As Ukraine’s economy is in a severe crisis, many Ukrainians are looking for ways to help their country. Obviously, there are no miracle solutions and many small improvements, both at the individual level and at the country level, will need to be implemented to put Ukraine again on a track to sustainable development. By now there is a large literature on the importance of early childhood development for economic prosperity of both the individual and the country.

Unfortunately not all is well with early childhood development in Ukraine – According to a 2012 Survey by UNICEF in Ukraine, less than half of all Ukrainian children between 3 and 5 who were surveyed are considered ‘developmentally on track’ in terms of literacy and numeracy.

Several explanations for this high percentage of children who start their life at a disadvantage are possible. First, Ukraine, together with Russia, is one of the few countries in Europe where iodized salt is not widely used. Iodine deficiency in utero and/or during the first years of life, which is common in Ukraine, has been shown to be one of the leading causes of preventable mental retardation in the world. In US regions where natural iodine was lacking , the average IQ of people born immediately after the introduction of iodized salt was 15 points higher than the average IQ of people born immediately before the introduction of iodized salt. It should come to no surprise then that many countries, but not Ukraine, have made the iodization of salt mandatory. Given the low cost of iodizing salt, following those countries’ example should be a no-brainer for the new Ukrainian government.

Author: Tom Coupé, Kyiv School of Economics Associate Professor.