The content offers recommendations to guide managers in designing and developing parenting initiatives, enhancing the quality of care provided to families and children in early childhood.

Another related study is the “Síntese de evidências” “Evidence Overview,” which identifies elements that positively impact the quality of parenting strategies and supports the development of standards. This document was created based on an analysis of evaluations of parenting programs worldwide, providing information to help managers formulate and implement effective programs and services. It fosters collaboration between public authorities and researchers on the quality agenda.

Both publications are available in the Foundation’s virtual library.

PIP – ‘Primeira Infância Primeiro’:

políticas integradas

In January 2023, the newly elected federal and state administrations took office. The first year is crucial for defining public policies and budget allocations, providing the Foundation with an excellent opportunity to engage the executive branch. Through the initiative “Trilhas de sensibilização para a primeira infância nos estados e no governo federal” (“Seminars for Early Childhood Awareness at the State and Federal Level”), in partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Foundation seized this opportunity.

One of the most significant actions of 2023 at the federal level was the “Primeira Infância Primeiro: políticas integradas” (“Early Childhood First: Integrated policies”) event, held in June in Brasília. This event successfully placed the importance of early childhood on the new federal administration’s agenda.

The meeting focused on the crucial role of federal entities in fostering intersectoral and intergovernmental cooperation to support early childhood. It also underscored the Union’s role

in coordinating national initiatives, promoting collaborative governance that prioritizes early childhood within the Federative Pact, which aims at restructuring fiscal relations between the federal government and states.

The event, exclusive to invited guests, featured Wellington Dias, Minister of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight against Hunger, as well as national secretaries Katia Schweickardt, Mauricio Holanda, André Quintão, and Nésio Fernandes Junior. Attendees also included representatives from various ministries, the Office of the Chief of Staff, federal councils, the Early Childhood Multiparty Caucus, and the ‘Rede Nacional Primeira Infância’ (‘National Early Childhood Network’).

This event concluded a series of regional meetings with state representatives (read more in State Executive Branch). The entire event in Brasília can be watched on the Foundation’s YouTube channel

State Executive Branch

One of the MariaCeciliaSoutoVidigalFoundation’sstandout initiatives in 2023 was mobilizing newly elected governors and their teams through a series of regional courses and events. The goal was to train them in formulating and implementing early childhood policies.

In Ceará, the partnership between the Foundation, the State Government, Porticus Latin America, and the Van Leer Foundation, which began in 2019, has reached a crucial phase. In Ceará, the partnership between the Foundation, the State Government, Porticus Latin America, and the Van Leer Foundation, which began in 2019, has reached a crucial phase. The focus is now on ensuring the sustainability of these initiatives by transferring methodology and knowledge, enabling the state to continue developing actions in early childhood education, parenting, and public management.

A pivotal effort in 2023 was the mobilization of state managers

Seminars for Early Childhood Awareness at the State Level

Public policies for early childhood are a fundamental investment, with positive impacts spanning education, health, the economy, and citizenship. In 2023, these principles inspired the “Trilhas de sensibilização para a primeira infância nos estados” (“Seminars for Early Childhood Awareness at the State Level”), a series of meetings to highlight the importance of developing policies for children in early childhood and integrating efforts at state and municipal levels.

Representatives from state executive branches, civil society, and the media participated in three regional events, held between May and June in Recife (Northeastern states), São Paulo (Southern and Southeastern states), and Belém (Northern and Central-West states). This initiative was a partnership between the Foundation and the UNDP.

During these meetings, key issues were discussed to enhance the effectiveness of public policies, including coordination and articulation strategies, project inclusion in Multiyear Plans, pathways for collaborative governance between states and municipalities, and prioritizing child development.

Together with the “Primeira Infância Primeiro: políticas integradas” (“Early Childhood First: Integrated policies”) event held in Brasilia to conclude the initiative, the awareness seminars brought together around 300 guests for in-person meetings. Additionally, over 7,000 people watched more than 35 hours of live broadcasts online, which are available on the Foundation’s YouTube channel.

Awareness efforts extended beyond in-person meetings. The seminars also included two online courses aimed at training state managers to directly create, implement, and prioritize public policies for children.

More than 270 managers and technicians attended the course “Planejamento e orçamento estadual: primeira infância” (“State Planning and Budgeting: Early Childhood”), which focused on prioritizing initiatives for this theme.

The “Governança colaborativa para a Primeira Infância” (“Collaborative Governance for Early Childhood”) course offered tools to strengthen policies and integrate various public sectors, with participation

from 215 managers from all states and over 600 participants in total. Both courses are available on the “EV.G” virtual school platform at the Escola Nacional de Administração Pública’ (Brazil’s National School of Public Administration’ / ‘ENAP’).

Integrated initiatives in Ceará

A broad-reaching and powerful partnership between the Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal Foundation, Porticus Latin America and the Bernard van Leer Foundation, in collaboration with the Ceará State Government was reinforced in 2023. The renewal of our partnership has allowed us to continue supporting the integrated policy of care for families and children in vulnerable situations.

The Ceará state government reaffirmed its commitment to early childhood initiatives by renewing the partnership, signing a new commitment letter, and new work plans. The focus in 2023 was on consolidating the transfer of knowledge and methodology so that the Education and Social Protection departments can sustain and strengthen the initiatives developed since the partnership began in 2019.

The coalition has advanced the following projects: System for Assessment of the Quality of Early Childhood Education in Ceará, the ACT Program, and Strategic Planning for the Early Childhood Policy Program.

System for Assessment of the Quality of Early Childhood Education

Assessing the quality of early childhood education is crucial for understanding and improving the teaching and learning conditions for children up to age 6. This process helps identify strengths and challenges in planning actions for their comprehensive development.

In Ceará, a pilot assessment conducted in 12 municipalities led to the creation of a monitoring and analysis system. This effort is in partnership with the ‘Laboratório de Estudos e Pesquisas em Economia Social’ (‘Laboratory of Studies and Research in Social Economy’ / ‘LEPES’) at the University of São Paulo (USP).

