The Socioeconomic Gradient of Child Development: Cross-Sectional Evidence from Children 6–42 Months in Bogota

Abstract

We study the socioeconomic gradient of child development on a sample of low-and middle-income children aged 6-42 months in Bogota using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development. We fi nd an average difference of 0.53, 0.42, and 0.49 standard deviations (SD) in cognition, receptive, and expressive language respectively, between children in the top and bottom quartile of the wealth distribution. These gaps increase substantially to 0.81 SD (cognition), 0.76 SD (receptive language), and 0.68 SD (expressive language) for children aged 31-42 months. These robust fi ndings can inform the design and targeting of interventions promoting early childhood development.