This paper examines the determinants of early childhood stimulation provided by caregivers using an ecological approach. The focus of our inquiry is on Chile, one of the most economically unequal countries in the world. We use data from the Longitudinal Early Childhood Survey conducted in 2010 and 2012, which contains information regarding infants aged 30 months on average (n = 8,251). Early childhood stimulation is examined using a multidimensional index that comprises three domains: caregivers’ stimulation of cognitive-language, sensorimotor, and socio-emotional development. Our dynamic models show that the main factors that lead to less stimulation are low caregiver education, low-income households, and large families. Specifically, it was found that an additional child being born within a two-year period decreases stimulation, indicating possible competition between siblings due to time and resource restrictions in the household. Furthermore, caregivers’ performance in personality (BFI) and linguistic intelligence (WAIS language) tests was found to be a more significant factor than operational memory. Taken together, these findings suggest the need for initiatives aimed at increasing equality in early childhood stimulation.

本文使用生态方法研究了照顾者提供的早期儿童刺激的决定因素。我们调查的重点是智利，这是世界上经济最不平等的国家之一。我们使用了 2010 年和 2012 年进行的纵向早期儿童调查的数据，其中包含有关平均 30 个月大的婴儿的信息 ( n = 8,251）。使用包含三个领域的多维指数来检查早期儿童刺激：照顾者对认知语言、感觉运动和社会情感发展的刺激。我们的动态模型表明，导致较少刺激的主要因素是低保姆教育、低收入家庭和大家庭。具体来说，发现在两年内多出生一个孩子会减少刺激，这表明由于家庭中的时间和资源限制，兄弟姐妹之间可能存在竞争。此外，发现护理人员在人格 (BFI) 和语言智力 (WAIS 语言) 测试中的表现是比操作记忆更重要的因素。综合起来，