The instruments used were validated and adapted to the specific context of Ceará, aligned with the quality and equity parameters developed with the coalition’s support in 2022. They gauge the quality of conditions for children aged 2 to 5 years and 11 months, as well as the learning outcomes for children in their final year of preschool.

In 2023, the State Department of Education (SEDUC) began receiving technology transfers, with local teams being trained to ensure the evaluation process becomes permanent and extends to all municipalities in Ceará. Management and regional education teams selected by SEDUC completed training in learning assessment last year.

By 2024, the training process for teams applying the assessment tool for learning environments will be finalized, and the state will oversee the reassessment process.

In Ceará, the assessment led to the creation of a monitoring and analysis system for early childhood policies

Ceará

Ceará

ACT Program: To educate children in secure environments

Two years after implementation began in 24 municipalities, focusing on families served by the ‘Mais Infância Ceará’ program, the impact assessments of the “ACT: To educate children in safe environments” were completed in 2023.

The ‘ACT Program’ focuses on positive parenting and the universal prevention of violence against children. It was developed using evidence recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and created by the American Psychological Association in 2001. In Brazil, the program is coordinated by the ‘Laboratório de Pesquisa em Prevenção de Problemas de Desenvolvimento e Comportamento da Criança’ (‘Research Laboratory for the Prevention of Child Development Issues and Behavior Problems’ / ‘LAPREDES’) at the Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP–USP). In eight weekly, interactive meetings, parents and caregivers receive guidance on educating in safe environments and creating a stable and welcoming home.

The program evaluation highlighted the positive impact of the facilitators’ work. They reported greater promotion of child development and violence prevention. Caregivers noted significant changes in their parenting, adopting positive discipline strategies and achieving better emotional and behavioral regulation.

This randomized controlled study aimed to assess the effectiveness and implementation of ACT on a large scale in Ceará’s public social assistance services, focusing on its effects on parenting and children’s behavior.

The study’s results, presented to the state and municipalities, will be made public soon. Based on initial discussions on the findings, the transfer of the program’s methodology to Ceará in 2024 was planned and agreed upon.

Support for governance and planning of early childhood policy

Since 2019, the coalition has partnered with the state government, with technical support from ‘Pacto Organizações Regenerativas’, to plan early childhood policies in Ceará. In 2023, the focus was on transferring planning and monitoring methodologies and enhancing the state’s capacity for strategic planning, particularly for ‘Mais Infância Ceará’ and other early childhood initiatives.

The process unfolded along three main lines: developing the strategic plan for early childhood 20232026, structuring the governance of the Executive Secretariat for Children, Families, and the Fight against Hunger, and bolstering the Intersectoral Committee for Early Childhood. The process was conducted jointly by the consultancy and the state government.

In September and November, workshops were held to support the administrative restructuring of the new Executive Secretariat. This body is responsible for coordinating the state’s early childhood policies and strengthening key players like the Intersectoral Early Childhood Committee.

The Foundation supported the transfer of early childhood policy planning and monitoring methodologies to managers and professionals working in Ceará

Ceará

Ceará

Iracema-Covid Study: Mother-child health and development in the pandemic

In partnership with the Van Leer Foundation, the Iracema- Covid cohort study, involving women who had children in July and August 2020 in Fortaleza, released new results last year. The study aims to investigate the impact of the Covid- 19 pandemic on mothers and children, focusing on health, parenting, and child development. Between 2020 and 2023, five data collections were conducted, resulting in ten national and international scientific publications.

Five articles were published in 2023, highlighting the severe impact of pandemic-related stressors on mothers’ mental health and children’s development. The data revealed that a quarter of mothers did not attend any primary health care appointments during the 18-month postpartum period, while 30% managed to do so in the first three waves of the survey.

Despite the adversities, mothers remained the primary caregivers, striving to provide the care needed for their children’s healthy development. Last year, the cohort study conducted a new phase of data collection with the same children at 36 months, with results set to be published in 2024.

This study sheds light on the correlation between risk factors and stressors and their impact on mothers’ mental health, parenting, and child development. It is the only longitudinal study in the country focusing on mothers and children born during the pandemic.

Collaborative governance for early childhood

Researcher Fernando Luiz Abrucio from the Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) conducted a comprehensive review of Brazilian and international literature on public policies for child development. This study, “Governança colaborativa para a primeira infância” (“Collaborative Governance for Early Childhood”), was published by the Foundation and Porticus.

This publication provides conceptual foundations to help state governments forge collaborative paths toward effective early childhood policies, programs, and services. The goal is to improve management and practices and boost the quality of life for families and young children.

Central to the model is the concept of the “collaborative governance tripod.” This structure focuses on strengthening intersectoral collaboration (uniting different government sectors), extragovernmental efforts (coordinating between the government and societal sectors), and intragovernmental efforts (coordinating between different levels of the federation).

The research also highlights key “levers” for consolidating collaborative governance in support of early childhood. These include developing state plans for early childhood, forming state committees with representatives from all branches of government and civil society organizations, and promoting initiatives that engage families in advocating for public policies.

Post-pandemic learning recovery and educational inequalities: a study in Sobral, Ceará

In a partnership between the Foundation and the ‘Laboratório de Pesquisa em Oportunidades Educacionais da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro’ (‘Educational Opportunities Research Laboratory of the Federal

University of Rio de Janeiro / ‘Lapope/UFRJ’), the research monitored the development of 1,364 children from different socioeconomic backgrounds enrolled in Sobral’s municipal public school system, who attended the second year of preschool between 2019 and 2022.

The first survey, released in 2022, identified the negative effects of the pandemic on learning and development and the increase in educational inequalities at the start of compulsory schooling. In the second stage, conducted after schools reopened, the study found evidence of a recovery in learning due to actions implemented by the municipal network. However, it also noted the persistence of educational

inequality, particularly between children from higher and lower socioeconomic backgrounds and across different races, highlighting the need for a greater focus on equity.

