"Early Childhood Development in Tonga: Baseline Results from the Tongan Early Human Capability Index" offers a comprehensive assessment of early child development across Tonga. This book reports on a census of child development using the Tongan Early Human Capability Index. The data includes information on more than 6,600 children ages 3 to 5 years living in 36 inhabited islands and 129 communities. On the basis of population figures from the Tongan census data collection provided by the Tonga Department of Statistics, 81 percent of 3- to 5-year-old children participated in the Tongan Early Human Capability Index. "Early Childhood Development in Tonga" details the development of the instrument used to collect the child development data ensures cultural validity and local relevance, and still captures the fundamental aspects of child development that are consistent across countries and cultures. In addition to benefiting from learning about the development of the instrument, other countries will also be interested in learning about the method of data collection across a country with remote and isolated islands, and using an innovative partnership between health and education. Using existing systems and community governance structures, the data were not only collected but also disseminated back to communities to raise awareness and prompt community and government mobilization to support early child development. The process of developing and implementing the Tongan Early Human Capability Index across Tonga helped build national and district capacity and is encouraging the establishment of community-based supports for children. Researchers, policy makers, practitioners, and advocates for the development and enhancement of systems to monitor early child development worldwide will find "Early Childhood Development in Tonga" highly significant. [Individual chapters contain references.]