New Lancet Series: Early Childhood Development and the Next 1000 Days

19 November 2024 - Following the first 1,000 days of life that span from conception to two years of age, the ‘next 1,000 days’ of a child’s life from two to five years of age offer a window of opportunity to promote nurturing and caring environments, establish healthy behaviors, and build on early gains to sustain or improve trajectories of healthy development. This webinar will officially launch the new two-part Lancet series on early childhood development, set to be released on November 19. The recording of the webinar will be available on the website after the event. The series focuses on the critical “next 1,000 days” of a child’s life, exploring why this period is essential for healthy development. It will address environments of care, risks, and protective factors shaping development, estimate the number of children receiving adequate nurturing care, and evaluate the effectiveness of current interventions in meeting their needs. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) 181·9 million children ages 3 and 4 are not receiving nurturing care, thus jeopardizing their development. The series summarizes the evidence, benefits and costs of key strategies to support children’s development in this age range. It highlights the high cost of inaction, revealing that failing to implement a basic early childhood care and education (ECCE) package globally results in significant societal losses—potentially 8 to 19 times greater than the investment required for ECCE. The series stresses the need to provide access to adequate nurturing care, including equitable access to high quality ECCE, safe and supportive environments with adequate stimulation, protection from physical punishment, adequate nutrition to all children, universal developmental screening, and financial support for vulnerable populations.