Peru is expanding its Cuna Más program to deliver quality early childhood care services for children under 36 months living in poverty. The initiative prioritizes service quality through caregiver training and improved infrastructure, aiming to ensure comprehensive care that integrates nutrition, stimulation, and family support. In 2025, more than 15,000 children graduated from the program free of anemia, demonstrating its impact when health and development interventions are combined from the earliest years.
With support from the Inter-American Development Bank, Peru is strengthening its early childhood development policy to guarantee quality care for children in vulnerable households. This involves investing in caregiver training, building and renovating childcare centers, and improving institutional frameworks for coordination, supervision, and information systems. These measures are designed to enhance service delivery and ensure that children receive the support needed for healthy development.
The program’s comprehensive approach includes daytime care services at childcare centers and family support services through home visits to strengthen parenting practices. A $50 million loan from the IDB will fund the construction of 25 new Comprehensive Child Care Centers and the renovation of 28 existing ones, ensuring adequate infrastructure for early childhood services. These centers provide integrated care, combining nutrition, stimulation, and support for families, while also enabling mothers to participate more fully in the labor market.
Strengthening governance and management is another key component, with improvements in processes, interinstitutional coordination, and technological tools to enhance decision-making and service quality. The initiative aims to directly benefit more than 320,000 children across 1,762 municipalities, including over 65,000 children with indigenous mother tongues.
By investing early in quality care, Peru seeks to expand opportunities for children, reduce poverty’s impact on development, and strengthen family and community resilience. The program’s results highlight the importance of integrating health, nutrition, and stimulation to drive cognitive, social, physical, and emotional growth from the earliest years.
