A recent paper in The Journal of Nutrition recommends: “Expanding conceptual models of child development to include the 5 components of the Nurturing Care Framework”, and says: “…health and nutrition alone may not be sufficient if children do not experience the learning opportunities, responsive caregiving, and security and safety that are part of the Nurturing Care Framework.”Read More →

The evidence for combined interventions is growing! In this systematic review and meta-analysis of early life interventions, the authors found that interventions that resulted in effects on linear growth (e.g., nutritional supplementation) were not significantly associated with effects on cognitive, language, or motor development scores. To ensure benefits for linear growth and neurobehavioural development we need to go beyond nutritional supplementation programming and include interventions targeting caregiving behaviour and learning opportunities that support the development of cognitive, language, motor, and social-emotional skills.Read More →

Understanding donor, government and out-of-pocket funding for early child development (ECD) is important for tracking progress. This paper, published in the British Medical Journal’s Archives of Disease in Childhood, aims to estimate a baseline for the Nurturing Care Framework, with a special focus on childhood disability.Read More →

Writing for the Daily Maverick, Director of Advocacy Aid Patricia Martin-Wiesner argues that achieving South Africa’s development vision in the next 25 years is possible if the country’s leadership prioritises the inclusive and equal development of children. Nurturing care is a formula for transformative, inclusive growth and development.Read More →

A new WHO guideline provides global, evidence-informed recommendations on improving early childhood development through interventions that support responsive caregiving and early learning. Evidence shows that early childhood development is an outcome of healthy, nurturing interactions between caregivers and children, and as such, the guideline focuses on the needs of both the caregivers and young children.Read More →

The Coalition for Children Affected by AIDS has produced a brief on what donors, policy makers, implementers and civil society can do to deliver integrated support for children and adolescents affected by HIV and AIDS. Those who face social and structural exclusion must be prioritised if we are to achieve HIV targets and broader SDGs. The most vulnerable are beyond the reach of mainstream services – that must change. Combining services and support in a comprehensive programme achieves far more and uses fewer resources. The Nurturing Care Framework can transform the life course of these children.Read More →

This brief, published by the Elizabeth Glazer Pediatrics Foundation (EGPAF) and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, describes how health services are used as entry points to ensure nurturing care for children affected by HIV. You can download the brief here. Learn more about EGPAF’s HIV and ECD work here. RelatedRead More →

Published in the Journal of Public Health (February 2019), “The effect of a community-based, integrated and nurturing care intervention on early childhood development in rural China” explores whether attention to nurturing care can promote developmental health and reduce developmental delays. The community-based program was implemented in four counties of China,Read More →

The Early Childhood Workforce Initiative is a global, multi-sectoral effort to produce new knowledge and equip decision-makers with tools and resources to support the development of a quality early childhood workforce at scale. Writing for the project’s website, Kavita Hatipoglu and Michelle Neuman make the point: “The practitioners who workRead More →

The 2018 monitoring report for the Every Woman Every Child global strategy for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health provides updates on progress towards the Survive, Thrive, and Transform goals, which were set out in the 2016-2030 global strategy. The report recommends implementing the Nurturing Care Framework as the first strategicRead More →