UNICEF - Seeds of Success

SEEDS OF SUCCESS

Nurturing Young Children through Parenting Support A Global Report on Progress in Parenting and Early Childhood Development© United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) May 2025 Permission is required to reproduce any part of this publication. Permissions will be granted to educational or non-profit organisations.

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Child Nutrition and Development, Programme Group 3 United Nations Plaza New York, NY 10017, USA Suggested citation: United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Seeds of

Success: Nurturing Young Children through Parenting Support.

UNICEF, New York, 2025.

Cover photo credit: © UNICEF/UN06126/XiaTable of Contents Acknowledgements ..........................................................................................................................4

Acronyms ............................................................................................................................................5 Foreword .............................................................................................................................................6 Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................... 7

Introduction: Investing in parenting accelerates early childhood development and fosters family well-being ................................................................................. 9

Section 1: Global data on parenting highlight the importance of nurturing care in promoting ECD ............................................................................................ 12 1.1 Globally comparable data on indicators of parenting: A look at nutrition, stimulation, supervision, and discipline .....................................................................................................................12 1.1.1 Breastfeeding practices ..........................................................................................................12 1.1.2 Early stimulation and responsive care ................................................................................. 13 1.1.3 Supervision ...............................................................................................................................15 1.1.4 Violent discipline ..................................................................................................................... 16 1.2 The nurturing care framework: a guiding approach for supporting caregivers of young children ..................................................................................................................17 Section 2: Creating an enabling policy environment for parents helps children and families to thrive ...........................................................................................20 2.1 Multisectoral policies for parenting support..................................................................................21 2.1.1 Incorporating parenting support within national ECD policies .........................................21

2.1.2 Integrating parenting policies into existing platforms ...................................................... 24 2.2 Family-Friendly Policies: Progress and Opportunities ..................................................................25 2.2.1 Parental leave ...........................................................................................................................25 2.2.2 Breastfeeding support ........................................................................................................... 28 2.2.3 Quality affordable, accessible, childcare ............................................................................. 29 2.2.4 Child benefits ......................................................................................................................... 29 2.3 Recommendations ............................................................................................................................31Section 3: Providing services to parents with young children enables equitable opportunities for children’s development and protects caregivers’ well-being ....................33 3.1 Providing services for families of children with developmental delays and disabilities ............................................................................................................................ 34 3.2 Support for caregivers’ mental health ............................................................................................37 3.3 Integrating parenting support into existing services: Care for Child Development .................................................................................................................. 40 3.4 Recommendations ............................................................................................................................45 Section 4: Implementing evidence-based parenting programmes strengthens parenting skills and enhances parent and child outcomes ......................................................46 4.1 The value of evidence-based parenting programmes ................................................................. 46 4.2 Playful parenting in early childhood .............................................................................................. 49 4.3 Digital support for parents ...............................................................................................................52 4.4 Parenting support in humanitarian and crisis contexts .............................................................. 53 4.5 Parenting initiatives and climate change .......................................................................................55 4.6 Parenting programmes that promote gender equality ............................................................... 58 4.7 Recommendations ............................................................................................................................61 Section 5: Conclusion and overall recommendations ................................................................64 5.1 Recommendations regarding policies which supply the conditions for parents to fulfil their roles ................................................................................................................65 5.2 Recommendations regarding services to support parents in ensuring their and their children’s health, care, and stimulation are provided ............................................. 66 5.3 Recommendations regarding evidence-based parenting programmes focused on parenting practices, which strengthen parenting behaviours and support caregiver mental health and well-being ............................................................................................................... 66 Endnotes ...........................................................................................................................................68Table of Figures Figure 1 .............................................................................................................................................13 Percentage of infants under 6 months who are fed exclusively with breastmilk Figure 2 .............................................................................................................................................14

