Food is the most costly input in an early child development program and can account for up to 40 percent of program costs. Food is often provided by the government through the ministry of agriculture or by international donors such as the World Food Programme. While costs can be cut by involving the community in food provision, ensuring timely delivery and a sustainable supply of food supplements is generally logistically difficult. Cooperative food operations therefore require close supervision. Care providers for very young children can be trained or untrained teachers or day care workers, mothers, or other women from the community.
Ongoing supervision is necessary to make a program effective.
The cost of supervision needs to be included in operations. In addition to monitoring program implementation, each project needs to incorporate in its design an evaluation of program impact. Governments can contain costs by targeting services narrowly so that they reach only the neediest. These measures have generally failed to lower costs as much as expected, however, and in some instances have compromised program quality. As might be expected, moreover, states with less stringent standards had more child care centers and classrooms of low quality.