ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with defining Early Childhood Development (ECD), the global trends in the field and why this area of work is important. ECD, as an area of study and work, can be traced back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, but it has become increasingly professionalised. The most recent framing for ECD is the Nurturing Care Framework, developed by UNICEF, WHO, World Bank and other international organisations. The framework highlights the critical importance of multiple inputs for children’s development: health, nutrition, learning and stimulation, safety and protection and responsive care. Responsive care is highlighted as a distinct element based on recent evidence of the critical importance parents and primary caregivers play in establishing secure attachments and relationships with adults in order to help children thrive. The chapter proceeds with laying out six key reasons for investment in ECD: 1. It is critical for brain development; 2. It can help tackle poverty and gender inequality; 3. It can promote peace, disaster risk reduction and environmental protection; 4. It is cost effective when compared with other supports for children; 5. It can help lessen the impact of disabilities on children; and 6. It is recognised as a human right.
