Nurturing Care for Early Childhood Development: A Global Perspective and Guidance

Nurturing Care for Early Childhood Development: A Global Perspective and Guidance

To fully flourish, every child needs nurturing care from birth. This involves being rsed in a stable environment that meets their health and nutritional needs, protection from risks, opportunities for early learning, and responsive interactions that are emotionally supportive and developmentally stimulating. Providing nurturing care lays the foundation for lifelong survival and flourishing. Yet, approximately 250 million children under the age of five years worldwide face the risk of not reaching their full developmental potential, which has significant implications for their health, education, productivity, and overall wellbeing throughout life.

Primary healthcare services offer a universal platform to support all families and children, serving as an entry point for early identification and interventions tlored for those with additional needs. Healthcare providers, particularly pediatricians, are uniquely positioned to observe, assess family dynamics, discuss child development milestones, and guide caregivers in providing nurturing care that suits their child's unique needs.

Empirical evidence underscores the pivotal role of caregiver support in promoting all facets of nurturing care from pregnancy onwards. This allows children to unlock their developmental potential even under challenging circumstances.

This paper elucidates how the Nurturing Care Framework, encompassing five strategic actions, guides multi-sectoral policies, interventions, and services. It highlights the significant role healthcare systems can play in fostering early childhood development during crucial years of life.

Contributors: BD conceptualized the manuscript and drafted the initial version; BD and SM refined various sections. All authors approved the final manuscript draft.

Funding: No external funding was utilized for this work.

Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests regarding this submission.

Acknowledgements: The authors, staff members of the World Health Organization WHO, alone are responsible for the views expressed in this paper which do not necessarily represent decisions, policies, or viewpoints of WHO.

References:

1. United Nations. Global Strategy for Women’s Children’s and Adolescents’ Health. United Nations; 2016.

2. Richter LM, Daelmans B, Lombardi J, et al. Investing in the Foundation of Sustnable Development: Pathways to Scale Up for Early Childhood Development. Lancet. 2017;3899957:103-18.

3. Britto PR, Lye SJ, Proulx K, et al. Nurturing Care: Promoting Early Childhood Development through Responsive Caregiving and Learning Opportunities. Lancet Child Adolesc Health. 2016;11:19-34.

4. World Health Organization, United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF, World Bank Group. Nurturing care for early childhood development: A framework for helping children survive and thrive to transform health and potential. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2018.

The article references are listed in proper format under the 'References' section at the , facilitating readers' access to detled information about the cited sources.

This paper provide a comprehensive overview of nurturing care for early childhood development, serving as an essential resource for healthcare professionals and policymakers worldwide.
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