Total Environment Assessment Model for Early Child Development

Spheres of
Influence:
The Family
Other studies have focused on relational
qualities within families as measures of risk
for adverse children’s outcomes. A recent
review of research demonstrates an association
between families which experience
heightened levels of conflict and aggression
and those that are characterized by cold,
unsupportive, and neglectful relationships
with a variety of outcomes in children,
ranging from physical health outcomes and
risky health behaviors, to emotional and
social well-being [52, 61].
the role of fathers
The role of fathers as part of the family-level
sphere should not be underestimated, and is
often regrettably marginalized. The United
Nations Commission on the Status of Women
“…[encourages] men to participate fully in all
actions towards gender equality and [urges]
the establishment of the principle of shared
power and responsibility between women
and men at home, in the community, in the
workplace, and in the wider national and
international communities…” [62] Certainly,
this includes the role of fathers in nurturing
ecd of their children and those in their
communities.
There is also a substantial evidence base
establishing the significant impact men
have on children’s lives and well being, and
a growing body of practice showing how
working with men can be an important part
of effective engagement with families. In fact,
engaging with fathers and other men who
affect the well being of children and families
is now firmly emphasized in many policy
frameworks as a strategic requirement for all
children’s services [206].
gender inequities within families
Inequities within families may be significant
from the standpoint of the social determinants
of health, especially with respect to
gender: “Women’s access to power at the
household level has the most direct impact
on families and children … [through lack
of control over] allocation of resources for
food, health care, schooling and other family
necessities” [19]. As a result, female children
are more likely to receive less food, and to be
denied essential health services and education.
Household chores and caregiving keep
adult women out of the paid labour force and
girls out of school. Moreover, when mothers
do work, female children are more likely to
be kept home from school to care for other
siblings, especially when there is no option
for substitute caregivers such as childcare.
Also according to the recent unicef report,
Nearly 1 of every 5 girls who enrols in
primary school in developing countries does
not complete a primary education. Missing
out on a primary education deprives a girl
of the opportunity to develop to her full
potential. Research has shown that educated
women are less likely to die in childbirth;
… are more likely to send their children to
school; … [and] that the under five mortality
rate falls by about half for mothers with
primary school education. [19]
It is clear that women’s roles (decisionmaking
power) within the family, as well as
their educational levels, play an important
part in promoting ecd. Women’s education
not only contributes to lower mortality rates,
but also long-term education, for girls. Gender
equity at the family level contributes to
reducing the intergenerational transmission
of poverty through improved development,
access to education, and proper feeding [19].
family dwelling
The family dwelling also contributes to (or
detracts from) nurture for children. The starkest
representation of this comes from studies
of homeless families and children which find
much higher rates of physical and mental
illness and worse developmental outcomes
among this population [63]. This may be due
to many factors, including the economic,
social, and service resources that are directly
or indirectly related to having a home.
Of course, not all homes are equally as nurturing.
Countless studies from resource-rich
nations have demonstrated that high levels
of lead (which are overwhelmingly clustered
in low-income housing) are associated with
multiple adverse developmental outcomes in
children, most notably asthma [64].
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