Integrated Nurturing Care
Helping children reach their full potential
Since 2012, PATH has been at the forefront of a movement to integrate nurturing care for early childhood development (ECD) services into existing health systems—an important platform to reach children under three in low-resource settings. As a result of PATH’s programs, which prioritize partnership with government, thousands of children now have the opportunity to live fuller and healthier lives.
Components of nurturing care
Nurturing care for ECD during the critical window of development, from pregnancy to age three, lays the foundation for lifelong health and well-being.
Source: WHO, UNICEF, World Bank Group. Nurturing care for early childhood development: a framework for helping children survive and thrive to transform health and human potential. Geneva: WHO; 2018.
PATH's ECD Model
PATH’s three-part model for integrating ECD prioritizes country leadership, and ensures that strong, supportive policies drive the scale-up of nurturing care for ECD within health systems.
- We work with governments to build an enabling policy environment, ensuring ECD is included in policies, guidelines, training curricula, and government work plans and budgets.
- We work with countries to integrate ECD into health systems by focusing on health workers and service providers.
- We build the evidence base for sustainably integrating ECD into health policies and programs in the countries that need it most.
Download PATH's fact sheet about integrating nurturing care into health systems.
IEC Materials of Nurturing Care for ECD
PATH posters, displayed in health clinics and facilities, illustrate different ways to integrate early childhood development activities into daily routines. All materials are available for downloading and printing.
Nurturing Care in Government Policies
PATH has contributed ECD content to various government policies and packages in Kenya, Mozambique, and Zambia.
Media Highlights: Nurturing Care for ECD
PATH's ECD media presence includes two advocacy videos featured in international forums and several written articles in various publications.
Evidence Base of Nurturing Care for ECD
Read about PATH's formative assessments, operations research studies, and evaluations on ECD interventions.
Photo credits
Top of page: Conrad N. Hilton Foundation/Joop Rubens; PATH's ECD Materials: Conrad N. Hilton Foundation/Joop Rubens; ECD in the Media: Seattle Times, AP Photo/Denis Farrell