The research underscores the importance of preschool, demonstrating that when quality standards are upheld, it can help children recover learning lost due to the lack of in-person education during the pandemic.

The report includes a series of recommendations aimed at inspiring action by managers at various levels. It emphasizes the need for planning and resources to implement initiatives and programs that improve early childhood education and child development. The publication garnered significant attention, resulting in approximately 400 press stories.

Municipal Executive Branch

At the municipal level, the Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal Foundation has provided data, courses, and support tools for planning and strengthening local policies. These resources are available on the ‘PrimeiraInfância Primeiro’ (‘Early Childhood First’ / ‘PIP’) portal and partner platforms. Additionally, the Foundation offered technical cooperation to the municipality of São Paulo to enhance monitoring processes in partner early childhood education units.

The Foundation provided data, courses, and support tools to strengthen municipal policies

São Paulo: Monitoring of the partner early childhood education centers

Recognizing the importance of quality early childhood education for the comprehensive development of children aged 0 to 5, the Foundation partnered with the São Paulo Municipal Department of Education to enhance tools and processes for monitoring its partner units, which are managed by civil society organizations. Together, they developed guides for using these instruments and monitoring procedures.

The project involved ongoing dialogue and extensive participation from professionals supervising these units. This included collective and individual interviews with over 140 people involved in early childhood education in the municipality, a public consultation with more than 400 civil society organizations, and testing innovative monitoring instruments with early childhood education centers.

In 2024, the department of education will continue implementing the monitoring strategy. This approach will make the information generated more useful for identifying areas to intensify the quality of early childhood education. Additionally, it will allow best practices to be shared with other locations.

‘Primeira Infância Primeiro’ portal: Early Childhood Basic Provisions Panel, per municipality

The ‘Primeira Infância Primeiro’ (‘Early Childhood First’ / ‘PIP’) portal raises awareness and equips professionals and managers at various government levels with data, tools, and recommendations to prioritize early childhood in their agendas. The portal features an exclusive data visualization with 34 indicators available for all 5,570 Brazilian municipalities.

In 2023, a significant addition was the launch of the ‘Painel de Ofertas Básicas da primeira infância nos municípios’ (‘Early Childhood Basic Provisions Panel, per municipality’), a tool that helps managers and professionals identify early childhood services at the municipal level.

Public managers can use the panel to self-assess existing services, programs, benefits, and initiatives focused on early childhood, and identify those that could be offered in health, social development, and early childhood education. This allows managers and their teams to prioritize actions, enhance access and coverage, invest in new services, improve existing public policies, and support the formulation of the Municipal Early Childhood Plan.

In its first year, the Panel was a finalist in the Service Design Network - Global Awards in the Professional Non-Profit category.

Course on the Assessment and Quality of Early Childhood Education

Ensuring children’s rights in early childhood education requires both access and quality provision. Monitoring and evaluating the environment and teaching practices are crucial to this process.

To help municipal managers and technicians understand, plan, implement, and effectively assess learning environments of this fundamental phase of education, the Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal Foundation and the Fundação Itaú Social have launched the course on the“Avaliaçãodaqualidade naeducaçãoinfantil”(‘Assessment and Quality of Early Childhood Education’). By the end of the year, the course had garnered over 3,000 registrations.

Developed in technical partnership with Zelo Consultoria and supported by the Social Economy Research and Studies Laboratory, the free, online, certified, and self-study course uses the ‘Escala deAvaliaçãodosAmbientesdeAprendizagens’ (‘Scale for Assessment of Early Childhood Learning Environments’ / ‘EAPI’) methodology.

This 30-hour training offers more than 500 indicators covering aspects like infrastructure, learning opportunities, interactions, diversity, and material quality. It also includes tools for simulated planning and practical evaluation experience for early childhood education in municipalities.

The training offers tools that enable practical evaluation experience for early childhood education in municipalities

Federal Legislative Branch

The Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal Foundation is actively involved in the federal legislature, coordinating and mobilizing efforts to advance regulations that impact early childhood in the Brazilian National Congress. Key actions include supporting congresspersons, fostering plural dialogue, advocating against setbacks, and pushing for the approval of bills that strengthen the rights of young children and their families.

In 2023, the Foundation played a significant role by advocating for the inclusion of early childhood investments in the Multiyear Plan, which sets guidelines and targets for federal public administration over four years.On another front, the Foundation continued to mobilize organizations and society against the bill authorizing home- schooling, which could negatively impact children’s development and protection.

Throughout the year, the Foundation monitored the approval of several important bills. These included defining the years 2024/25 as the Early Childhood Biennium (Law 13960/2019) and August as Early Childhood Month (Law 14617/2023). Additionally, the Foundation supported bills addressing the demand for nursery school vacancies (Bill 2.228), the active search for students who dropped out of school (Bill 2.297/2021), school vaccinations (Bill 826/2019), the budget (supplemental legislation PLP 177/2020), and the National Early Childhood Information System (Bill 6.524/2019).

In 2023, the Foundation advocated for the inclusion of early childhood investments in the Multiyear Plan

2024–2027 Multiyear Plan

The Multiyear Plan outlines the guidelines, objectives, and targets of the federal public administration for four years, starting in the second year of a president’s term and continuing until the end of the first year of their successor’s term. In 2023, the Foundation worked to ensure that the 2024-2027 Plan considered the unique needs of early childhood within the scope of the ‘Agenda Transversal de Crianças e Adolescentes’ (‘Cross-Cutting Agenda for Early Childhood Development’).

During this period, amendments to the PPA were approved, focusing on early childhood education (including specific objectives and indicators for daycare and preschool), budget transparency, and monitoring early childhood public policies in the comprehensive, cross- cutting agenda reports.

