High Five! Show your support for our #5for5 early years campaign

Every child deserves the best start in life. Those first few years of playing, laughing, peek-a-boo and eating are so vital in setting聽up children for the rest of their lives.

But world leaders don’t seem to grasp the importance of early childhood development. While some kids are getting ahead,聽millions of young children –聽聽particularly in the poorest parts of the world – are still trying to catch up.

国产视频’s #5for5 campaign is about聽standing up for children who haven’t mastered standing up yet. Together we can help聽to make early childhood development a global priority in 2017.

High five

Spreading the word is as easy as giving a high five. In fact, that’s exactly what we’d love you to do on聽Thursday, February 9.

Join us聽by posting a video or picture聽of yourself high-fiving a child under five on social media.

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Share it on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram –聽and tell people why it’s so important to support聽#5for5.聽

Include the hasthtag #5for5 and the link to our #5for5 action page –聽theirworld.org/5for5聽– where people can tell world leaders they must invest in early childhood development.

World leaders need to know that $1 invested in聽under-fives will turn into $17 in later life. But if we want to raise kids up, we need to start by raising awareness.

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Why five?

The first five years of a child’s life are vital.聽It’s when 90% of their brain develops. And it’s when they need the five key elements of nurturing care – nutrition, health, learning, play and protection.

Five years. Five essential聽themes. #5for5.

Sadly, huge numbers of girls and boys from poor or marginalised families聽are being “left behind” because of factors like malnutrition and inadequate childcare in their early years.聽

Less than half of all children around the world get any education in their early years.聽

So before they even set foot in a primary school classroom, they are at a huge disadvantage. They will have a limited vocabulary and ability to learn.

Words are not enough

On paper, world leaders have聽recognised the need for early childhood development.聽

The Sustainable Development Goals adopted at the聽United Nations in 2015聽include a target to ensure that by 2030 all children “have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education”.聽

And the global Education Commission has called for every child in every聽country to be given two years of free, quality pre-schooling.

But the words are not being backed up by real change quickly enough.

In the world国产视频檚 high-income countries, 87% of children go to preschool. But in low-income countries it is only 23%.聽That’s despite it being聽a very cost-effective way to improve educational outcomes, rather than spending more later to help children catch up.

It’s time for action

Countries and businesses need to start caring about the care of young children聽– because investing in them can help to boost a nation国产视频檚 economy and potential for growth.聽It is one of the smartest investments a country can make, helping to break the cycle of poverty and tackle inequality.聽

Every $1 spent on pre-school programmes can return up to $7, according to the influential Education Commission report last year.聽

The future return comes from better productivity and lower spending on education and welfare.

Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank, said: 国产视频淐hild education should not be seen as a social development issue but rather one that shapes the path of economic growth and development.

国产视频淲e therefore need to significantly increase our investments in child education, as children are the future of the world.国产视频�

It’s ironic then that a major聽development聽strategy for Africa聽makes no mention of聽the importance of early years.聽

Germany’s “Marshall Plan”聽聽proposes聽a “new level” of equal co-operation between the continent and western countries in areas such as education, trade and migration.聽

But it’s the latest high-level development report to gloss over – or ignore – the need for early nurturing care to be a vital part of the plans for children.