on parenting practices, which strengthen parenting behaviours and support caregiver mental health and well-being ............................................................................................................... 66 Endnotes ...........................................................................................................................................68Table of Figures Figure 1 .............................................................................................................................................13 Percentage of infants under 6 months who are fed exclusively with breastmilk Figure 2 .............................................................................................................................................14 Percentage of children aged 24 to 59 months engaged in four or more early stimulation and responsive care activities in the last three days with an adult household member , by child sex, place of residence, household wealth and relationship Figure 3 .............................................................................................................................................15 Percentage of children aged 24 to 59 months who were engaged in activities for early stimulation and responsive care in the past three days, by type of activity and caregiver relationship to the child Figure 4 ............................................................................................................................................16 Percentage of children under age 5 left with inadequate supervision, by region, child sex, place of residence, and household wealth Figure 5 .............................................................................................................................................17 Percentage of children aged 1 to 4 years who experienced any violent discipline (physical punishment and/or psychological aggression) by caregivers in the past month and percentage of mothers who think physical punishment is necessaryAcknowledgments This report was developed by the UNICEF Global Early Childhood Development team. The report was written by Sabilah Eboo Alwani, with technical steer and guidance from Erinna Dia, Chemba Raghavan, and Radhika Mitter . Global data on parenting indicators were provided by Claudia Cappa and Nicole Petrowski from the UNICEF Global Data and Analytics Section. The report benefited from valuable consultations and input from UNICEF Headquarters and Regional offices staff including Oluwatosin Akingbulu, Amal Ben Ameur, Dilar a Avdagic, Raoul Bermejo, Stephen Blight, Ivelina Borisova, Felicity Brown, Sanja Budisavljevic, Clara Ceravolo, Anne Detjen, Meenakshi Dogra, Yannig Dussart, Emma Ferguson, Alessandra Guedes, Mita Gupta, Boniface Kakhobwe, Tomomi Kitamura, Christine Kolbe-Stewart, Divya Lata, Wigdan

Anne Detjen, Meenakshi Dogra, Yannig Dussart, Emma Ferguson, Alessandra Guedes, Mita Gupta, Boniface Kakhobwe, Tomomi Kitamura, Christine Kolbe-Stewart, Divya Lata, Wigdan Madani, Grainne Moloney, Natalia Mufel, Patricia Nunez, Benjamin Perks, Oliver Petrovic, Maria Paula Reinbold, Ana Maria Rodriguez, Eduardo Garcia Rolland, Massimiliano Sani, Ulziisaikhan Sereeter , Fatmata Fatima Sesay, Linda Shaker , Manel Stambouli and Lauren Whitehead. Additionally, we acknowledge the external review provided by Catherine Henny from The LEGO Foundation and Lucie Cluver from the University of Oxford. We also recognize the efforts of the Global Initiative to Support Parents (GISP) and the Early Childhood Development Action Network (ECDAN) to elevate support for parents globally. This report was produced with the generous support of The LEGO Foundation and the Government of the Netherlands.

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AT Assistive Technology BMS Breast Milk Substitute CCD Care for Child Development CDC Centers for Disease Control and Pre vention (United States) CFC Caring for the Caregiver COP29 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference CRC (United Nations) Convention on the Rights of the Child ECCE Early Childhood Care and Education ECD Early Childhood Development ECDAN Early Childhood Development Action Network ECI Early Childhood Intervention EU European Union FFPs Family-Friendly Policies GISP Global Initiative to Support Parents IFSP Individualized Family Service Plans ILO International Labour Organization INGO International Non-Governmental Organization IRC International Rescue Committee LMIC Lowand Middle-Income Countries MHPSS Mental Health and Psychosocial Support NCF Nurturing Care Framework OECD Organisation for Economic Co-oper ation and Development PLH Parenting for Lifelong Health

