Van Leer Foundation

It’s not surprising that many parents in urbanised areas are struggling. Raising a child was once done by a whole village, but that task now falls on parents who have less social support than ever. Combine that with the pressure to be the “perfect parent”, and it’s a recipe for stress and anxiety in modern parenting.  👩👧👦Mothers especially carry the heavy burden of juggling work and child rearing responsibilities.    That’s why this edition of Early Childhood Matters highlights how we can best care for caregivers.   Across 24 articles, Early Childhood Matters 2023 showcases:   🤱 Why caregiver wellbeing matters 🧒🏽 Innovative ideas that are having a real impact on parents’ lives — from legislation to lullabies  😊 Expert analysis, personal perspectives, and real-world case studies on caregiver support   Download your copy of Early Childhood Matters 2023 here ⏩ bit.ly/ECM-2023-online Special thanks to Shindy Lestari for the video 🙌📽️   #ECM2023 #EarlyChildhoodMatters #EarlyYears #ChildDevelopment #ECD #PeopleBeforeParents 🌟 Andrew Bomback, karni Arieli, Harriet Shugarman, Anya Kamenetz, Fabrizio Zilibotti, Raquel Lyra, Eleanne Plaizier, Rasa Dawson, Angela Uytdewilligen, Sarah Johnson, Mohammad Awamreh, Hatem AlHmoud, Laura Miller, Anna Devereux, Marianne Abboud, Te Aro Moxon, Rita de Cácia Oenning da Silva, Chian Gong, Patrice Martin, Maria Isabel Amando de Barros, Zarlasht Halaimzai, Lucas Johnson, Michael Feigelson, Tanmoy Goswami, Alexis Camejo, Hannah Rothschild, Charlotte Davidi Rushda Majeed Andrea Torres Sansotta Irina Ivan-van der Kwaak Daniella Ben-Attar Mialy Dermish (she/her) Leontien Peeters Farah Jadallah Claudia Vidigal Agnita Twigt 🌟

🆕 #VacancyAnnouncement 📣 We are looking for a committed professional who will be responsible for administrative tasks related to grants and contracts as required by the Director of Programme Support and Learning. The Programme Administrator will manage administrative controlling, logistics, and compliance from partners, including delivery of quality proposals and reporting from partners. This role requires close attention to detail, strong organisational and time-management skills, and comfort in communicating (written and verbal) with diverse stakeholders. Interested? Apply by 16 August 👉 https://lnkd.in/e4Gvv6sX Andrea Torres Sansotta Agnita Twigt Agnes Buis Blanca R. Hannah Rothschild Irina Ivan-van der Kwaak Karima Grant Ana María Rey Martinez

🌐 This week, 10 cities – #BaqaAlGharbiyye, #Barcelona, #BuenosAires, #Jundiai, #Kampala, #Karsiyaka, #Mexicali, #Oxford, #Turin, #VinaDelMar – gathered in London for the Urban95 Academy residency at LSE Cities. With promising ideas for change in their cities, participants have been immersed in planning and designing for babies, toddlers and their caregivers. While connecting with peers, city teams have been participating in workshops and site visits designed to hone their strategy, and enrich their communications and #Urban95 implementation plans with support from leading technical partners 📐Arup Global Designing Cities Initiative Qendra Marrëdhënie SUPERPOOL Gehl - Making Cities for People 🌟 and guest experts 📏Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah CBE Dinah Bornat Olivia Flynn Tim Gill Rachel Harvey Lucy Jones Liz Kessler Kate Laffan Philipp Rode Simen Sorthe Sam Sternin Patricia Núñez 🌟 🖥️ Discover the brand new website & register your interest: www.urban95academy.org Participants 🤩 Abeer Ghanayem Noor Korabi Ziad Ghanayem Ariadna Miquel Amengual Javier Rodriguez Núñez Maria Truñó Salvadó Mauricio Ramon Jesus Giraudo, Roberto Fidel Candiano, Valeria Micaela Lista, Maria Brant, Alissandra Bernardini de Oliveira Marcelo Peroni Vastí Ferrari Marques Erias Lukwago, Namuyiga Irene Stella Namatovu Cemil Tugay Melek Atar Duran Pelin Kaya Adriana Zenteno Rizo Kevin Ernesto Moreno Ruiz, Saira Araceli Vilchis Jimenez Alessandro Tempia Valenta Mariangela Pastorello Mauro Capella Piera Medina Antonia Scarella Daniela Juica Lucy Prismall Louise Upton Ted M.

