THE CHILD RIGHTS APPROACH IN PUBLIC POLICY: ACCESS OF THE NON-POOR POPULATION TO THE NATIONAL CHILD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT NETWORK (REDCUDI) IN COSTA RICA

Abstract

James Heckman (2011), Nobel Prize in Economics, argues that boys and girls who are created in less favored environments are less likely to succeed. Inequality and crime can be reduced through early intervention and education. In Costa Rica, public investment in childhood is carried out through various programs, one of which stands out as the National Network for Child Care and Development (hereinafter, REDCUDI). This program has focused mainly on care for the population living in poverty, limiting the possibilities for non-poor children to have access to care and development services. This study addresses the actions that the Alvarado Quesada Administration (2018 - 2022) has implemented, under the rights approach, to guarantee the access of non-poor children to REDCUDI services. The investigation covers a period of two years, corresponding to the last two years of said mandate (from May 8, 2020 to May 8, 2022). It describes this management in relation to the access of children from non-poor families to child care and development services, under a child rights approach. The researcher establishes as a hypothesis that the actions carried out during the last two years of the Alvarado Quesada Administration (2018-2022) to guarantee the access of children from non-poor families to REDCUDI services, are consistent with the approach of children's rights. This research identifies the coherence between the child rights approach and the actions implemented by the Government of the Republic, to guarantee the right of non-poor boys and girls to receive comprehensive quality care. From this approach, the Government's management must comply with the commitments assumed internationally, in which the principle of the best interest of children has been reaffirmed, as well as their condition as bearers of rights.