This video is a testimonial from a caregiver living in Jordan who has been supported by local health care workers to better support the development of her 5-year old child, Ayla. The support has been provided through the Ahlan Simsim (Welcome Sesame) initiative in Jordan.Read More →
This 4 page brief summarizes the rationale and implementation strategies of the Ahlan Simsim initiative, as well as the prelminary results. It shows that caregivers want to know more about how they can support their children’s development and that health workers, when equipped with the right content and tools, can respond to this need. Read More →
These articles explore implementation of ‘Reach Up’ in multiple low- and middle-income countries. The papers illustrate how it can be delivered through multiple platforms, including home visits, group settings, and health facility contacts and community outreach. Read More →
Home-based records have a long history, initially used to record proof of smallpox vaccinations in the mid-1800s. Today, more than 163 countries use a form of home-based record, such as antenatal notes, vaccination-only cards, child health booklets or integrated maternal and child health handbooks. The WHO recommends home-based records to improve care-seeking behaviours, men’s involvement and support in the household, maternal and child home care practices, infant and child feeding and communication between health workers and women, parents and caregivers. Read More →
This 15-minute pre-recorded presentation was prepared by the World Health Organization for the International Conference on Early Childhood Development in Islamabad, Pakistan (February 2023).Read More →
Forty-two randomised controlled trials with 15,557 infants were included in the narrative synthesis to determine the effect of early childhood development interventions delivered by healthcare providers (HCP-ECD) on child cognition and maternal mental health.Read More →
The Health Systems for Early Child Development platform is a one-stop-shop for policy makers, service providers, and service planners, where they can access latest evidence-based guidance and resources on early childhood development policies and programmes that health care systems can incorporate and build on. It is also a learning community that enables discussions and knowledge exchange on building a responsive system that addresses the needs of young children and their families. Read More →
This Thematic Brief summarizes the evidence regarding the benefits of men’s engagement on outcomes for women, children, and even men themselves. It consolidates the learnings thus far regarding designing and adapting services to engage men in providing nurturing care. Finally, it recommends practical actions for policymakers and programme designers across four enabling environments: policies, services, communities and caregivers – all illustrated with case studies. It focuses particularly on what health services can do, while also covering education, social protection and other sectors. Read More →
The WHO has commissioned a systematic review and meta-analysis of 102 randomized controlled trials of parenting interventions for children during the first 3 years of life that were implemented across a total of 33 countries. Among the findings, the review found greater effects on child cognitive development, parenting knowledge, parenting practices, and parent–child interactions for programs that focused on responsive caregiving compared to those that did not.Read More →
This analysis summarises the situation of young children across several policy areas impacting their development. It is based on data collected from nine European countries and consolidated in nine country profiles. It draws attention towards four key findings across policy areas impacting ECD and priorities for policy-making and investment in early childhood at the European and country level.Read More →
The author reflects on his experience of scaling nurturing care interventions in a private pediatric care setting. Buy-in from the health sector required realization of benefits to include health outcomes framed as the potential to improve the quality of life and the process of recovery; sustainable behavior change required a culture that promoted nurturing care highlighting the role of leadership; subsequently improving the experience of frontline staff and at an individual level. This could be achieved through the provision of supportive supervision-rooted in a framework of compassion.Read More →
Published by the WHO Regional Office for Eastern Mediterranean, this operational guide is a step-by-step, action-oriented programmatic tool that complements existing resources and provides a clear approach to child and adolescent health in emergencies.Read More →
This publication summarizes results of an international survey conducted by ECDAN in December 2021 to identify pressing research priorities, with a specific focus on low- and middle-income countries. The survey identified components of nurturing care (i.e., health, nutrition, child protection, opportunities for learning, and responsive caregiving) that should be prioritized in the next 12 months. Read More →
The research round up describes the nature and scope of 411 peer-reviewed, publicly available scientific research studies published during January 2020 and October 2021 (an average of 30 articles per month) related to early childhood development (ECD). The authors summarize who the studies have been conducted with; where the studies have been conducted; how they have been conducted in terms of research design; and priority research topics addressed so far. Nearly 85% of the included COVID-19 studies address themes of maternal and child health or nutrition. In contrast, 9% of the studies focus on themes of early learning or responsive caregiving. Lastly, 7% of the COVID-19 studies focus primarily on children’s safety and security. Read More →
In preparation for the virtual South-East Asia regional multisectoral meeting in April 2021, the WHO, UNICEF and partners prepared six recorded presentations in English. They address the rationale for investing in nurturing care for early childhood development, provide an overview of the Nurturing Care Framework, and dive deeper into the Strategic Actions.Read More →
The free app developed by UNICEF and national partners is designed to lend a helping hand to parents, with easy tips on topics like breast pumps, baby weaning, learning, toys, child protection and much more. The app is available in 14 languages and can be used both online and offline. Read More →
This short-animated video is the fourth in a series focusing on self-care interventions during COVID-19. It provides practical guidance for women and children who may be experiencing violence and what they can do to seek help and support.Read More →
This situational analysis presents evidence on ECD service delivery, challenges, and opportunities to support the development of a comprehensive strategy and enabling environment for the equitable expansion of quality ECD sector services in Kosovo.Read More →
This special supplement of the journal Indian Pediatrics explores how policies, programmes and initiatives within India are promoting nurturing care for ECD. Read More →
