![]() It is getting more and more difficult to just keep up. Photo: Vanessa Touzard/Bernard van Leer Foundationįinally, anyone working in the field of early childhood knows that there are many exciting new initiatives and reports emerging almost every day. This becomes evident when reading through the wide-ranging articles in the Innovation section which includes the use of technology to improve services, new strategies to reach whole communities and neighbourhoods, the integration of early childhood services in refugee communities and the potential of behavioural sciences to impact development. Many innovations are emerging as they scale and many scaling efforts are innovating as they grow. The line between scaling and innovation is not always direct. In addition, core elements central to scaling are highlighted, including the need for inter-sectoral collaboration, increased financing and workforce supports, new measurement tools, and the use of media. These examples provide insight into the various strategies being used to scale services or raise public awareness and influence behaviour. The focus on scaling early childhood services includes both regional and country examples emerging across a number of topics. ‘For a child, to thrive means that they are able to meet their potential, to be happy, healthy, joyful, curious and strong.’ These authors represent the growing list of new champions who are standing up for the importance of the early years to long-term development and well-being. ![]() Together these articles demonstrate the growing support for early childhood and raise new themes and trends facing young children and families including, among others, the importance of clean air to children’s health, the increasing focus on early nutrition, and new directions for urban planning. We kick off this issue with the voices of important leaders from the United Nations, a foundation and public officials from around the world. As in years past, we offer articles that reflect leadership, scaling and innovation, along with short reviews of some of the emerging trends and reports. To celebrate this goal we present a tapestry of articles that, woven together, provide a glimpse of the advances in early childhood development taking place around the world. Upon the publication of Early Childhood Matters 2019, and on the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (United Nations, 1989), we recommit ourselves to the goal that all children meet their developmental potential and that children everywhere grow up thriving. And it takes continuity of quality services and family supports, starting in the earliest years, which together provide the foundation for a lifetime of development. It takes an acknowledgement that the domains of development are integrated – thus health, learning and behaviour are interrelated. ![]() It takes strong families, supported by strong communities and a set of policies that understand this principle. That every child grows up thriving is the goal of early childhood development. ![]()
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