Introduction to Multi-sector Aspects of Early Childhood Development

This chapter discusses multi-sector platforms to promote ECD, including health, nutrition, education, social protection, and child protection. Children can experience multiple co-occuring risks in their lifetimes, whether these are biological, psychological, or due to social determinants, and there are therefore different multi-sector platforms that can take a lead in delivering interventions. It is important to have coordination between these sectors because there are many players involved. Risks can be proximal or distal, in the home or societal level. Risks are particularly pertinent in the first five years of life, when there is the most rapid and sensitive brain development. These risks include infectious illnesses, maternal depression, a lack of psychosocial stimulation, and a lack of access to water, sanitation and hygiene services, among others. Families need support throughout, meaning that we need to promote parents’ education and knowledge about the things that children need to grow healthily and have the right behavioral support. The beneficiaries of these multi-sector services are multiple; they are inter-generational and cover multiple categories of professions. Context matters, and understanding what risk children are exposed to in what context is important to deciding what interventions are needed and when.

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