Opposition against homeschooling

Since Bill 1.338, which proposes the option of providing basic education at home, was introduced in Brazil’s House of Representatives, the Foundation has been actively opposing its approval. In 2023, the Foundation reinforced its strong opposition and intensified its mobilization in Congress and within the broader ecosystem, collaborating with the Instituto Liberta. The bill was debated at three public hearings held by the Senate Education Committee in December, with the Foundation participating in the final meeting.

It’s important to note that evidence suggests homeschooling—where education is conducted strictly at home under the sole responsibility of families— can harm children’s comprehensive development. Limiting the learning opportunities that come from socializing in a school environment, homeschooling can exacerbate social and educational inequalities.

Additionally, studies show that this model increases children’s vulnerability to abuse, exploitation, neglect, and various forms of violence. Data from the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship shows that 81% of cases of violence against children and adolescents occur in the home. Schools, which children attend daily, are the most effective places for identifying, reporting, and preventing such violations.

Quality early childhood education fosters socialization that emphasizes collective living, inclusivity, mutual respect, and reciprocity. Removing children from school strips away an essential layer of protection and a guarantee of their rights within our society.

In 2024, the Foundation will continue to oppose the approval of this bill, working in coalition with other institutions dedicated to ensuring the rights of children and adolescents and advocating for education that promotes equity across the nation.

Early Childhood Multiparty Caucus

Through its Executive Secretariat, the Foundation supports the Early Childhood Multiparty Caucus. The goal is to strengthen this body as a bridge between various governmental sectors and political fields, enhancing the defense and prioritization of the early childhood agenda in legislative houses.

Multiparty Caucus for Education

The Foundation is a member of the Consultative Council of the Executive Secretariat of the Multiparty Caucus for Education. Throughout 2023, it closely monitored the developments of the National Education System and the National Education Plan, as well as the introduction of Bill 2.228, which mandates the creation of mechanisms for surveying and publicizing the demand for nursery school vacancies in municipalities and Brasília.

Other initiatives

In addition to the initiatives described above, the following projects are underway with the support or leadership of the Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal Foundation:

• Afinidata: impact assessment of an app to support parenting and child development

• Analysis of early childhood education, reviewing goals in the current cycle of the National Education Plan (2014– 2024)

• Evaluation of the Ceará Coalition

• Ceará Racial Equality in Early Childhood Program

• Mapping efforts on the profile of early childhood children registered with ‘CadÚnico’

• Research on the state cash transfer policies, exploring their potential for child development

• Piá’ Project: evaluation of parenting programs and promotion of child development, in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank

• Supplement to the National Household Sample Survey (PNAD) for Early Childhood

Sponsorships and donations to the ecosystem

Beyond these initiatives, the Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal Foundation supports the early childhood ecosystem through donations and sponsorships.

This support extends to organizations, coalitions, events, and other initiatives that amplify our impact.

12th Meeting of the Brazilian Educational Evaluation Association – ABAVE

The Foundation supported the event, held in August 2023 at the State University of Campinas – UNICAMP.

As part of the activities, the Foundation offered a mini-course on evaluating early childhood education and hosted a panel to present the International Early Learning and Child Well-being Study (IELS), an OECD initiative. This study aims to gather data on the well- being, learning, and development of 5-year-old children to improve early childhood learning experiences (read more in the Federal Executive Branch section).

Agenda

227

The Foundation supports Agenda 227, a non-partisan civil society movement dedicated to prioritizing children and adolescents in the quest to build a fairer Brazil. This initiative is rooted in Article 227 of the Federal Constitution, which guarantees absolute priority to individuals aged 0 to 18.

In April, as part of its efforts to lobby the federal executive and legislative branches, the movement hosted a meeting in Brasília to celebrate the launch of the ‘Frente Parlamentar Mista pela Promoção e Defesa dos Direitos das Crianças e do Adolescente’ (‘Multiparty Caucus for the Promotion and Defense of the Rights of Children and Adolescents’).

Brazilian Center for Early Childhood Development – CPAPI

The Foundation supports the ‘ Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisa Aplicada à Primeira Infância’ (‘Brazilian Center for Early Childhood Development’ / ‘CPAPI’), studies, knowledge dissemination, and technology transfer to promote equal opportunities for children aged 0 to 6. CPAPI focuses on generating scientific evidence to guide public policy and foster healthy, full early childhood development.

In 2023, CPAPI made significant progress on two major projects. The first, in Louveira and Jundiaí, São Paulo, evaluates the use of the ‘ Caderneta da Criança’ (‘Children’s Booklet’) in monitoring child development. The second, a cohort study in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, examines risk and protective factors affecting early childhood development.

Additionally, this year saw the launch of a distance learning course, ‘Caderneta da Criança: Instrumento para a Vigilância do Desenvolvimento Infantil’ (‘Children’s Booklet: Monitoring Instrument for Child Development’), designed for primary health care professionals.

Conference of the National Collective of Municipal Social Administrators and Social Welfare (CONGEMAS)

The 23rd National Conference of the ‘Colegiado Nacional de Gestores Municipais de Assistência Social’ (‘National Collective of Municipal Administrators and Social Welfare’ / ‘CONGEMAS’), held in Recife (PE) in October, was supported by the Foundation, which provided materials to participants. The Foundation was invited to join the opening panel and participated in the discussion on, ‘A primeira infância: desafios no Sistema Único de Assistência Social’ (‘Early

David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS)

For over a decade, the Foundation has partnered with DRCLAS to provide institutional support, foster collaborative research between Harvard and Brazilian researchers, facilitate the exchange of graduate students and researchers, and disseminate scientific knowledge about early childhood development.

This connection with DRCLAS has significantly benefited the Brazilian early childhood ecosystem. In 2023, notable collaborative research included the “Iracema-Covid Study: Mother-child Health and Development During the Pandemic in Fortaleza” (read more in State Executive); “Impacts of Interventions on Early Institutionalization (EI-3),” by the Instituto Pensi; “Mother-child Health in Ceará”; “Violence in the Community and Early Childhood Development,” and the Afinidata Brasil initiative, which focuses on planning digital interventions in early childhood development.

