In low and middle-income countries, 43% of under-fives are at risk of suboptimal development and stunted growth. Millions of young children fail to reach their full potential leading to poor academic success and low employability due to poor health, inadequate nutrition, exposure to stress, and limited age-appropriate stimulation. 

India also faces a very high burden of chronic malnutrition, with close to two-fifth (38%) of under-five children stunted; the prevalence is further high (43.8%) in tribal regions. 

The framework for Nurturing care for early childhood development, released by the World Health Organization, United Nations Children’s Fund, and World Bank, provides a road map for action for helping children survive and thrive to transform health and human potential. It outlines the importance of the earliest years, from pregnancy to age 3 years, as the window of opportunity when the brain grows faster than at any other time.

The available evidence for age-appropriate stimulation clearly indicates short and long-term benefits with the capacity to enable stunted children to catch up with growth and development with their non-stunted counterparts. For babies born in underprivileged families, intervening early can reverse harm and help children reach their maximum potential. Investing in early childhood development is a cost-effective way to boost shared prosperity, promote inclusive economic growth, end extreme poverty and break intergenerational cycles of inequity. The framework identifies five components of nurturing care – responsive caregiving, adequate nutrition, opportunities for early stimulation, good health, and security and safety.