Nurturing care for early childhood development
Science has shown the critical importance of the early years, starting from pregnancy, for early childhood development. To grow and develop optimally, children need to receive nurturing care. This means that they enjoy adequate nutrition and good health, feel safe and secure, and have opportunities for learning starting from birth.
Nurturing care for early childhood development
The Nurturing Care Framework is a roadmap for action, to help children survive and thrive to transform health and human potential. WHO’s Child Health and Development Unit develops guidelines and implementation tools to support the nurturing care agenda. It also works with governments to strengthen policies and services so that they deliver essential interventions with quality and equity, and support caregivers to provide nurturing care. And it is an active contributor to the Nurturing Care Partnership that facilitates the exchange of information, experiences and lessons learnt.
Improving early childhood development
In 2020, WHO issued the first guideline that was specifically related to early childhood development. The 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.
The guideline, intended for a wide range of stakeholders, also recommends integrating caregiving and nutrition interventions and supporting mental health.
Improving early childhood development
Thematic briefs
Nurturing care and men’s engagement : thematic brief
Nurturing care for every newborn: thematic brief
Nurturing care for children affected by HIV
Selected publications on nurturing care
Nurturing care practice guide: strengthening nurturing care through health and nutrition services
This Guide responds to requests from practitioners and country teams who have learned about the Nurturing care framework and want to understand...
Nurturing care handbook
This handbook is to help to put the Nurturing care framework into practice. The Framework sets out what children need to reach their full potential, along...
Monitoring children’s development in primary care services
Moving from a focus on child deficits to family-centred participatory support. Report of a virtual meeting 9 - 10 June 2020 Globally, at least one...
Operationalizing Nurturing Care for Early Childhood Development
This document is the report of the technical meeting convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) on ‘Operationalizing Nurturing Care’....
Nurturing care for early childhood development
What is one of the best ways a country can boost shared prosperity, promote inclusive economic growth, expand equitable opportunity, and end extreme poverty?...
Operationalizing Nurturing Care meeting report
This document is the report of the technical meeting convened by WHO on ‘Operationalizing Nurturing Care’ from 31st July to 2nd August 2017,...
Caring for the child’s healthy growth and development
The survival of children through their early years depends on the adults who care for them.Children need to eat well in order to grow, be healthy and strong....
Meeting report: nurturing human capital along the life course
This document is the report of the meeting organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) on ‘Nurturing human capital along the life course: Investing...
Early childhood development (ECD) – including the sensori-motor, social /emotional and language /cognitive capacities – is indivisible from the...
Early child development : a powerful equalizer
This document synthesizes knowledge about opportunities to improve the state of early child development on a global scale. In keeping with international...
The importance of caregiver-child interactions for the survival and healthy development of young children:...
This review brings together current theory as well as empirical evidence from an array of disciplines including neurophysiology, psycholinguistics, behavioural...
An extensive scientific review showing that psychological interventions to support psychological development and nutrition interventions to support...
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