Nursery World - UNICEF urges Governments to invest in early childhood

A new report calls for Governments worldwide to prioritise early childhood development.

According to the charity UNICEF, which has published the report, around 85 million children under five live in 32 countries that do not offer what it calls the three ‘critical policies’ to support children’s early brain development: two years of free pre-primary education, paid breastfeeding breaks for new mothers for the first six months, and adequate paid parental leave

Among these 32 countries that do not offer families these policies are the United States and Bangladesh, where 40 per cent of the 85 million children live.

The charity also wants family-friendly policies, including these three key policies made a national policy, and for Governments and the private sector to give working parents the time and resources needed to support their young children’s brain development.

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