The early years are an important window of opportunity to shape children’s development and build a foundation for their future. Early experiences have profound impacts on children’s physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development that extend into adulthood.  A conducive environment and the provision of nurturing care, characterized by good health, adequate nutrition, safety and security, opportunities for early learning, and responsive caregiving, in early childhood puts children on the path to reaching their full potential. 

Worldwide, millions of children are not reaching their optimal development due to inadequate nurturing care and a lack of support for parents during this critical stage of life. Parents are key architects creating experiences and opportunities for children’s health, learning, protection, growth, development, and social and emotional well-being throughout the life course. Inclusive, quality parenting support is a key accelerator that can promote achievement of results for all children. In particular, special attention must be given to the needs of vulnerable children, including those living with disabilities, with adolescent parents, belonging to marginalized groups, and living in extreme poverty.

While there is growing evidence and recognition of the importance of parenting support, there is a pressing need for consolidated practical recommendations and evidence-based resources focused on specific areas and needs related to parenting programmes for ECD. This toolkit is designed to address this gap.  Through this toolkit, users will access key guiding questions, considerations, and a rigorous database of the latest evidence-based resources to inform their programming. This toolkit serves as a centralized hub for information on parenting for ECD programmes based on users’ needs, which presently does not exist.