{"id":9749,"date":"2021-05-25T14:30:16","date_gmt":"2021-05-25T14:30:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/primeirosanos.com\/en\/?p=9749"},"modified":"2021-05-25T14:37:24","modified_gmt":"2021-05-25T14:37:24","slug":"prioritise-the-early-years-is-urgent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/primeirosanos.com\/en\/2021\/05\/25\/prioritise-the-early-years-is-urgent\/","title":{"rendered":"Prioritise the First Years of Life is Urgent"},"content":{"rendered":"

The First Years First Priority<\/strong><\/a> campaign aims at a European level to influence policy and stimulate investment so that all families have the support they need to provide a healthy, stimulating, safe and secure environment for their children.<\/p>\n

To prioritize the focus on children between 0 and 6 years old, and in particular between 0 and 3 years old, is necessary because today there is a huge gap between what science knows about the importance of the first years and what reality generally reflects in practice and policy.<\/p>\n

Science tells us that the pace of development in the first 3 years of life is such that this period constitutes a unique opportunity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Neuroplasticity (the capacity of the nervous system, at the cellular, metabolic, or anatomical levels, to change through experience) reaches its maximum during this period of life. In other words, this is a period of exceptional sensibility to environmental influences<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The development of brain architecture<\/strong> is established very early in life, and personal experiences and the quality of interactions at this stage have an impact on the way genetic predispositions are manifested.<\/p>\n

Affectionate, stimulating and consistent relationships with key caregivers (usually parents) generate a bond (secure attachment) that is fundamental to the development of empathy, trust and well-being. On the other hand, subjection to a toxic level of stress (extreme and\/or long-term) and adverse conditions has serious impacts on brain development, with long-lasting social and cognitive consequences.<\/p>\n

The absence of adequate stimulation or the unavailability of timely services can, in turn, further aggravate a situation of developmental delay and even condition lifelong health.<\/p>\n

Nurturing, stimulating and consistent relationships with key caregivers (usually parents) generate a bond (secure attachment)<\/strong> that is fundamental to the development of empathy, trust, and well-being. On the other hand, subjection to a toxic level of toxic stress<\/strong> (extreme and\/or long-term) and adverse conditions has serious impacts on brain development, with long-lasting social and cognitive consequences<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The absence of adequate stimulation or the unavailability of timely services can, in turn, further aggravate a situation of developmental delay and even condition lifelong health.<\/p>\n

The NOVA SBE study “Childhood interventions<\/a>” (2018), sponsored by the Funda\u00e7\u00e3o Nossa Senhora do Bom Sucesso – FNSBS,\u00a0 analysed 39 impact studies at international level. The evaluated projects focused on gestation and\/or early years of life and showed positive effects, among others, in the fields of schooling, lifelong health, employability and crime containment. This means that family dynamics can be facilitated by a society that, aware of the importance of the first years of life, aligns policies and systems so as to provide adequate support to families. It also means that the returns on this investment will not only be felt in terms of individual development, but also in sustainability as a society.<\/p>\n

The First Years First Priority<\/a> campaign, launched on 15\/12\/2020, is promoted at European level by EUROCHILD and the International Step by Step Association with the support of the European Public Health Alliance and the Roma Education Fund. This campaign targets 9 countries in particular, including Portugal, Spain, France, Ireland, Finland, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and Hungary.<\/p>\n

In Portugal, the Primeiros Anos a Nossa Prioridade<\/a><\/strong> campaign is led by the FNSBS, in the framework of a national coalition involving thousands of organisations and with the High Patronage of the President of the Portuguese Republic.<\/p>\n

Why is the campaign important in Portugal?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The campaign is necessary in Portugal, despite all the progress made over decades, because:<\/p>\n