Children in Sub-Saharan Africa face the greatest challenges to healthy development of any region in the world. This report presents reviews of 11 Early Childhood Development programs, studied to define financial and institutional conditions necessary to sustain early intervention efforts. Interviews and existing documentation from governmental and non-governmental organizations provide information about the programs and policies that directly affect children, ages birth to six, and their families. The findings point to gaps in existing policies and research, identify the enabling conditions needed for programs to be implemented, and reveal issues to be considered prior to designing new programs. The report's introductory chapter indicates the focus and methodology of the study. Chapter 2 provides a brief overview of the selected programs and their objectives in the context of the area's enabling conditions and needs. Chapter 3 discusses the effects of these enabling conditions on key issues--delivery models, program quality, institutional cooperation, and costs. Chapter 4 summarizes considerations and actions needed to support more effective planning and implementation. Chapter 5 focuses on challenges in data collection, expansion of access to services, and coordination of policy, research, and program efforts. The selected programs are summarized in 12 sidebars. Nine tables compare and contrast elements of the case studies, and two figures delineate statistics. Contains 68 references. (DBD)