Developed by UNICEF Europe and Central Asia, the framework promotes a comprehensive, evidence-informed and adaptable approach to supporting parents and caregivers. It emphasises nurturing care, positive parenting, social and behaviour change approaches, universal and progressive service provision, and coordinated action across health, education, social protection and community sectors.

A Whole-of-Government 10-year strategy focused on supporting the development, health, and well-being of children from birth to age five and their families. The strategy is built on four main goals: strengthening families and communities, ensuring optimum physical and mental health, promoting positive play-based early learning, and creating an effective early childhood system.

The resource reviews national family policies such as parental leave, childcare support, and social protection measures through a gender lens. It highlights variations across countries and identifies common gaps affecting caregivers’ ability to provide nurturing care. The mapping supports comparative analysis and policy benchmarking.

Establishes a family-centred ECI model delivered in children's natural environments, with developmental assessment, waiting-time targets, quality standards, financing mechanisms, and cross-sector governance involving health, education, and social services

In this analysis, 27 tools for early childhood development outcome measurement (25 individual and 2 population-level tools) were rated across a range of accuracy and feasibility criteria

The ECD Country Situation Analysis offers a comprehensive framework and step‑by‑step methodology for assessing how countries support early childhood development at national and subnational levels. It examines governance, financing, service delivery, workforce capacity, data systems, and equity considerations across relevant sectors such as health, education, and social protection. The tool promotes participatory and multisectoral analysis, encouraging collaboration among government actors, partners, and stakeholders. Its findings are intended to inform evidence‑based planning, policy reform, and investment decisions.

The brief synthesizes evidence on why early childhood intervention is an essential component of effective ECD systems, highlighting the consequences of delayed identification and fragmented service delivery. It presents key principles for system design, including inclusiveness, family‑centred approaches, cross‑sectoral coordination, and long‑term sustainability. The document focuses on policy levers rather than service models, making it applicable across diverse national contexts

The guide outlines key concepts, research questions, and methodological steps for assessing early childhood intervention systems at national level. It supports the collection and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data across sectors such as health, education, and social services. Emphasis is placed on understanding governance structures, service availability, access, quality, workforce capacity, and coordination mechanisms. The guide is designed to ensure consistency, rigor, and comparability in national analyses, while allowing adaptation to country contexts.

In this analysis, 27 tools for early childhood development outcome measurement (25 individual and 2 population-level tools) were rated across a range of accuracy and feasibility criteria

This report explores the largely unmeasured consequences of the COVID‑19 pandemic on early childhood development in the WHO European Region. It reviews disruptions to essential services such as health care, early learning, childcare, and family support, as well as increased stressors on caregivers and households. The analysis highlights significant data gaps and missed opportunities to monitor, protect, and prioritize young children’s development during crisis response and recovery. It calls for stronger systems, better data, and child‑centred policies to mitigate long‑term developmental and social impacts.