Early Childhood Development Action Network - ECDAN

06/19/2026

During , we are reminded of the vital role parents and caregivers play in shaping children's health, learning, development, and well-being. Yet many families need greater support to provide the nurturing care children need to thrive.

This month, explore our Resource Hub, featuring practical tools, evidence, advocacy resources, and communications materials designed to help strengthen support for parents and caregivers.

Whether you are engaging policymakers, media, civil society, or communities, these resources can help build awareness and strengthen the case for investing in parenting support and creating environments where children and families can flourish.

Explore the Resource Hub: https://support-parents.org/resource-hub/

The Hub contains various advocacy & communications resources & tools that can be used to raise awareness on the importance of parenting & caregiver support.

06/17/2026

📢 Announcement Alert!

Share Your Story with the ECD Community

Every organization has a story to tell—and we want to help amplify yours.

Each month, ECDAN will spotlight a partner organization on our website, showcasing the people, ideas, innovations, and impact driving progress for young children and families around the world.

This is an opportunity to:

✨ Increase your organization's visibility
✨ Share lessons and experiences from your work
✨ Inspire peers across the network
✨ Contribute to a growing collection of ECD stories from the field

Interested in being featured?

📩 Contact us at [email protected] to learn more.

We look forward to celebrating the incredible work taking place across our global network.

06/16/2026

On this year's , the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) is calling for renewed action under the theme: "Ensuring Universal Access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Every Child in Africa."

Access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene is not only a development issue—it is a fundamental child rights issue. Yet millions of children across Africa continue to face barriers to safe WASH services, with significant consequences for their health, education, protection, and overall well-being.

For the early childhood development community, access to WASH is foundational to giving every child the best start in life. It supports healthy growth and development, enables learning, protects children from preventable disease, and helps create environments where young children can thrive.

This year's theme highlights the urgent need for child-responsive, equitable, and climate-resilient WASH systems that support children's health, development, and well-being from the earliest years.

Let's work together to ensure no child is left behind.

06/15/2026

📢 Just 2 days to go!

Primary health care is often the first point of contact for families during the critical first 1,000 days of a child's life. When designed with nurturing care in mind, PHC systems can play a powerful role in supporting child development, responsive caregiving, and family wellbeing.

Join partners from Results for Development, World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, the Paediatric Association of Tanzania, and Early Childhood Development Action Network - ECDAN for a discussion on strengthening child development outcomes through primary health care systems.

Have you registered yet?

📅 17 June 2026
⏰ 8:00–9:30 EDT | 12:00–13:30 GMT | 15:00–16:30 EAT | 17:30–19:00 IST

🔗 Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_fJEAfmebTzWEgCST-axCxQ #/registration

For most families around the world, primary health care (PHC) is the first point of contact during the critical first 1,000 days of life. PHC is a powerful—but often underutilized—platform for nurturing the interactions between caregivers and young children that lay the foundation for healthy gr...

06/15/2026

This year marks 10 years of the Early Childhood Development Action Network - ECDAN — a decade of collaboration, learning, and collective action to advance the well-being of young children and their families around the world.

To celebrate this milestone, recognize the incredible diversity and strength of the network, and explore new ways of working together, the Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN) Secretariat and Executive Leadership Council (ELC) convened a virtual assembly of ECDAN’s organizational partners last week.

The gathering provided an opportunity to reflect on our shared journey, celebrate achievements, and look ahead to the next chapter of collective action for early childhood development.

Missed the event? Watch the recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0AmEswoYvo

Thank you to all our partners for being part of this remarkable network and for your continued commitment to ensuring every young child has the opportunity to thrive.

ECDAN was established in 2016, meaning that 2026 marks its 10th ann...

06/11/2026

Climate change threatens every child and caregiver. Several Early Childhood Development Action Network - ECDAN partners are helping to educate decision makers and highlight the impact of climate change on child rights at the Bonn Climate Conference (SB64) today.

Join the press conference if you’re in Bonn and if you’re not, learn more about why early childhood stakeholders should engage in climate advocacy.

https://ecdan.org/ecd-knowledge-gateway/climate-change/

06/11/2026

Today, on the International Day of Play, we join the global call to protect play, protect childhood.

Play is far more than a way of engaging children. It is how young children learn, connect, explore, and grow. Through play, children build the cognitive, social, emotional, and physical foundations that shape lifelong wellbeing.

At Early Childhood Development Action Network - ECDAN we believe that supporting early childhood means ensuring every child has opportunities to play, whether at home with caregivers, in early learning settings, in their communities, or in the natural environments around them.

Our work continues to advance evidence on the critical role of play in early childhood development, strengthen parenting and caregiver support, and champion child-friendly environments that enable children to learn and grow through exploration and discovery. As cities expand and climate challenges intensify, creating safe, inclusive, and nature-rich spaces for young children to play has never been more important.

Play is not a luxury. It is a right. It is essential for healthy development, strong families, and thriving communities.

Today, and every day, let’s work together to protect play and protect childhood.

06/09/2026

Today, we had the privilege of convening of our partners from across the globe for our first-ever Network Partners' Assembly—a special gathering that marked not only a milestone, but also a moment of reflection and renewal.

As ECDAN celebrates 10 years of catalyzing collective action for young children, we brought together partners, leadership, and stakeholders to recognize our shared achievements, strengthen connections, and look ahead to the future.

Over the past decade, ECDAN has grown into a vibrant global network of more than 360 partner organizations committed to advancing early childhood development. Today's meeting was an opportunity to celebrate that journey, hear directly from partners, share priorities for the year ahead, and explore new ways of working together.

More importantly, it was a reminder that meaningful change happens through collaboration. As we enter our next chapter, we remain committed to building a stronger, more connected network that amplifies partner voices, fosters learning, and drives collective impact for young children and their families worldwide.

06/08/2026

Did you know Early Childhood Development Action Network - ECDAN has turned 10?

For a decade, ECDAN has brought together partners across the globe to advance early childhood development through collaboration, shared learning, and advocacy.

While we officially marked our 10-year anniversary in April, we are taking this time to reflect on this incredible journey and how ECDAN must continue to respond to the challenges facing the world's youngest children.

06/08/2026

As we mark , it's important to remember that supporting children in crisis starts with supporting the people who care for them.

In a powerful blog, Lola Ayanda, Charlotte Davidi, and Katie Maeve Murphy of Moving Minds Alliance highlight why caregivers remain one of the most overlooked and underfunded components of humanitarian response, despite the critical role they play in children's development, wellbeing, and resilience.

The message is clear: when caregivers receive the support they need, children are better able to survive, recover, and thrive.

Read the blog: https://support-parents.org/blog/the-multigenerational-legacy-we-can-all-be-part-of/

Supporting caregivers in crises improves children’s wellbeing, resilience, and development while strengthening families and communities.