Pathways to Scale for Playful Parenting Programs

Global Initiative to Support Parents (GISP) | Pathways to Scale for Playful Parenting Programs

A lot has changed since the onset of COVID-19, when the world transformed, along with the roles of parents and caregivers. The Playful Parenting Community, a consortium of partners implementing and researching playful parenting programs internationally convened by the LEGO Foundation, has also changed. With a mission to bring programs to scale, the distinct pathways for each program have evolved alongside the shifting operational realities and national priorities.

Ensuring Parenting Support Through Early Childhood Care and Education

Global Initiative to Support Parents (GISP) | Ensuring Parenting Support Through Early Childhood Care and Education

On the first day of UNESCO’s 2022 World Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education, ECDAN and its partners in the Global Initiative to Support Parents (GISP)—UNICEF, WHO, Parenting for Lifelong Health at the University of Oxford, and the End Violence Partnership—hosted a session on parenting.

Playful Parenting in a Pandemic: Pathways to Scale for Global Programs

Global Initiative to Support Parents (GISP) | Playful Parenting in a Pandemic: Pathways to Scale for Global Programs

In a time when COVID-19 has transformed the way we live, work, play, and parent, early childhood development (ECD) programs have been asked to reimagine how they deliver services as well. Now more than ever, parents worldwide need support to tackle the distinct challenges presented by the pandemic and provide their children holistic nurturing care.

The Importance of a Father’s Nurture and Care

Global Initiative to Support Parents (GISP) | The Importance of a Father’s Nurture and Care

Parents are children’s first and most important teachers. Fathers in particular, have a special role to play in children’s development and wellbeing. A new systematic review of research focused on father- child play and its potential impact on young children’s (age 0-3) development found that fathers’ play, which most frequently focuses on physical play, such as rough and tumble, with their young children can positively contribute to children’s social, emotional and cognitive outcomes.

Caring for caregivers: Supporting and empowering caregivers to ensure the best start in life for every child

Global Initiative to Support Parents (GISP) | Caring for caregivers: Supporting and empowering caregivers to ensure the best start in life for every child

As children’s first playmate and teachers, parents and caregivers play a very important role in helping their young children develop and thrive. There is growing evidence that children who have healthy emotional relationships with their parents and opportunities for playing and learning in their early years develop strong social, emotional, physical, and cognitive skills that are key to their optimal development.