Early Childhood Matters

Protecting children begins with healing parents - Early Childhood Matters As the parent of a newborn baby or young child, you are not alone in the nursery: there are ghosts and angels with you. These are memories from growing up that may at times fill you with dread and at ...

Trauma doesn’t just affect individuals. It shapes families.

Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) helps parents heal from their past and transform fear and anger into compassion for their children.

Discover how CPP nurtures families in #ECM2025: earlychildhoodmatters.online/2025/protect...

“The more we give ourselves, the more we have to give others” - Early Childhood Matters Kristin Neff shares how parents already have the skills they need to intentionally and effectively be kinder to themselves.

🌱 Parents who practise self-compassion show their children that being imperfect is okay.

📖 Psychologist Kristin Neff shares 3 practical ways for caregivers to cultivate self-compassion in #ECM2025: earlychildhoodmatters.online/2025/the-mor...

When work works for parents and families, everybody wins - Early Childhood Matters It’s time for the way we think about work to catch up with the way we live our lives. So that we can be the kind of parents we want to be.

How can workplaces better support families?

Brigid Schulte has 7 practical strategies:
1️⃣ Ask and listen before acting
2️⃣ Take a care inventory
3️⃣ Redefine the ‘ideal worker’
4️⃣ Streamline the workweek’

Discover the rest in #ECM2025 👉 earlychildhoodmatters.online/2025/when-wo...

“Dad brain” is real - Early Childhood Matters Parenting changes men’s bodies and brains in profound ways, impacting everything from their brain structure to hormones to their mental health and sense of identity. We call this period of rapid adjus...

🧠 Thanks to research from @darbysaxbe.bsky.social we know fatherhood transforms men’s brains in profound ways, and many dads face postpartum depression, sleep challenges and stigma.

🔗 Read more about how we can support new fathers in #ECM2025: earlychildhoodmatters.online/2025/dad-bra...

Good housing can make parenting less lonely - Early Childhood Matters We believe in the fundamental shift housing can occur after deeply listening to family voices. Listening to parents has revealed what matters to them and gave us new insights and approaches that we in...

Babies, toddlers & caregivers spend around 80% of time at or near their home.

That’s why 3 things are key for designing housing for families:
1️⃣ Families need storage, play areas & practical layouts.
2️⃣ Shared courtyards foster connection.

Find #3 here 👉 earlychildhoodmatters.online/2025/good-ho...

YouTube video by Van Leer Foundation ECM Conversation Circle: Why do we expect parents to do it all alone?

In July, we unpacked why we expect parents to do it all alone with leaders @elissastrauss.bsky.social @alisongopnik.bsky.social Alicia Lieberman & Karima Grant.

Full recording ▶️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPph...

Subscribe to join future conversations ✍️ earlychildhoodmatters.online#subscribe

Taking care of business by taking care of parents - Early Childhood Matters We firmly believe that one of the reasons for our success is our belief that genuine care for people should be at the centre of our identity as a company. Early childhood wellbeing is a main focus of ...

Workplaces thrive when employees’ families are cared for.

At Special Dog Company in Brazil, family comes first, fostering a culture of care for parents and creating an environment where people want to work.

Learn exactly how they do it in #ECM2025: earlychildhoodmatters.online/2025/taking-...

“We’re all trying to think about how care works” - Early Childhood Matters One thing we want to try and figure out is how care plays out across different cultural traditions in different parts of the world at different times.

Caregiving is central to humanity but invisible in research & policy. Why? And how can we better support caregivers?

Psychologist Alison Gopnik knows that it’s about more than childcare/leave — it’s about rethinking care itself.

Full interview #ECM2025 earlychildhoodmatters.online/2025/were-al...

A place for dads to feel safe and ask questions - Early Childhood Matters When I found out I was going to become a father, I was a young man – 24 years old and impulsive, with a lot of things on my plate. We’d just rented a new place, which needed a lot of work. And I had t...

‘Sometimes, a man’s ego makes it very difficult to seek help or to ask questions.’ – Rich Felisia, Daddy’s Place

Read how Daddy’s Place creates safe spaces for young fathers to connect, share and grow in #ECM2025 💙
earlychildhoodmatters.online/2025/a-place...

