Early Childhood Development
Laying the Foundation for Lifelong Success
The early years—from birth to age 8—are a critical window of opportunity. What happens in these years shapes a child’s brain, health, confidence, and ability to learn. We work with parents, caregivers, communities, and service providers to ensure that every child gets the strongest possible start in life.
Why It Matters
Investing in early childhood pays lifelong dividends. Children who receive responsive care, nurturing support, and opportunities to play and learn are more likely to succeed in school, develop resilience, and grow into healthy, productive adults. When we support caregivers and early learning systems, we set children—and society—on a path toward lasting progress.
Our Pathways for Advancing Early Childhood Development
1. Responsive Parenting and Caregiving
We support parents and caregivers, both women and men, to nurture children with warmth, sensitivity, and attentiveness—especially in challenging contexts like poverty, conflict, or displacement. Through our gender transformative parenting approach, caregivers learn to recognize and meet their children’s emotional and developmental needs, raise their children free from gender stereotypes, creating secure bonds and safe environments. This kind of care strengthens resilience, promotes healthy brain development, and lays the foundation for lifelong learning, opportunity, and well-being.
2. Learning Through Play
We promote play-based learning as a powerful, child-centered approach that sparks curiosity and joy. By partnering with families and schools, we help integrate play into everyday routines and classrooms. Through play, children develop creativity, language, social skills, and emotional intelligence. It’s not just fun—it’s fundamental to building a love of learning and critical thinking skills from the earliest years.
3. Strengthening the Early Childhood Workforce and Systems
Strong families need strong support systems. We work to build the capacity of the early childhood development and childcare workforce—from health and nutrition workers, social development workers, to teachers and protection officers. By working with governments, training service providers, improving coordination, and promoting integrated, child-friendly services and policies, we ensure families have access to the holistic support they need. This collaborative model helps children grow up healthy, safe, and ready to learn.
