The principles of Nurturing Care promote human capital and mitigate adversities from preconception through adolescence

Abstract

A comprehensive evidence-based framework is needed to guide policies and programmes that enable children and adolescents to accrue the human capital required to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This paper proposes a comprehensive, multisectoral, multilevel life-course conceptualisation of human capital development by building on the Nurturing Care Framework (NCF), originally developed for the foundational period of growth and development through the age 3 years. Nurturing care (NC) comprises stable environments that promote children’s health and nutrition, protect from threats, and provide opportunities for learning and responsive, emotionally supportive and developmentally enriching relationships. NC is fostered by families, communities, services, national policies and beyond. The principles apply across the life course, endorse equity and human rights, and promote long-term human capital. This paper presents an evidence-based argument for the extension of the NCF from preconception through adolescence (0–20 years), organised into six developmental periods: preconception/prenatal, newborn/birth, infancy/toddlerhood, preschool, middle childhood and adolescence. The proposed framework advances human capital within each developmental period by promoting resilience and adaptive developmental trajectories while mitigating negative consequences of adversities.Attaining the SDGs depends on strengthening human capital formation, extending throughout childhood and adolescence and supported by NC. Embedded in enabling laws, policies and services, the dynamic NCF components can mitigate adversities, enhance resilience and promote the well-being of marginalised groups. The life-course extension of the NCF is strategically positioned to enhance human capital, to attain the SDGs and to ensure that children or adolescents are not left behind in reaching their developmental potential.

Sociodemographic inequities in nurturing care for early childhood development across Brazilian municipalities

“…(degree of community safety) confirmed recent analyses showing a decreased inequity gap between the number of homicides in metropolitan areas and in small and less urbanized municipalities (Nsoesie et al, 2020). On the other hand, the fact that air pollution affects These findings are consistent with our previous analysis illustrating that academic success since early childhood is as a function of the social development of a region; hence, educational interventions need to focus on the most socio-economically and geographically vulnerable populations (Arsenault et al, 2017;Black et al, 2021).…”

“…Hence, strengthening evidence-based ECD policies and programmes for intersectoral nurturing care should be a top priority in the country. This is especially important for the future of the nation as nurturing care has been identified as critical to reduce inequities and as the foundation for equitable human and social development (Black et al, 2017(Black et al, , 2021Morris et al, 2017) and for countries to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (Black et al, 2017(Black et al, , 2021Britto et al, 2017;Richter et al, 2017).…”

“…The Brazilian 2016 Legal Framework for ECD (Câmara dos Deputados, 2016), which aligns well with the WHO/UNICEF/World Bank Nurturing Care Framework (Black et al, 2017(Black et al, , 2021Britto et al, 2017;Richter et al, 2017;WHO, UNICEF, & World Bank, 2018), outlines the importance of strengthening ECD systems to break the cycle of poverty by ensuring that all children, especially the most vulnerable, reach their development potential over their life course. Therefore, in recent years, the ECD agenda in Brazil has been strengthened, which has led to strong increases in investments and efforts to implement ECD programmes, targeting the most socio-economically vulnerable children in the country, on a large scale.…”

Assessing the effect of an educational intervention on early childhood development among Mexican preschool children in the state of Oaxaca: a study protocol of a cluster randomized stepped-wedge trial

“…As part of the civil society and in coordination with authorities, UKA provides a channel to deliver ECD parenting education focused on responsive caregiving. Given the multiple aspects of nurturing care, it is important to have in place multisectoral interventions [ 19 ]. Along with the important role from the government, the private sector as well as the civil society can add coordinated contributions to improve and sustain ECD interventions.…”

Beyond pledges: academic journals in high-income countries can do more to decolonise global health

“…A good example is the paper on nurturing care framework (NCF) recently published in BMJ Global Health. 13 The NCF is the flagship global programme on early childhood development in LMICs promoted jointly by the WHO, the UNICEF and the World Bank Group. 14 The entire NCF enterprise is predicated on a series of publications by an apparently racially and geographically biased group between 2007 and 2016 (see online supplemental appendix 1), which estimated that in LMICs, 250 million children under 5 years of age were at risk of poor development due solely to stunting or extreme poverty.…”