This document considers the Child Guarantee initiative from the perspective of early childhood development and stresses the importance of ensuring that its implementation responds to the needs of very young children, especially those from vulnerable groups and their families and caregivers.
This document considers the Child Guarantee initiative from the perspective of early childhood development and stresses the importance of ensuring that its implementation responds to the needs of very young children, especially those from vulnerable groups and their families and caregivers. The importance of investing in early childhood cannot be overstated. There is irrefutable evidence showing how children’s experiences in the first years of life shape lifelong outcomes by improving adult health and wellbeing, educational attainment and earnings. When the most vulnerable children participate in quality early years services, gaps in equity can be overcome.
Investing early in nurturing care for all children is essential for their healthy development but also for the wellbeing of society and for countries’ economic prosperity. Public investment in early childhood is one of the most visionary and effective policy measures that governments can take offering a spectacular return on investment.