On 2 March, a Health Systems for Early Child Development webinar presented the guiding principles and examples of practical approaches to integrating nurturing care in Italy’s primary health care services.

The webinar was organized in partnership with ISSA Member Centro per la Salute del Bambino, an NGO that has played a leading role in introducing ealy childhood development policy and practices in Italy.

Webinar speakers shared the experience of the national program promoting shared reading from an early age as a way to enhance parent-child relationships. Speakers presented the “Village to grow together” project, which aims to provide quality support for early childhood development in disadvantaged communities. 

You can watch the webinar recording here in English, Serbian or Russian. And, you may view the slides from this webinar here.

More on the Health Systems for Early Child Development intiative:
In 2021 UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (ECARO), WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe), and the International Step by Step Association (ISSA) joined forces to launch Health Systems for Early Child Development initiative. The overarching goal of the initiative is to enhance the wellbeing of children during early childhood through accelerating efforts in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) to build more “developmentally oriented” and family-centred health systems and services empowering caregivers to provide children with nurturing care – a safe and enabling environment that ensures good health and nutrition, protects them from threats, offers opportunities for early learning and encourages responsive and emotionally supportive interactions with parents and caregivers. Read more on the intiative's website.