CARIBBEAN-UWI researchers win top education prize

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Two University of the West Indies (The UWI) researchers have won the 2026 Yidan Prize for Education Development for their work on Reach Up, an early childhood program now used in more than 21 countries.

Professor Susan P. Walker, Emeritus Professor of Nutrition at The UWI’s Caribbean Institute for Health Research (CAIHR), and Dr Susan M. Chang-Lopez, Senior Lecturer at CAIHR, share the award with Professor Sally Grantham-McGregor, Emeritus Professor of International Child Health and Development at University College London.

The three researchers were recognized for developing Reach Up, an evidence-based early childhood intervention designed to help caregivers support children’s development from birth to age four.

The program grew from research in Jamaica and uses low-cost, culturally adaptable activities based on everyday routines. It helps caregivers build the knowledge, skills, and confidence to talk, play, and respond to children in ways that support cognitive development.

Reach Up is now implemented in more than 21 countries across the Caribbean, Latin America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East through existing health, social protection, education and humanitarian systems. It provides its curriculum and materials free of charge and continuously evaluates and adapts them.

The Yidan Prize Foundation said the researchers’ work demonstrated the importance of early stimulation and quality interaction in shaping children’s development and longer-term life outcomes.

Dorothy K. Gordon, head of the Yidan Prize Judging Panel for Education Development, said Reach Up gave children “better chances for an equal start in learning, education, and life”.

She said the laureates had demonstrated how lasting change could be achieved through evidence, partnership and local leadership.

Walker, who served as CAIHR Director from 2012 to 2020, said the research began with the Jamaica Home Visit program, which examined whether regular, low-cost stimulation provided through play, conversation and homemade toys could influence children’s development.

“Our vision is to ensure children have early environments that support their development, the foundation for success at school and across the life course,” Walker said.

She said follow-up research found that participants earned 25 to 40 percent more than their peers as adults, while also showing better cognitive skills and improved mental health outcomes.

Chang-Lopez described the award as recognition of more than 40 years of research conducted in Jamaica and with partners internationally.

“The Yidan award is a public recognition of over 40 years of research conducted here in Jamaica and with partners worldwide,” she said.

She thanked the researchers’ colleagues, as well as the parents and children who participated in their studies and the wider global Reach Up community.

The Yidan Prize Foundation describes its award as the world’s highest accolade in education. Each 2026 laureate will receive HK$30 million, approximately US$3.8 million, comprising a cash award and an unrestricted project fund to advance their work and expand its Reach.

The three Education Development laureates will be honored at the Yidan Prize Summit in Hong Kong from December 3 to 5, 2026.

Current CAIHR Director Professor Marshall Tulloch-Reid congratulated the researchers, saying the achievement demonstrated the real-world impact of the institute’s research and its mission to improve health and well-being through innovative research and partnerships.