How National Levels of Life Expectancy, Education and Income Influence Early Childhood Development

43% of children under 5 years old in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are at risk of not meeting their developmental potential. We investigated how 3 aspects of national development (national life expectancy, education, and income levels) associate with early childhood development by influencing five domains of nurturing care (caregiving, the learning environment, safety and security, nutrition, and the health of the home environment) in 159,959 families from 51 nations. We found promoting caregiver education, appropriate discipline strategies, cognitive caregiving practices, and family access to wired appliances, learning materials, and adequate nutrition are key to promoting childhood development.