Early childhood development

Early childhood education (ECE) is becoming a global policy priority, especially in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) where there is commitment to invest in the youngest learners. Building on system-level mappings in 2015 and 2017, this report delves into the status of ECE systems in the Pacific region as of 2022. Based on a…

Around the world, millions more children go to school than in decades before; but not every child is learning. And not every young person is prepared with the skills they need to secure their futures. Globally, over 600 million children struggle with basic reading and arithmetic. Lack of trained teachers, inadequate teaching materials and poor…, Related projects, Related reports, Related news, ideas and articles

Child-related Policies in the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic in 40 Countries uses evidence to present a broad-ranging analysis of the child-related policies and activities undertaken by the 40 European Union (EU) and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. This working paper focuses on six policy fields:…

Recent data show that two-thirds of young Ukrainian refugee children are currently not enrolled in the host country's early childhood education and care (ECEC) services. By publishing policy briefs on the expansion of early childhood education and care and the role of ECEC in the integration of Ukrainian young children and their families, UNICEF…

Access to early childhood education has increased over the last two decades, with global enrolment rates showing gender parity in access among boys and girls. Despite this gender parity in access, the pre-primary education system does not always deliver on its potential to tackle gender inequities and address harmful gender stereotypes while they…

Early childhood is a period of unprecedented growth and development.  During this time,  a child acquires the social, emotional, cognitive and language skills that lay the foundations for their future health, development, wellbeing, positive relationships, and productivity into adulthood.  Early childhood is also a critical period in which…,   An unmatched opportunity for achieving gender equality  , Globally, enrolment in ECE has increased in the past two decades, with  current figures  reflecting gender parity in most instances. However, behind the overall gender parity figures lie differences in how girls and boys access quality provision and what their experiences in the classroom are.  Studies   have found  that pre-primary educators…,   Building frameworks for gender equality through a gender transformative systems approach, Early childhood education systems need to move beyond simply improving access to education for girls and reaching gender parity. In taking a gender transformative approach, ECE systems should consider how we can use policy, curriculum, pedagogy, play and learning materials, teacher training and parental engagement programmes to support children…,   Getting it right from the start, A gender transformative approach to early childhood education provides an unmatched opportunity to build gender equitable futures for children, their communities, and countries. Governments, with the support of education partners, must play an important role in taking this work forward to incorporate gender-transformative approaches into their pre…

Full report, executive summary and 8 working papers This report explores how ‘core capacities’ – or cornerstones of more familiar concepts, such as life skills and competences – develop over the early part of the life course, and how they contribute to children’s personal well-being and development. The report synthesizes the work of the Measuring…, Document cover 1. How discerning patterns develops and affects well-being throughout childhood, Drawing from a multidisciplinary evidence base, what is the empirical and theoretical knowledge of children’s discerning patterns and how does it interact with overall child well-being throughout childhood? This review is a first attempt to map the existing theoretical and empirical literature about a possible core capacity for well-being:…, Document cover 2. How empathizing develops and affects well-being throughout childhood, A growing body of evidence suggests that successful performance in school, work and life needs to be supported by a wide range of skills, the development of which should be nurtured and expanded throughout childhood. This study maps the existing evidence of children’s ability related to ‘empathy’ as a ‘core capacity’. The aim is to use this…, Document cover 3. How inquiring develops and affects well-being throughout childhood, There are many studies on how children ask questions and how this capacity develops over time. Drawing from a multidisciplinary evidence base, what is the empirical and theoretical knowledge of children’s inquiry, and how does it interact with overall child well-being throughout childhood? This paper maps evidence of the development of inquiry as…, Document cover 4. How listening develops and affects well-being throughout childhood, Drawing from a multidisciplinary evidence base, what is the empirical and theoretical knowledge of children’s listening and how does it interact with overall well-being throughout childhood? This review study is a first attempt to map the existing theoretical and empirical literature about a possible core capacity for well-being: listening. It…, Document cover 5. How observing develops and affects well-being throughout childhood, This study maps map the empirical and theoretical evidence of children’s ability for ‘observing’ or ‘noticing’ as a core capacity for life within the Learning for Well-Being Foundation’s theoretical framework, and how it interacts with overall child development. More specifically, this review aims to contribute to existing knowledge in three ways…, Document cover 6. How reflecting develops and affects well-being throughout childhood, Reflecting, or thinking about one’s own thinking, is understood by the Learning for Well-Being Foundation as one of the possible core capacities which may influence well-being in children. This study explores the academic literature for theoretical and empirical evidence in support of this conceptualization. Drawing from a multidisciplinary…, Document cover 7. How relaxing develops and affects well-being throughout childhood, From a developmental perspective, skills or capacities, such as ‘relaxing’, are commonly considered necessary for children to achieve optimal development and reach their full potential. From this perspective ‘relaxing’ can be considered a capacity that could help children to cope with emotional and behavioural problems and lower their levels of…, Document cover 8. How enriching sensory awareness develops and affects well-being throughout childhood, ‘Sensory awareness’ relates to the way humans perceive, distinguish and focus on the world through the senses. This paper focuses on the enrichment of sensory processing as a core capacity. Enrichment is understood both as the child’s ability to broaden their own sensory capabilities and as the societal mechanisms to support and nurture sensory…, Relaxing Embod ying Sensing Empath izing Inquiring Reflecting Discerning Patterns Listening Observing What Makes Me? Core Capacities for Living and Learning UNICEF OFFICE OF RESEARCH INNOCENTI The Office of Research Innocenti is UNICEFs dedicated research centre. It undertakes research on emerging or current issues in order to inform the strategic…

The first years of a child’s life are critical to building the foundations of learning that help them succeed in school and beyond. Investment in early childhood education results in positive returns, not only for individual children, but also for building more efficient and effective education systems. Recent analysis estimated that every US…

This paper summarizes the recent UNICEF analysis on investing in early childhood education in developing countries. It provides a benefit-cost analysis of investments in pre-primary education in 109 developing low- and middle-income countries and territories, using data from 2008 to 2019. September 2020

Expert perspective  |  4 minute read Today, about 3 billion people are in lockdown around the world — and almost 90% of the student population cut off from school. It’s no surprise that a lot of children and their parents are increasingly connecting to the outside world through screens they might have once regarded with restraint or even reproach…