"I learned a lot about trauma through parenting" - Early Childhood Matters For the past four decades, Bessel van der Kolk has been studying how we experience trauma differently as we age, how trauma can change the brain, and how it prohibits healthy connections.

Bessel van der Kolk, author of The Body Keeps the Score, shares in #ECM2025 how becoming a parent deepened his understanding of trauma.

🌱Read more on how caregivers’ presence fosters growth and recovery. earlychildhoodmatters.online/2025/i-learn...

How black women reclaimed care in São Paulo - Early Childhood Matters We are inspired by the practice of what Brazilians call aquilombamento: creating a space that is intentionally and recognisably by and for black Brazilians and centres this community’s knowledge and c...

In São Paulo, Casa de Marias is reclaiming care and creating space for black mothers to breathe, heal and grow.

In #ECM2025, explore how culturally sensitive mental health care can empower marginalised communities. earlychildhoodmatters.online/2025/how-bla...

How to transform public spaces to encourage intergenerational play - Early Childhood Matters Social connection lies at the heart of Majlisna. When families come together and interact in public spaces, it fosters positive behaviour change and strengthens the resilience of diverse communities.

What happens when cities prioritise families?

In Abu Dhabi:
✅ Play materials inspire creativity
✅ Picnic tables spark connections
✅ Hammocks & cycling tracks bring fun

The result? Less screen time, more face time, more joy. earlychildhoodmatters.online/2025/how-to-...

#ECM2025

Family hubs change how children and caregivers experience parks in Jordan - Early Childhood Matters We came up with a new vision of urban planning that reimagines public parks to foster healthy development and a sense of community for the whole family.

Can you believe this park in Irbid, Jordan, was once an empty, little-used space?

Thanks to local leadership and support from #Urban95, it’s now a thriving space for kids & caregivers.

Discover how and the impact of community-centred design in #ECM2025: earlychildhoodmatters.online/2025/family-...

“Intergenerational housing is back” - Early Childhood Matters When we’re not careful, architecture can demand that we change our behaviours and lifestyles to fit the design. As a child or caregiver, this can significantly influence the early years – what we teac...

What if architecture honoured culture & community?

Architect Mariam Issoufou’s Niamey 2000 — an affordable housing project balancing family privacy, shared spaces and cultural traditions — shows how.

Read more about her principles of people-first design earlychildhoodmatters.online/2025/interge...

“It would have been very strange not to write about such a revealing, transformative experience” - Early Childhood Matters For Zambra, becoming a dad opened up big questions about what it means to be close to others, and the strange nature of time. “The birth of a child heralds a far-reaching future in which we will not f...

“There is an urgent need for a conversation about parenthood. Writing can help make it happen.” – Alejandro Zambra #ECM2025

Author of Childish Literature, Zambra reflects on how writing helps parents navigate the profound changes of parenthood. earlychildhoodmatters.online/2025/it-woul...

“I wanted to understand the evolution of man-the-nurturer” - Early Childhood Matters Nurturing babies was women’s work. Yet I saw profoundly nurturing responses in men. It had to come from someplace, but where?

Anthropologist Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, who has spent 50 years studying the evolution of caregiving, says we’ve forgotten how humans evolved… Parenting was never solo. It was shared.

Hrdy traces male nurturing tendencies back millions of years. earlychildhoodmatters.online/2025/i-wante...

Maintaining and celebrating rural indigenous practices in Brazilian cities - Early Childhood Matters To care for indigenous caregivers across Brazil, it is essential for public policies to consider their particular cultures and histories.

Displaced Indigenous communities face unique challenges in urban areas.

The key to preserving their culture and identity? Thoughtful policies that respect Indigenous knowledge and bridge the gap between tradition and adaptation.

🔗Learn more in #ECM2025: earlychildhoodmatters.online/2025/maintai...

Caring connections - Early Childhood Matters These photos are an ode to the joy and mess of raising children. Through these images, I sought to celebrate the seemingly small and fleeting physical gestures that help all people, old and young, fee...