‘Movimento pela Base’

The Foundation supports the actions of Movimento pela Base’ (‘Movement for Brazil’s National Learning Standards’ / BNCC Movement’), a non-governmental and non-partisan network of individuals and institutions. Since 2013, this network has been dedicated to supporting and monitoring the development and quality implementation of Brazil’s National Learning Standards (BNCC) for all stages, including Early Childhood Education and the ‘Novo Ensino Médio’ (‘New High School’) initiative.

ESG New Generations Project

The Foundation supports the Alana Institute, a socioenvironmental impact organization that advocates for the rights of children and adolescents, in developing the ‘ESG Novas Gerações’ (‘ESG New Generations’) project. This project aims to encourage companies and private sector leaders to adopt corporate policies and practices that support employees with children, such as extended paternity leave and breastfeeding spaces. Additionally, it promotes actions that ensure and uphold the rights of children and adolescents throughout the company’s ecosystem and value chain.

‘Todos Pela Educação’

The Foundation supports the institutional maintenance of ‘Todos pela Educação (‘All for Education’), a civil society organization dedicated to advancing public educational policies and improving Brazilian public basic education. It operates through the Educação Já!’ (‘Education Now!’) agenda, which offers effective, evidence-based solutions and draws on successful experiences from Brazil and around the world. This initiative aims to address the challenges in the education sector, impacting more than 48 million students.

Brazilian Municipal Education Directors Union (UNDIME)

The Foundation strengthens UNDIME’s role in shaping the early childhood education agenda in Brazilian nurseries and preschools. Additionally, the Foundation supported the development of the ‘Conviva Educação platform, a free management system for municipal

Executive Secretariat of the National Early Childhood Network (RNPI)

The Foundation contributes to the implementation of tactical actions to strengthen the work and influence of the RNPI, a national network comprising civil society organizations, the government, the private sector, other networks, and multilateral organizations committed to promoting and ensuring early childhood rights. The Foundation’s institutional support enables the National Network to focus on fostering State Networks, mobilizing and engaging member institutions, influencing public policies, producing and disseminating knowledge, and initiatives related to RNPI’s Communication and Training.

Mobilizing society

The strategy to motivate society for early childhood involves initiatives aimed at raising awareness among families in vulnerable situations, opinion leaders, and the broader public, as well as strengthening the communication ecosystem

Initiatives Families in situations of social vulnerability

Families with children in early childhood and in vulnerable situations are a primary focus of the public policies that the Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal Foundation aims to advance. These families are also a key audience for awareness-raising initiatives, ensuring they have access to quality information about their rights and the importance of early childhood.

This year, the Foundation strengthened its animated character ‘Nelson, o Nenê’ as a spokesperson for the rights of infants and children. In an unprecedented national community-reaching effort, Nelson became the central figure of a campaign highlighting the importance of early childhood care in Favela dos Sonhos, a community in Ferraz de Vasconcelos (SP), in partnership with the NGO Gerando Falcões.

Territories of Care:

‘Nelson,

o Nenê’ in Favela dos Sonhos

The ‘Nelson, o Nenê’ initiative expanded its activities beyond the digital world in 2023, reaching the Favela dos Sonhos community in Ferraz de Vasconcelos, São Paulo, home to over 300 families.

As the spokesperson for the Territories of Care campaign, ‘Nelson, o Nenê’ brought messages of early childhood awareness to the streets and walls of the community. Under the theme “Children are Everyone’s Responsibility,” the campaign aimed to highlight the importance of affection and basic care in the first few years, emphasizing that caring for children is a societal responsibility, not just that of parents and family members. In partnership with Gerando Falcões, the campaign included meetings, training for community leaders, awareness-raising activities, workshops, support groups, and recreational activities.

An opinion poll conducted after these interventions showed positive outcomes in the Favela dos Sonhos community: 50% of respondents noticed a change in how the community relates to children, and 43% reported increased attention to the needs of young children.

Communicators, opinion leaders, society, and the ecosystem

An informed society aware of the importance of early childhood can pressure decision-makers to implement quality initiatives and public policies that benefit young children and their families. To this end, the Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal Foundation focuses on disseminating its cause and initiatives through digital channels and the press, staying attuned to current issues impacting early childhood in Brazil.

This year marked the first celebration of August as Early Childhood Month, a milestone that intensified public debate. The Foundation consolidated its strategy of training and encouraging journalists, communicators, and media outlets, with the mission of raising awareness about early childhood and further strengthening the ecosystem.

August, Early Childhood Month

The Foundation played a key role in various media outlets following the enactment of Law 14617/2023, which officially designated August as Early Childhood Month in Brazil, known as ‘Agosto Verde’ (‘Green August’). This decision marked a significant milestone in the debate and awareness-raising about this critical phase of life.

The ‘#AgostoVerde’ seal was created and shared on the social media channels of the Foundation, ‘Nelson, o Nenê,’ and the Núcleo Ciência Pela Infância (NCPI), fostering integration. On the Foundation’s channels,

Nelson was part of the campaign “What You Experience in the First Few Years Impacts Your Entire Life,” which featured special content on the importance of comprehensive care for children during this stage, reaching over 1.3 million people.

With ‘Nelson, o Nenê’ as the central character, the “Early Childhood Matters” digital campaign gained momentum through strategic partnerships with influencers, spreading content about the critical importance of early childhood.

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Training and fostering journalists and media outlets

A well-informed and prepared journalistic environment can effectively raise societal awareness about the importance of the first few years of life and mobilize decision-makers to implement relevant public policies on early childhood.

For over a decade, the Foundation has been dedicated to preparing, supporting, and strengthening the ecosystem of journalists and communicators. This effort ensures they can report on early childhood with understanding and consistency, highlighting its intersection with significant societal issues such as the economy, budget, public policies, education, health, and the environment.

By providing a constant stream of quality and credible information, along with various training initiatives, the Foundation, in partnership with different organizations, promotes activities to build a network of journalists capable of covering early childhood issues comprehensively. All initiatives undertaken in 2023 will continue into 2024.