Organization IRC International Rescue Committee LMIC Lowand Middle-Income Countries MHPSS Mental Health and Psychosocial Support NCF Nurturing Care Framework OECD Organisation for Economic Co-oper ation and Development PLH Parenting for Lifelong Health PMNCH Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health RCT Randomized Controlled Trial SBC Social and Behaviour Change SDG Sustainable Development Goal UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultur al Organization UK United Kingdom USA United States of America WHA World Health Assembly WHO World Health OrganizationForeword Early childhood is a critical window of opportunity to shape the trajectory of children’s growth and development. During this time, parents are the most influential figures in a child’s life and play a central role in laying the foundation for their children’s futures, creating experiences and opportunities for their growth, development, learning, protection, and socio-emotional well-being throughout the life course. Quality parenting support – which includes policies, programmes and services that empower parents to care for their children and for themselves – is critical to achieving positive results for all children. Despite the unquestionable evidence on the crucial role parents play in shaping children’s development, millions of parents lack the time, resources, and support they need to fulfil their role effectively. “Seeds of Success: Nurturing Young Children through Parenting Support” provides a comprehensive overview of the progress made and the challenges that remain in supporting parents of young children and offers recommendations to advance the global parenting agenda in early childhood. Importantly, it highlights the critical need for a systematic approach to help parents thrive in their caregiving roles and support children’s optimal development in the early years. This report also serves as a call to action. It emphasizes the pressing need for prioritizing parenting support in achieving the sustainable development goals for early childhood development. By documenting examples and laying out practical recommendations, Seeds of Success paves the way for continued collaboration and advocacy, ensuring that parenting support remains at the forefront of policies, programmes and services to nurture the next

parenting support in achieving the sustainable development goals for early childhood development. By documenting examples and laying out practical recommendations, Seeds of Success paves the way for continued collaboration and advocacy, ensuring that parenting support remains at the forefront of policies, programmes and services to nurture the next generation. In line with UNICEF’s Vision for Early Childhood Development 2030, we are committed to supporting parents care for their young children and for themselves. By investing in and championing parenting support we will create a world where all children grow and develop to their full potential.

Víctor Aguayo Global Director , Child Nutrition and Development, UNICEFExecutive Summary Seeds of Success: Nurturing Young Children through Parenting Support – A Global Report on Progress on Parenting and Early Childhood Development (ECD) (henceforth, Seeds of Success) offers a detailed look at global efforts to support parents in nurturing young children. It highlights the critical role that parents play in fostering a nurturing environment and emphasizes the need for comprehensive support systems that empower them to help their children thrive. By exploring current strategies, challenges, and advancements, the report provides insights into initiatives to strengthen support for parents worldwide across policies, service provision, and programmes. Recognizing parenting as a dynamic process affecting early childhood development underscores why strengthening support systems for parents is vital. Optimal caregiving thrives in enabling environments. Thus, enhancing policies, services, and programmes for parents offers a clear path for progress, which will ultimately benefit young children and their communities now and going forward. This report reflects on the strides made in recent years toward supporting parents of young children whilst identifying future steps. It analyses the global state of parenting support across policy frameworks, service sectors, and programmatic efforts, highlighting progress and offering recommendations to advance the parenting agenda. What is most notable across the report is the growing prioritization of parenting support in efforts to reach and surpass the global goals related to early childhood development. It serves both as an acknowledgement of progress and a call to action for sustained momentum in advancing parenting and ECD globally.

and offering recommendations to advance the parenting agenda. What is most notable across the report is the growing prioritization of parenting support in efforts to reach and surpass the global goals related to early childhood development. It serves both as an acknowledgement of progress and a call to action for sustained momentum in advancing parenting and ECD globally. Seeds of Success lays the groundwork for continued collaboration and advocacy around the parenting agenda, setting out useful examples and recommendations for advancing support for caregivers. It emphasizes that parenting support is a critical area for investment and opportunity, with the power to catalyse early childhood development and numerous other outcomes. By elevating the parenting agenda as a cornerstone of holistic child development, the report paves the way for transformative change in how we support parents, aiming to foster nurturing environments where all parents can support their children to thrive. This report is intended for policymakers, practitioners, private sector stakeholders, and implementing partners working on parenting support initiatives. The contents of this report are equally relevant to communications and advocacy efforts for parenting support.8 © UNICEF/UNI183323/NooraniIntroduction Investing in parenting accelerates early childhood development and fosters family well-being The early years are the critical stage for children’s development, offering unique opportunities for learning and growth1. This period of rapid brain development and neural plasticity is marked by the formation of cognitive, socioemotional, and physical abilities, all central to early childhood development (ECD). Children’s experiences and environments during this time matter enormously, creating the circumstances in which healthy development can either flourish or falter . For children to flourish, they need ecosystems which nurture them, from close family interactions to broader societal structures2 3 4. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (henceforth, CRC) reflects this ecological perspective, underscoring the importance of early investments in the systems and support networks surrounding a child. These investments benefit the child and strengthen families and societies as a whole5. Despite this well-established need for nurturing

