Early Childhood - Eurochild’s achievements in 2024
The European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan’s Pillar recognises early childhood development as a critical foundation for lifelong well-being and skills development. In 2024, Eurochild continued its crucial role to ensure long-term change for children’s early years, in partnership with other European networks and civil society partners across 11 European countries (BG, ES, FI, FR, HU, IE, IT, PT, RO, RS, SK).
Eurochild co-led the First Years, First Priority Europe-wide campaign from 2020 to 2024 together with our partner ISSA and other partners, to raise policy attention and public investment in early childhood as the foundation for children's healthy development, well-being, education and lifelong opportunities. Eurochild’s work on early childhood development, particularly through the First Years, First Priority campaign, advocates for quality early childhood education and care, equitable investment in children, and holistic policy reforms at the national and EU levels. .
Our campaign has been independently evaluated as a success. The evaluation found that it: 1. built the capacity of civil society organisations and networks to continue advocating for the right of all infants and young children for nurturing care; and 2. raised understanding of early childhood development, and the importance of investing in children’s early years on political agendas in campaign countries.
To capture our learning, in July we published The Power of Networks to Influence European Policies and Public Investment for Early Childhood Development. This report shares valuable lessons from First Years, First Priority including the importance of coalition-building and cross-sector collaboration; how sound data, evidence, and persistent advocacy drive meaningful change; and why early childhood development must remain a top political priority.
At the national level, we focused on strengthening the capacity of organisations to advocate for change. The campaign was represented at ISSA’s 2024 Conference in Sofia, Bulgaria. First Years, First Priority was represented through Eurochild and ISSA co-leads at the Places to Grow conference in Prague in November, where Ms. Ivanka Shalapatova, former Bulgarian Minister of Labour and Social Policy, praised the campaign for creating a pan-European community of ECD advocates and boosting national coalitions to influence public policies.
In November, we released a scoping paper on the impacts of climate change on early childhood development and on children’s rights. This scoping paper examines the right of all children to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment as a fundamental right and underscores the urgent need to address the impacts of climate change on very young children, who are often invisible in policy and decision-making processes.
In May, we released “My Dad’s Journey”, an animated short film on the benefits of fathers’ engagement in childcare, in cooperation with ISSA. From the inception of their life, children have the right to be nurtured, protected, and supported by their parents. In this intimate and heartfelt story, we see how fathers, like mothers, are equally valuable in parenting and have the right to be there for their children from the very beginning.