Columbia University: Training and scholarships for Brazilian journalists

In partnership with the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma/Columbia Journalism School, this program trains journalists to provide more comprehensive and sensitive coverage of early childhood. In 2023, the program ran from May to November, bringing together 15 Brazilian journalists from major media outlets. These professionals received reporting grants, training, mentoring, and continuing education to broaden their knowledge.

The training emphasized the importance of a safe and healthy environment for children’s development and explored how stressful situations, such as food insecurity and political instability, impact their growth and the well- being of their caregivers. It also highlighted the social value of investing in initiatives and policies that prioritize early childhood.

As a result, numerous reports on early childhood have been produced for national media outlets in various formats by the end of the course.

Highlights

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In 2023, the program trained 15 Brazilian journalists from major media outlets on covering early childhood

Scholarships and training on early childhood and anti-racism for journalists from underserved areas and independent media outlets

In August 2023, the Foundation, in collaboration with ‘Nós, Mulheres da Periferia’ (We, the Women on the Margin) Alma Preta, and Marco Zero Conteúdo, launched the online course “The Role of UnderservedArea and Anti-Racist Journalism in Protecting Black Children.” This online course explores the intersection of anti-racism and early childhood, covering topics such as early childhood education, parenting, and child development.

The initiative was introduced at the online event “Black mothers and children: the seeds of living communities.” The course is offered to 40 selected journalists from the Northeast and is taught by experts in early childhood and racism. Upon completing the course, participants will have the opportunity to receive scholarships and mentoring to produce content, with publication scheduled for June 2024.

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Mentoring program and grants for independent media outlets covering early childhood

In late 2023, the Foundation partnered with the ‘Associação de Jornalismo Digital’ (‘Association of Digital Journalism’ / ‘AJOR’) to strengthen content production focused on early childhood and to train independent media organizations to provide more comprehensive and specialized coverage on this topic.

This collaboration led to the launch of the “Grant for reporting, mentoring, and solutions journalism: Early childhood as a priority” call for proposals in February 2024.

The program includes preparatory workshops for interested journalists and mentoring for the winners. It will select six journalistic projects on early childhood, providing financial support for the production and distribution of video, text, and photo reports. The content is set to be published in August, during Early Childhood Month.

Early childhood master class for novice journalists in the ‘Focas Estadão’ Program

In the 2023 edition of the Estadão Journalism Course, run by the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo—one of the leading journalism trainee programs in the country—the Foundation provided an exclusive day focused on early childhood for the 31 participants.

Engaging with budding journalists about early childhood is an investment in their development. The session covered topics such as child development, early childhood education, and parenting, along with presenting good journalistic practices for covering these areas. The day concluded with a press conference simulation featuring representatives from the Foundation.

The Foundation offered an exclusive day on early childhood at the Estadão Journalism course

‘Grupo Estado’s’ Reconstruction of Education Event

In 2023, the Foundation supported the newspaper ‘O Estado de São Paulo’ in hosting a series of meetings on ‘TV Estadão’ and other platforms to discuss the key pillars of rebuilding basic education after the pandemic.

With extensive press coverage, this initiative reinforced the Foundation’s commitment to defending children’s education and its role in the philanthropy ecosystem. The event featured livestreams and in-person sessions that generated digital content, printed materials, a special notebook, interviews on ‘Rádio Eldorado’ and podcasts, among others. The partnership culminated in the “Reconstruction of Education” event, broadcast live on ‘Estadão’s’ digital channels, which outlined strategies to ensure quality education at all levels, including early childhood education.

JEDUCA and 7th International Conference on Education Journalism

To strengthen the focus on early childhood education among journalists covering education, the Foundation provides institutional support to the ‘Associação dos Jornalistas de Educação’ (‘Association of Education Journalists’ / ‘JEDUCA’), which includes some of the most engaged professionals in early childhood issues.

In September, the Foundation sponsored the 7th International Conference on Education Journalism, participating in a panel on transforming education in society, which brought together experts in early childhood education. The Foundation also hosted the workshop “Early childhood on the agenda: Why and how to cover the beginning of life,” offering tips for effective journalistic coverage of early childhood topics.

ABRAJI’s 18th International Conference on Investigative Journalism

The Foundation sponsored Latin America’s largest journalism event as part of its strategy to raise awareness and mobilize journalists from major national media outlets about early childhood issues.

The 18th International Congress of Investigative Journalism of the ‘Associação Brasileira de Jornalismo Investigativo’ (‘Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism’/ ‘ABRAJI’) was held from June 29 to July 2 in São Paulo. The event took place in a hybrid format, with simultaneous online transmission, and attracted an average of 1,000 inperson participants. The Foundation also funded over 300 online tickets for journalists and communicators who had previously attended its training courses.

Panels and workshops covered a range of topics, including the impact of artificial intelligence on communication, the complexities of politics in Brazil and abroad, and behind- the-scenes investigative reporting on human rights, the environment, violence, and corruption. The Foundation, in partnership with the Dart Center, organized the panel “High- impact Public Policy: Covering early childhood development.”

In the Media

Press results

In 2023, the Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal Foundation garnered significant coverage in both regional and national newspapers. The Foundation was featured in 3,340 stories, marking a 54% increase over 2022. Additionally, CEO Mariana Luz authored 11 articles published in Brazil’s leading press outlets.

This notable expansion of the Foundation’s media presence was fueled by strategic events such as the ‘Trilhasdesensibilizaçãoparaaprimeirainfância’ (‘Early Childhood Awareness Pathways’) initiative, the dissemination of research with relevant and unpublished data on early childhood, and various studies and events conducted in collaboration with the Núcleo Ciência Pela Infância (NCPI) and other partners. These efforts not only broadened the Foundation’s reach but also strengthened its connections with journalists and the media.

