[International] COVID-19 POSITION STATEMENT - on Behalf of Eurochild, ISSA-the International Step by Step Association, Roma Education Fund, and the European Public Health Alliance

Time to re-think our societies and economies - Why we need to prioritize early childhood

The current crisis offers almost limitless opportunities to reimagine the future of our societies and economies by learning the lessons of the past. We believe our long-term prosperity and resilience will depend on how much we prioritize the needs of the youngest generations and those who care for them.

The COVID-19 outbreak has revealed the true impact of a decade of austerity that has pared back health and social-care systems to their bare minimum across many parts of Europe. In so doing, the crisis has highlighted several truths that have been either forgotten or neglected:

● the protection of the most vulnerable in society indicates the level of protection for the society as a whole

● the level of a government’s political commitment to ensuring the well-being, healthy development and learning of all young children is a sound indicator of the forward-looking leadership for a generative society.

● the demands of caring for and supporting children are high, and all services around families, from early childhood education and care, social and health services, to schools, and the wider community are vital for a well-functioning society.

● health, social and education professionals play a vital role in social protection and investing in them will contribute to ensuring the integrity and functioning of key social sectors and the society.

● the public expenditure needed to protect and support the most vulnerable and excluded is both a necessary expense and an investment to ensure protection reaches all. It is not merely an expense, a cost, or just something unaffordable.

● one of the foundations of society is the health of the population. Having a high health status depends upon the social determinants of health to which equality is the key.

Health and social support for all families with children is a critical motor for sustainable economic development and social cohesion. Rather than such functions of a government being seen as a cost, they now need to be viewed as a priority investment.

The science of early childhood development stresses that the first years are vital for a child’s development and well-being, and throughout their entire life. Healthy growth and development require adequate nutrition, housing, access to healthcare, physical activity, early stimulation, and responsive caregiving to ensure the best start in life and to prevent inequalities. Solid foundations early in life ensure limitless opportunities for growth and development for all individuals and for societies.

Ensuring children’s healthy and rounded development in their early years represents a fundamental condition for the well-being of the whole society.

Public early childhood services represent a pillar in the development of societies and economies

All children deserve the best start, and all families need to be supported to ensure it. Access to quality healthcare, affordable medicines, vaccination, adequate nutrition, safe environments, parent and child support services and opportunities for early learning (home-based programs, formal and informal services) all contribute to children’s optimal physical and mental development. All early childhood services represent a key ingredient in the solid foundation of a society; therefore, they should be accessible, affordable, and available to ALL young citizens and their caregivers and parents.

By prioritizing investment in early childhood services, governments are contributing to the increasing collective well-being, instead of merely growing GDP. We will all be better served by a re-orientation that makes children’s and families’ well-being, social responsibility, and cohesion first priority.

There is no better future in our societies if we do not focus NOW on the well-being of all young children and their families!

Read Eurochild’s statement on COVID19, its compiled COVID19 resources, and all that Eurochild Members are doing to respond to the crisis.

Read EPHA’s statement on COVID19, the need for a common European approach to the pandemic, and more on the EPHA portal on COVID19.

Read ISSA’s resources on COVID19, a message from the Secretariat, a technical note on child protection and COVID19, a global Call to Action to which ISSA contributed, and a webinar on supporting early childhood educators’ professionalism during COVID-19.

Read REF’s comprehensive COVID19 statement supported by 21 organizations.