I grew up in Barranquila, Colombia, and I spent most of my childhood dreaming about becoming a singer.
The goal of my philanthropic work has always been to make sure that every child has a chance to live up to his or her potential. That means our work won't be done until every child has access to quality education from early childhood to adulthood.
My hope is that every country in Latin America will make a significant commitment to supporting early childhood development programs.
After all, by providing early access to medicine, nutrition and stimulation, early childhood development creates lifelong improvements in health, cognitive development, school achievement, and social equality.
A poor child who receives high-quality early childhood development is 40 percent less likely to need special education, twice as likely to attend college and dramatically more likely to survive childhood.
In tough economic times, we have to make every dollar count, and studies have shown a return of up to $17 for every dollar invested in early childhood.
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