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First Years First Priority is a Europe-wide campaign set up to advocate for prioritization of early childhood development in public policies, with a particular focus on families and children who are at greater risk of discrimination and exclusion. This briefing provides a description of the policy context in which the 'First Year, First Priority' campaign is launched. It aims to explain:
- Why is the 'First Years, First Priority' campaign needed?
- What problems does the campaign seek to address and what solutions is it advocating for?
- How does the…
In this paper, the authors present the evidence on why childcare matters for building human capital, look at the current status of childcare provision worldwide, including an estimate of the global gaps in access, and present specific actions countries can take to expand access to quality, affordable childcare for all families that need it, especially the most vulnerable. This paper was originally drafted prior to the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and has been updated to include new content, taking into account the unique challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic poses for families,…
This two-page document from the Thrive Coalition - a community of over 30 organizations and individuals dedicated to addressing U.S. Government support for global early childhood development - makes a case for U.S. investment in global early childhood development. The document outlines the importance of the early years and the greater "return on investment" for early intervention. The document also underscores the cost of inaction.
This Call to Action outlines some of the impacts of both displacement and COVID-19 that are threatening the positive development of many young children around the world. It calls for governments and donors honor existing commitments, ensure inclusion of young children and families in public systems and take FIVE immediate actions to increase investments in:
- Food supplements, health care access, cash assistance & other social protection measures
- Emergency early learning programs
- Remote and ongoing mental health and child protection…
In just a matter of weeks, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to huge societal public health and economic challenges worldwide. The clinical effects of COVID-19 on young children are uncertain when compared with older age groups, with lower morbidity and mortality rates and no conclusive evidence supporting transmission during pregnancy, on the one hand, but some emerging evidence of rising rates of child hyperinflammatory shock, on the other. Research on the effects of prior pandemics and disasters clearly indicates that there will be both immediate and long-term adverse consequences for…
This article from the World Economic Forum describes the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on children in immigration detention in the United States. It calls on the US government to take the following six immediate actions to stop the violence against migrant children and families and to protect them from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
1. The current administration must immediately release all migrants, including children and families, detained in US custody to safe and sanitary housing.
2. Children and family members who are released…
This position statement presents the key asks that are necessary to ensure that the rights and needs of children without or at risk of losing parental care are prioritised by national, regional and international governments as they adopt measures to mitigate the short and long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic around the world.
Given their multidimensional conditions of vulnerability that could lead to a downward spiral in the context of the projected socio-economic crises, we ask that:
- Child welfare and protection services, and their staff be designated as essential and…
In this Submission to the Inquiry into Support for Children of Imprisoned Parents, Karleen Gribble, Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Western Sydney University, comments on "the situation of infants and young children whose mothers are incarcerated and the support or undermining of their health and wellbeing in the justice system." Gribble explores the effects of parental separation on infant mental health, among other topics. The submission concludes with recommendations for addressing the developmental and health needs of infants…
This report from Amnesty International outlines the "reckless response" of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to the COVID-19 crisis, which threatens public health, and calls for the release of immigration detainees, including children as young as one year old.
In this statement, the Consortium for Street Children calls on all UN Members States to take the following three steps for children in street situations during this pandemic:
1. Collaborate with NGOs to provide safe, child and age appropriate shelter for all children in street situations to safely self-isolate, in line with the principles of child participation and the best interest of the child, and not punish or criminalize them for having nowhere else to go.
2. Make sure children in street situations have access to essential services, by including and prioritising them in…