Convention on the Rights of the Child (henceforth, CRC) reflects this ecological perspective, underscoring the importance of early investments in the systems and support networks surrounding a child. These investments benefit the child and strengthen families and societies as a whole5. Despite this well-established need for nurturing environments, global indicators reveal that inequalities can start in early childhood and persist throughout life, even in contexts where structures and policies are in place to support children’s well-being and development6 7 8. Furthermore, global evidence suggests that children’s outcomes related to cognition, health, well-being, and nutrition are lagging9. For example, 6 in 10 children under the age of 5 still experience violence at home10, hindering their ability to thrive. Early investment in children is critical for improving both early childhood development outcomes and long-term prospects, especially given the growing challenges posed by threats like conflict, systemic inequality, and climate crises11. While various factors contribute to ECD, parenting stands out as a key mediator and potential accelerator of its processes and outcomes12. Therefore, supporting parents is a key component of early investment in children. It enhances child development but also contributes to achieving numerous Sustainable Development Goals related to nutrition, health, equity, education, and inclusion – benefitting entire societies13 14 15 16. By ensuring parents are supported at all levels –through policies, services, and programmes - we can create nurturing, stable environments that improve child development outcomes and help societies thrive. Parenting17 encompasses nurturing, educating, and guiding children in their physical, cognitive, and socioemotional development18 19 20. It is linked to children’s academic performance, emotional regulation, physical and mental health, and longterm well-being21 22 23 24. It is also associated with outcomes later in life, such as attainment, income, and health25. Furthermore, parenting is a protective buffer against adversity, particularly in early

regulation, physical and mental health, and longterm well-being21 22 23 24. It is also associated with outcomes later in life, such as attainment, income, and health25. Furthermore, parenting is a protective buffer against adversity, particularly in early childhood26. These associations typically rest on the fact that parents and caregivers can provide sustained access to nurturing care and essential resources, which have long-term positive effects. 9However , parenting is shaped by numerous factors, with stressors like economic insecurity, crisis, or marginalization impacting how parents engage with their children and, in turn, affecting child development27 28 29. Given the sensitivity of early childhood development to these external factors, supporting parents is a critical step in ensuring young children flourish. Parenting support, which includes policies, services, and programmes, helps caregivers approach their roles more effectively30. Policies such as paid parental leave and breastfeeding breaks create enabling conditions for parents, while services like mental health support help caregivers manage stress. Programmes focused on parenting skills and behaviours – like playful parenting or parenting programmes that promote gender equality – empower parents to support and enhance their children’s development. This two-generation approach to enhancing children’s developmental outcomes and life chances recognizes that creating supportive conditions for parents while reinforcing and expanding on already used parenting practices, holds great potential for strengthening the broader ecosystems in which young children grow up31. This report advocates for enhanced, multidimensional parenting support, drawing on examples from policies, services, and programmes from around the world. It underscores the need for a systematic approach to supporting caregivers, which focuses on both the conditions and tools parents need to help their children thrive. © UNICEF/UN0665604/Nurullaev 1011 © UNICEF/UN059777/OseSection 1: Global data on parenting highlight the importance of nurturing care in promoting ECD

which focuses on both the conditions and tools parents need to help their children thrive. © UNICEF/UN0665604/Nurullaev 1011 © UNICEF/UN059777/OseSection 1: Global data on parenting highlight the importance of nurturing care in promoting ECD 1.1 Globally comparable data on indicators of parenting: A look at nutrition, stimulation, supervision, and discipline Data on parenting is often gathered sporadically as it relates to children’s outcomes or family life. Globally comparable data on indicators of parenting remaining limited. To effectively shape policies and services that support children’s development, expanding data collection on a globally-agreed upon set of standard indicators to support efforts for global monitoring is vital. However , the available data does help us to generate a picture of how parenting young children stands today at a global level. Four key indicators of parenting for which globally comparable data are available are outlined below to provide broader context on parenting young children and set the scene for this report’s advocacy of enhanced parenting support. These indicators relate to nutrition, stimulation, supervision, and discipline. However , it is important to note that they are only a snapshot of some selected parenting practices – they do not represent the universe of parenting practices which contribute to child development. 1.1.1 Breastfeeding practices Breastfeeding32 gives children the best start in life including acting as their first vaccine, but too many children do not get the nutrition they need from the very beginning. UNICEF and the WHO recommend that children are put to the breast within the first hour of birth and be exclusively breastfed for at least the first six months of life with continued breastfeeding up to 2 years and beyond. This guidance is in keeping with research, which indicates that breastfeeding helps to prevent childhood malnutrition as well as protects against future risk of non-communicable diseases later in life, a significant health risk in low-income settings33. It is further supported