A first-of-its-kind program led by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and the Smart Cities Mission, the #NurturingNeighbourhoodsChallenge, (NNC) supported by the Van Leer Foundation with WRI India as the technical partner, successfully enabled 10 Indian cities to embed the young-children-and-caregiver-friendly approach in urban development. By identifying seven key strategies towards building capacities, partnerships, institutionalization, seeking funding, implementing solutions, and informing policy level changes, the Challenge has enabled 10 cities to setup systems and processes to sustain this approach in the long-term. These strategies can further help other cities to create nurturing environments for young children and their caregivers. Our new blog ‘Reimagining Cities for Young Children in India: Seven Key Strategies’ in Cities4Children - The Global Alliance written by WRI India's Sree Kumar Kumaraswamy, Madhura Kulkarni and Chaitali Patil, highlights key learnings from this approach. 👉 To know more visit- https://bit.ly/3xOGGQk

“Hey Siri, help me raise my child.”   🤖Artificial intelligence is getting smarter. So surely this is great for parents, who now have help with the endless decision-making that comes with raising a child?   👩👧👦Not necessarily. Algorithms take away agency, which is a problem because we’re happier when we control the consequences of our actions.   📲But we can take back control — and you don’t have to unplug your smart assistant to do that.   🔗In Early Childhood Matters, Joshua Martin, a behavioural science advisor, reveals exactly how we can best use AI for children’s development: bit.ly/ECM2023-23   #ECM2023 #EarlyChildhoodMatters #PeopleBeforeParents

📅 Join us at the LSE or on Zoom for a free #PublicEvent as part of the #Urban95Academy with Lucy Jones and Kate Laffan to discuss what it means to be a caregiver in modern society and how caregiver wellbeing is considered in urban policy and design. w/Van Leer Foundation 🖥 Register to attend online: https://lnkd.in/eMbCyumx

⛲ Urban transformations across the #Marmara region of Türkiye are creating proper space for early childhood, where the pictures speak volumes... 1️⃣ Young children running free in a "safe zone" designated outside a school in Kocaeli ~ the municipality is a graduate of the Reclaiming Streets programme, which grew out of #Urban95. 2️⃣ Child enjoying colourful play space in İnegöl, once a busy intersection ~ part of the street outside a school was closed to traffic, creating space for children to play, caregivers to sit, and bicycles to be securely parked. 3️⃣ 4️⃣ Before and after photos of street transformation in Sakarya municipality, where families explore the newly vibrant and welcoming space. Learn from SUPERPOOL, Global Designing Cities Initiative and Marmara Municipalities Union on their work to support municipalities in reclaiming streets and transforming urban spaces for young children and their families. Read the full story here 📖 https://lnkd.in/e5fCnjV7 Selva Gurdogan Görsev Argın Uz Paul Supawanich Victoria Chavez Andrea Torres Sansotta Hannah Rothschild

💸As childcare costs have risen drastically, innovative solutions blending traditional and digital caregiving methods are responding to parents’ needs. 🌐Think of everything from digitised parent coaching services to apps that connect parents offline.   💻In this edition of #EarlyChildhoodMatters, Chian Gong, previously a partner at Reach Capital, and Patrice Martin, co-founder of The Holding Co., highlight the potential and power of digital tools to transform care.   🔗Read more here: bit.ly/ECM2023-22 #ECM2023 #EarlyYears #ChildDevelopment #ECD #PeopleBeforeParents Irina Ivan-van der Kwaak Hannah Rothschild Rushda Majeed Andrea Torres Sansotta

🌇 Cities across Brazil came together for an #Urban95 Convening in Recife, committing to long-lasting public policies for early childhood. The event brought together mayors, deputy mayors, secretaries, technical city teams, and technical partners to celebrate the achievements of municipalities and consolidate commitments to early childhood that last despite possible changes in leadership. In an opening speech, Van Leer Brazil Representative claudia vidigal shared 🗩 “We want to open this circle and transform cities that have consolidated early childhood policies into references of good practices for other municipalities across Brazil.” Learn more 🔖 https://lnkd.in/daU4PvbU Victoria Chavez Rushda Majeed Andrea Torres Sansotta Marina Arilha Silva João Campos Isabella de Roldão CECIP Centro de Criação de Imagem Popular

As the drums echo, the community comes together — close to 50 drummers in one small plaza. Some drum and dance while others take care of children. This is Tambor de Crioula, an Afro-Brazilian tradition, where culture meets collective care. 🌐For Early Childhood Matters, Rita de Cácia Oenning da Silva, Anthropologist and Executive Director Usina da Imaginação, and Karina Muniz, Psychologist and Professor, share two key lessons: why we need to do public policy with people, not for them. 🌍When forced on other parts of the world, Western early childhood policies can sometimes do more harm than good. 🌱It's time to recognise and learn from indigenous wisdoms. From the Guajajara’s celebration of a child's first steps to the Ye’kuana’s deep bond with nature, these practices offer invaluable insights into caregiving and community building. 🔗Dig deeper in this year’s edition of Early Childhood Matters. bit.ly/ECM2023-21 #ECM2023 #EarlyChildhoodMatters #EarlyYears #ChildDevelopment #ECD #PeopleBeforeParents claudia vidigal Marina Arilha Silva Beatriz Fumagalli Andrea Torres Sansotta Patricia Núñez Ana María Rey Martinez