Media Center

By Dr. Chen Xuefeng, UNICEF China's Early Childhood Development Specialist

As China launches its fourth annual National Advocacy Month for Early Childhood Development, we have much to celebrate.  Over the past five years, the combination of political leadership and scientific evidence have transformed how we prioritize and thus invest in the first few years of a child's life.

Early childhood development, or ECD, is about the “whole child” – the physical, social, emotional, cognitive thinking and language progression of each young individual.

Global evidence demonstrates that quality activity for children aged 3 to up to 6 years influences how they become intellectually curious, socially confident and equipped with a solid foundation for navigating their lives.

It also makes economic sense. According to James Heckman, an American economist and Nobel Laureate, analysis based on four ECD longitudinal studies demonstrates that by investing in early childhood development, the cost-benefit ratio can be as great as 1 to 17. 

Today we especially celebrate the commitment of the Government of China to investing in the first few years of all children's lives. The Government's commitment emphasizes that all investments must benefit every child. In a landmark decision in 2010, the Government targeted universal enrolment of children aged 3 to up to 6 years into early childhood centres by 2020. The number of children benefiting has already jumped, from 45 percent in 2007 to 70.5 per cent in 2014.

Yet, with 45 million children in China aged 3 to up to 6 years, accounting for one in seven of the world's pre-school-aged children, it is a big job. Two thirds of this age group of children live in rural areas, and almost half of them are affected by migration, adding to the challenge of meeting the needs of poorer and more disadvantaged communities.

The biggest challenge is not building more facilities but changing the way parents and teachers are equipped to interact with young children. UNICEF has been working with the Government to invest in teacher training for kindergarten.

UNICEF has been working with the Ministry of Education to develop and implement  the quality standards, such as national Early Learning Development Guidelines for children aged 3 to up to 6 years. These guidelines help teachers and parents understand what skills a child should develop by ages 3, 4 and 5.  With practical guiding information and training, teachers and parents are moving from rote learning to more creative ways to engage, support and stimulate children through play, games and storytelling, etc..

The latest international neuroscience and a growing body of global experience has taught us that we must start early and we must integrate our approach to focus on a full package of services that include not just education but also health, nutrition and protection. The healthy development of a child's brain depends on multiple positive experiences. Nutrition feeds the brain. Stimulation sparks the mind. Love and protection buffer the negative impact of stress and adversity. 

As thefourth National Advocacy Month for Early Childhood Development begins, we reflect on China's amazing accomplishments in rolling out early childhood care services nationwide. At the same time, we need to remember the collective responsibility to give every child the right foundation in life. The results will not only benefit individual children but will help build a more stable, harmonized and prosperous society.