Nursery World - Duchess of Cambridge launches early years research centre

The Duchess of Cambridge has set up an early childhood research centre with the ambition of changing the way society thinks about the first five years of a child’s life, and transforming the lives of future generations.

The Duchess of Cambridge has set up a research centre for early childhood development PHOTO Kensington Palace

The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood will focus on:

To coincide with the launch, the Centre has published its inaugural report, Big Change Starts Small, which brings together leading sector research in one place and underlines the critical lifelong impact of the early years on individuals, the economy and society at large.

It also sets out recommendations on how all aspects of society can contribute positively and make a difference, highlighting the importance of the early years workforce.

Kensington Palace said that over the last ten years, the Duchess has seen first-hand how some of today’s hardest social challenges – from addiction and violence to family breakdown and homelessness, so often underpinned by poor mental health – have their roots in the earliest years of life.

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