Early child development transformational change programme

Introduction

“Investing in the early years is one of the smartest investments a country can make to break the cycle of poverty, address inequality, and boost productivity later in life. Today, millions of young children are not reaching their full potential because of inadequate nutrition, lack of early stimulation and learning, and exposure to stress. Investments in the physical, mental, and emotional development of children - from before birth until they enter primary school are critical for the future productivity of individuals and for the economic competitiveness of nations.” (The World Bank)

We are renewing our focus on improving early child development by bringing together a programme of work to:

• provide oversight and better integration of the policies that contribute to early child development with a focus on prevention.
• re-emphasise the importance of pre-birth and early years across all policy areas.
• identify any policy and implementation gaps, informed by current evidence (including what is needed pre-conception) and build collaboration across the whole system to address them.