Early Childhood Development
The first few years of life are crucial to every child’s development. Together with partners, UNICEF works around the world to establish the foundations for children to grow, learn and thrive. Learn more, including how to help.
A child's brain is almost fully formed by age 3
Early Childhood Development (ECD) refers to the physical, cognitive, linguistic and socio-emotional development of children from before birth until age 8.
Supporting ECD during these first years of life is critically important, because during this time, more than 1 million neural connections are formed every second — a rate of growth that never happens again.
Over 80 percent of a child's brain is formed by the age of 3. Whatever happens during this period has a lasting effect on a child’s future well-being, and there is only one chance to get it right.
The quality of a child’s early experiences makes a critical difference, establishing either strong or weak foundations for health, learning and behavior throughout the rest of their life.
What a child needs for healthy early childhood development
For a child to achieve their full potential, they need health care and nutrition, protection from harm, a sense of security and opportunities for early learning. They need responsive caregiving — interactions with loving parents and caregivers that include talking, singing and playing.
All of these things act as fuel for growing bodies and nourishment for developing brains.
Challenges that can negatively impact early childhood development
Millions of children around the world — children living in poverty, children in conflict zones, migrant and refugee children, children with disabilities and children belonging to communities facing discrimination — often miss out on the kind of care and stimulation they need for healthy development. They are growing up exposed to violence, polluted environments and extreme stress.
Globally, 1 in 3 children under age 5 are not growing well due to malnutrition, and 1 in 3 children ages 3 to 4 are not developmentally on track.
More than 175 million children are not enrolled in pre-primary education.
This is where UNICEF comes in.
How UNICEF supports early childhood development
Together with partners, UNICEF provides parents and caregivers with resources and services they need to ensure their children are able to build the strong foundation they need for life.
These efforts include:
- in Bhutan: supporting the government’s development and implementation of an early childhood strategy, including the National Parenting Education Program, which helps parents with little or no education build the skills needed to effectively support their child’s development, such as using everyday settings for learning experiences
- in Jordan: implementing a Positive Parenting Program, which has provided childcare skills training to hundreds of thousands of parents and caregivers, benefiting nearly half a million children; nnovative activities and instructional videos are categorized by age for children from birth to age 5
- in Mongolia: supporting early education programs for children in remote herder communities, including the summer mobile kindergarten and "Teacher with a Tablet," where kindergarten teachers set up classrooms in remote areas where families have settled for the season and offer learning opportunities for youngsters as well as their parents using tablet-based learning materials
- in Panama: coordinating with the Ministry of Health to implement the Kangaroo Family Care Program, which gives premature or low birth weight newborns with stabilized vital functions 24-hour skin-to-skin contact with primary caregivers; using an elastic fabric wrap for support, the baby is held against the bare chest of the mother, father or caregiver for direct contact, strengthening the parents’ emotional bond with their baby and increasing their confidence as caregivers while reducing the newborn’s feelings of separation
- in Rwanda: collaborating with the government to provide innovative ECD programs and vital childcare support to families at centers serving workers in border regions, mining and tea industries, and busy markets; these centers help children grow and learn in safe, nurturing environments while empowering mothers to work and support their families
- in Tajikistan: working closely with the government to promote family-based care for children, including helping to transform the system of residential childcare institutions into family centers where young children with developmental delays and disabilities can access community and family-based support, including early interventions, without being institutionalized
The UNICEF ECD kit: supplies to support children in emergencies
When UNICEF responds to an emergency, the global supply operation kicks into high gear, rushing critical items that meet urgent needs for safe water, health care, protection and nutrition. That's not all, though: children caught in conflict or climate disaster need other forms of assistance to maintain the level of engagement that is so crucial for healthy development. Providing ECD support is also a form of psychosocial support for children in stressful and traumatic situations.
The UNICEF ECD supply kit is packed with a range of materials specifically for infants, toddlers and preschool-age children and their caregivers — items to support positive, stimulating interaction, such as puzzles, puppets and building blocks. Learn more about UNICEF ECD kits.
Early childhood development programs and materials are central to UNICEF's global efforts to give children their best start in life. Support UNICEF's global humanitarian mission for children. Donate today.