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Digital communication results

The Foundation utilizes multiple digital channels daily to share critical data, news, initiatives, events, research, and campaigns related to early childhood in Brazil. Each channel offers exclusive content crafted in accessible language and backed by qualified information. Together, these channels form a digital ecosystem designed to raise societal awareness about the importance of the first few years of life.

In 2023, the Foundation intensified its efforts to expand and deepen its relevance in the digital space, aiming to become a leading reference in public debate and research on early childhood.

Instagram

+ 48,600 followers up 45% over the previous year

Total reach: 5.8 MILLION people growth: 291%

Spotlight:

Position on the tragedy that killed four children and left five injured in the city of Blumenau (SC). The post titled “An attack on one child is an attack on all children” resonated deeply with partners and prominent public figures, reaching more than 25,000 people organically.

LinkedIn YouTube

+ 16,900 followers

growth: 31%

Spotlight:

The ‘Primeira Infância na Mídia’ (‘Early Childhood in the Media’) section was launched to compile the main content on early childhood published in the press each week.

+ 32,600 subscribers

growth: 12%

Spotlight:

The episode on Reference Adult from the series "O Que É Essa Tal De" has reached 1.5 million views on the YouTube channel, which boasts over 32,000 subscribers.

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Digital

Library

da Primeira Infância’ Largest online collection dedicated exclusively to early childhood in Brazil The biweekly newsletter with + 230,000 subscribers

Total reach: 5.4 MILLION people The available content was downloaded 235,000 times in 2023 + 40,000 open and read messages sent

+264,000 followers

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Núcleo Ciência Pela Infância

The NCPI produces and disseminates scientific knowledge on early childhood development, training leaders in public management, civil society, and academia. The aim is to support and enhance public policies that improve the quality of life for Brazilian children

The Fundação Maria Cecília Souto Vidigal structures and integrates the Núcleo Ciência Pela Infância (NCPI) coalition alongside four other organizations: Van Leer Foundation, David Rockefeller for Latin American Studies at Harvard University, Insper, and Porticus Latin America.

The NCPI produces and disseminates scientific knowledge on early childhood development and trains leaders from public administration, civil society, and the academic community. These efforts aim to support and improve public policies that improve the quality of life for Brazilian children, addressing racial, regional, and socio-economic inequalities that affect multiple childhoods.

To fulfill its purpose, in 2023, the NCPI focused on the following initiatives: the Scientific Committee, International Symposium on Early Childhood Development, Executive Leadership Program in Early Childhood Development, and Community of Leaders participating in the program.

Scientific Committee

The NCPI’s Scientific Committee is a multidisciplinary group of leading Brazilian researchers focused on early childhood. Their mission is to analyze and share scientific information about early childhood development in everyday language.

Formed in 2011, the committee includes 25 volunteer researchers from diverse fields such as education, medicine, nursing, neuroscience, psychology, economics, urban planning, and public policies.

The committee’s work begins by identifying topics with significant impact and influence on the formulation or implementation of public policies that ensure the well-being of children and their families, particularly those in situations of social vulnerability.

They produce scientific studies and periodic Working Papers, offering in-depth analysis on these critical issues, all rooted in data and scientific research. These efforts yield concise articles that distill the main concepts, findings, and recommendations, aiding public managers in refining policies, programs, and actions.

The NCPI produces scientific knowledge on early childhood development and trains leaders from public administration, civil society, and the academic community

The Committee introduced three new publications in 2023:

• Working Paper 9: “Impacts of inequality in early childhood” - Released in February, this document served as a key reference for discussions on inequality at the National Pact for Early Childhood meeting in Brasília.

• Working Paper 10: “Preventing violence against children” - Released in March, this paper was used as a foundational resource by the working group focused on reorganizing the ‘Criança Feliz’ (‘Happy Child’) Program in Brasília.

• Working Paper 11: “The use of evidence to drive public policies for early childhood” - Unveiled in October at the 10th International Symposium on Early Childhood Development in Brasília, this publication emphasized the importance of evidence-based policy- making.

In 2023, the Scientific Committee focused on producing a new Working Paper on Indigenous health and childhood, set for release in the first half of 2024. Throughout the year, committee members also played a prominent role in various events and activities aimed at strengthening the early childhood ecosystem in Brazil.

Executive Leadership Program in Early Childhood Development

In partnership with the Harvard School of Public Health and Insper, this executive training program aims to engage leaders in improving public policies for children under 6 in Brazil.

The tenth edition of the program took place in 2023, divided into three modules. The first module was held from August 14 to 18 at Harvard University’s School of Public Health in the United States, coordinated by Professors Marcia Castro and Aisha Yousafzai. The second module was conducted remotely over two months. The final module took place on November 23 and 24 at Insper in São Paulo, led by Professor Priscila Claro.

This edition featured 42 participants from public management, civil society, the academic community, and communication, fostering dialogue with state and federal leaders on early childhood policies, programs, and practices. At the conclusion of the program, participants submitted 12 action plans designed to enhance the implementation of initiatives they are involved in.

This edition of the program featured the most diverse representation of ministries to date, including the Ministry of Social Development, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Racial Equality, Ministry of the Environment, Ministry of Planning and Budget, and the Office of the Chief of Staff.

The program boasts a network of over 650 participants from various sectors and regions across Brazil, as well as ten other countries. It has successfully completed nine international editions and two national ones.

Leadership Community for Child Development

On October 24, representatives of the Leadership Community gathered in Brasília for a pre-Symposium meeting hosted by the NCPI. The goal was to strengthen connections and support and maintain the engagement of senior leaders from public management, civil society, and the academic community who have participated in the Executive Leadership Program in Early Childhood Development.

Over the past ten years, the Executive Leadership Program in Early Childhood Development has engaged 650 participants from all regions of Brazil

The 47 participants—half of whom were public managers— discussed adapting public policies to different contexts and targeting income transfer policies in early childhood. The meeting featured guest speakers such as Professor Dandara Ramos from the Federal University of Bahia and Professor Philip Fisher from Stanford University.

