Advances in early childhood development

Early Childhood Matters aims to elevate key issues, spread awareness of promising solutions to support holistic child development and explore the elements needed to take those solutions to scale.

Featured articles

A ghost story

Michael Feigelson
Thomas and Paula with their 2 sons; newborn Milo and 5 year old Boris.

When she carried my baby, she carried me too

Elissa Strauss

“Love really protects you, the parent and the baby”

Ruth Feldman

How conversations over coffee reduced maternal mortality rates

Kesete Admasu

Five urban design choices that make a world of difference for parents

Sree Kumar Kumaraswamy et al.

Healing the past to protect the future

Andrés Moya et al.
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Early Childhood Matters 2025

The needs of parents and caregivers of young children often go unseen and unheard in public life and policy. They face growing pressure, are overworked, and their support systems are strained or disappearing. So what can we do to better support them? With 33 compelling contributions, this edition illustrates how everyone can play a role in shaping a more caring society and rebuilding villages of support around parents.

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Early Childhood Matters is an annual periodical published by the Van Leer Foundation

Vision and objectives

Early Childhood Matters aims to elevate key issues, spread awareness of promising solutions to support holistic child development and explore the elements needed to take those solutions to scale.

Who it is for

It is written to be accessible to a broad international audience of policymakers, advocates, civil society organisations, civil servants, practitioners and researchers.

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