Photographer Isolde Woudstra wanted to capture caring connections in the Netherlands.

They’re a tender and honest glimpse into our most intimate relationships, bonds woven from care, love, and ordinary moments.

See the gorgeous photo essay in full: earlychildhoodmatters.online/2025/caring-...

Parenting begins in pregnancy - Early Childhood Matters When a pregnant woman feels supported, safe and has adequate resources, she will feel more comfortable and at ease during the transition to parenthood.

In #ECM2025, Dr. Catherine Monk shares science-backed solutions to improve maternal mental health in pregnancy:

✅ Integrating mental health care into prenatal visits
✅ Postpartum support groups
✅ Stress management education

earlychildhoodmatters.online/2025/parenti...

“When I hold their baby, I say a blessing for life” - Early Childhood Matters In this interview Lama and Hamutal share how their own experience of how motherhood has shaped their activism, how they go about supporting new mothers in their communities, and how, as mothers and pe...

Mothers and peace activists Lama Abuarqoub & Hamutal Gouri recently spoke with Van Leer Foundation CEO Michael Feigelson about how motherhood has shaped their activism to work for a better future for all children.

Read their powerful interview: earlychildhoodmatters.online/2025/when-i-...

#ECM2025

Urban design that supports caregivers means healthier, happier cities.

@worldresources.bsky.social India team spotlight 5 interventions that are making a difference for young families.

See 2 below and discover the rest here: earlychildhoodmatters.online/2025/five-ur...

#ECM2025 #ListenToParents

How conversations over coffee reduced maternal mortality rates - Early Childhood Matters For Ethiopian mothers, they also wanted to be looked after emotionally and spiritually, in line with their traditions and rituals.

Ethiopia’s maternal mortality rate dropped from 960 to 267 per 100,000 births by 2020.

Former Health Minister Kesete Admasu oversaw the transformation. In #ECM2025, he shares how coffee ceremonies and cultural connection transformed care for mothers: earlychildhoodmatters.online/2025/how-con...

“Love really protects you, the parent and the baby” - Early Childhood Matters Ruth Feldman combines neuroscience, research on hormones, and a child and family community clinic in order to further our understanding of person-to-person synchrony. Through this work, Ruth and her c...

💖 Love is more than emotion. It’s biology.

Prof. Ruth Feldman’s research on the science of synchrony reveals just how much love reshapes both parent and baby — from brain development to immune health.

Discover how caregiving transforms us in #ECM2025: earlychildhoodmatters.online/2025/love-re...

A ghost story - Early Childhood Matters When my daughter Mila was 5 months old, my wife Melania left for a multi-day trip. This was the first time I had been alone with her for an extended period of time, and I felt very nervous.

When he became a new parent, Van Leer Foundation CEO Michael Feigelson felt like a ghost - exhausted, invisible, disconnected.

#ECM2025 explores how we can build a world where caregivers feel seen and supported.

📖 Get your free copy now! earlychildhoodmatters.online/2025/a-ghost...

When she carried my baby, she carried me too - Early Childhood Matters Care is far too challenging and rich to be a two-person game. No, we shouldn’t be caring in pairs, but in concentric circles.

A stranger held her baby so she could eat. That small kindness sparked a bigger question for #EarlyChildhoodMatters guest editor @elissastrauss.bsky.social: why don’t we take better care of caregivers?

📖 #ECM2025 explores the answer. Out now! earlychildhoodmatters.online/2025/when-sh...

Last week 600 people joined us online for the launch of #EarlyChildhoodMatters, curious to learn about a #GoodStart for parents & other caregivers.

We heard from 4 fantastic speakers, moderated by #ECM2025 editor @elissastrauss.bsky.social

Listen to the conversation here ▶️ youtu.be/g6CndP8gq_U

Early Childhood Matters 2025 is out now 📣

We know that a good start for babies and toddlers shapes the rest of their lives – but what do parents and other caregivers need for a #GoodStart?

Discover here: earlychildhoodmatters.online/issues/early...