10th International Symposium on Early Childhood Development

Held biennially by the NCPI, the International Symposium on Early Childhood Development targets leaders in public administration, civil society, and the academic community.

The event aims to emphasize the importance of evidence- based policies in positively impacting the lives of young children and their families, particularly those in vulnerable situations.

The 10th edition of the Symposium took place in person on October 25 in Brasília for the first time. With simultaneous online transmission, the event’s reach was extended to a total of 3,528 participants, including 271 in-person attendees. The theme “Public Policies for a Brazil of Plural Childhoods” focused on implementing quality and scalable policies for early childhood in diverse and socially unequal contexts.

In 2023, the event featured 16 national and 5 international speakers from major universities, nongovernmental organizations, and the government. They shared cutting-edge scientific knowledge, enriching the public debate on early childhood development in Brazil.

Three publications were released during the Symposium:

1. 2022 PIPAS Project: Comprehensive child development indicators in Brazilian capitals (Ministry of Health/FMCSV/Institute of Health - SP)

2. Working Paper “The use of evidence to drive public policies for early childhood” (NCPI Scientific Committee)

3. Working Paper “The place matters” (Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University)

Communication

In 2023, NCPI’s efforts were featured in 636 press articles, marking a 166% increase compared to 2022. The 10th International Symposium on Early Childhood Development and the Working Paper “Preventing violence against children” were particularly prominent among journalists. These initiatives demonstrate NCPI’s alignment with and responsiveness to the key issues driving public debate on early childhood.

Transparency

Aligned with the principles of transparency and accountability to partners and society, the Fundação Maria Cecília Souto Vidigal provides financial and budget statements that detail operational performance for each fiscal year. These statements are systematically approved without reservations by independent auditors.

Budget execution

The Efficiency Index measures how effectively the Fundação Maria Cecília Souto Vidigal utilizes its resources. It represents the ratio between administrative expenses and the total amounts managed by the Foundation. A lower index indicates greater efficiency in allocating resources to the cause.

Statements of Financial Position

December 31, 2023 and 2022 (Sums expressed in thousands of Reais)

Income Statement

Fiscal years ended as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 (Sums expressed in thousands of reais)

OF SOCIAL ADVISORY, DEFENSE, AND GUARANTEE OF DIRECT PROGRAM AND PROJECT COSTS

FINANCIAL INCOME AND (EXPENSES)

Endowment Fund

The activities and sustainability of Fundação Maria Cecília Souto Vidigal are funded through its endowment fund, which was established with donations from the Foundation’s founders

The activities and sustainability of Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal Foundation are funded through its endowment fund, which was established with donations from the Foundation’s founders. This initial amount has been managed to ensure its perpetuity, maintain purchasing power, and support the sustainability of social activities. This approach enables the Foundation to carry out initiatives focused on early childhood care and to effectively select, monitor, and improve projects.

With its own governance structure and transparent processes, the endowment is overseen by two strategic advisory and supervisory bodies: the Investment Committee and the Board of Trustees. The operation and management of the endowment are handled by specialized companies selected and contracted by the Foundation, with the support and oversight of independent specialists.

Decisions regarding the endowment follow the Foundation’s Investment Policy, which sets allocation limits and guidelines. Managers aim to achieve the best long-term returns within the defined risk limits.

In 2023, the equity fund achieved a nominal return of 14.86%, equivalent to IPCA (Brazil’s benchmark inflation index) +9.79%, ending December with assets totaling R$652.3 million. Despite early-year uncertainties in the domestic scenario, risk assets performed well, with the stock market posting gains of 22.28% for the year and inflation at 4.62%, within the target range set by the National Monetary Council (CMN) for the first time in two years.

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The Investment Committee and the Board of Trustees are the strategic advisory bodies to the Endowment Fund

Partners

The Foundation has established a robust network of partners, comprising organizations that have supported the 2023 initiatives through human resources, institutional connections, and collaborative activities

Credits

Fundação Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal*

Executive Board

Mariana Luz – CEO

Verônica Teixeira Glória – Executive Assistant

Communications and Government Relations

Allan de Souza - Analyst

Carolina Vilaverde - Analyst

Ingrid Gama - Trainee

Luiza Murakami - Analyst

Marcelo Rodrigues - Analyst

Mariana Montoro Jens - Director

Mikaela Alves - Analyst

Renato Stoiano - Portfolio Leader

Sarah Maia - Portfolio Leader

Sheila Calgaro - Manager

Applied Knowledge

Ana Cipriano – Analyst

Beatriz de Oliveira Abuchaim – Manager

Ingrid Novais – Trainee

Karina Fasson – Portfolio Leader

Leila de Oliveira Sousa – Analyst

Marcella Simonini - Analyst

Marcelo Oliveira – Analyst

Marina Fragata Chicaro – Director

Raphael Marques – Analyst

Projects and Assessment Office

Bethânia Alves – Specialist

Letícia Monaco – Analyst

Operations

Carine Moreira de Jesus – Manager

Diana Yoshitake – Analyst

Edianldo Miron – Financial BPO

Eliel Silva – Trainee

Giovana Almeida – Trainee

Leonardo Eidi Hoçoya – Director

Lyam da Silva – Trainee

Marcos Mota – Analyst

Maria do Socorro Barbosa – Welfare Godmother

Raquel Hellen do Nascimento – Analyst

Human Resources

Luciano Mussolin – Specialist

Núcleo Ciência Pela Infância – NCPI

Amanda Queirós - Analyst

Fabiola Galli – Manager

Isabela Cordeiro – Analyst

Priscila Costa – Portfolio Leader

Endowment Fund

Carolina Barrios – Manager

João Matheus Andrian - Analyst

Information Technologies

Lucas Oliveira – Trivor

Photography

Courtesy of the MariaCeciliaSoutoVidigalFoundation

Photographer: Julio Cesar

Content editing and design

Grupo Report

rpt.sustentabilidade – Grupo Report gruporeport.com.br

Translation

Todd Harkin – Harkin Translations

www.fmcsv.org.br/