beyond. This guidance is in keeping with research, which indicates that breastfeeding helps to prevent childhood malnutrition as well as protects against future risk of non-communicable diseases later in life, a significant health risk in low-income settings33. It is further supported by breastfeeding’s links with developmental outcomes ranging from health to cognition to socioemotional development34 35 36 37 38. Globally, there is wide variation in breastfeeding practices. For example, in North America only around 1 in 4 of infants below 6 months of age are exclusively breastfed, while in South Asia and Eastern and Southern Africa more than half of infants this age are exclusively breastfed. 12These disparities highlight the need for increased efforts to promote and support conditions that can enable exclusive breastfeeding, particularly where rates remain low, to improve infant health, nutrition and development outcomes. However there is room for optimism as the World Health Assembly target of 50% for exclusive breastfeeding is on track with significant increases over the last 2 decades, illustrating that evidence based interventions to protect support and promote exclusive breastfeeding are working. Figure 1 - Percentage of infants under 6 months who are fed exclusively with breastmilk39 40 Most infants under 6 months of age are exclusively breastfed only in South Asia and Eastern and Southern Africa. 0 World South Asia Eastern and South Africa Latin America & the Caribbean East Asia and the Pacific West and Central Africa Eastern Europe and Central Asia Middle East and North Africa North America 20 40 60 80 100 48% 60% 58% 43% 41% 40% 36% 35% 26% 1.1.2 Early stimulation and responsive care41 “Early stimulation and responsive care”, currently expressed as a single indicator , gauges stimulating interactions between parent and child. Early stimulation and responsive care are essential for promoting children’s cognitive and socioemo36% 35% 26% 1.1.2 Early stimulation and responsive care41 “Early stimulation and responsive care”, currently expressed as a single indicator , gauges stimulating interactions between parent and child. Early stimulation and responsive care are essential for promoting children’s cognitive and socioemotional development42 43. The millions of responsive interactions between parent and child, termed “serve and return”44 by Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child, help to formulate a unique and crucial environment for helping children’s brains develop. Researchers argue that, at a global level45 46, early stimulation and responsive care constitute a key strategy to avoid the loss of children’s developmental potential. Significant gaps in early stimulation and responsive care highlight the urgent need for targeted interventions and policies that support parents and caregivers in providing the necessary responsive care to ensure all children reach their developmental potential. 13In countries with available data, only half of young children receive adequate early stimulation and responsive care from caregivers at home.

Children are approximately three times more likely to receive early stimulation from their mothers compared to their fathers, and fathers are also less likely to engage with their children than other caregivers.

Children in urban areas and in the richest households are more likely to engage in responsive interactions with their caregivers. Figure 2 - Percentage of children aged 24 to 59 months engaged in four or more early stimulation and responsive care activities in the last three days with an adult household member, by child sex, place of residence, household wealth and caregiver relationship to the child47 0 Mothers

Other caregivers Fathers Boys Girls Richest quintile Poorest quintile 20 40 60 80 100 34% 18% 10% 56% 44% 73% 56% Any adult household member 56% Urban Rural 49% 65% 14The most common types of early stimulation activities that children experience are going outside, singing songs and playing.

Figure 3 - Percentage of children aged 24 to 59 months who were engaged in activities for early stimulation and responsive care in the past three days, by type of activity and caregiver relationship to the child48 74 51 31 28 Took the child outside Any adult household member Mothers Other caregiver