The First 1000 Days

The first 1000 days of a child’s life, from conception to two years of age, is an important foundational period which shapes their development and wellbeing. Children thrive when they have supportive environments in these early years.

We know that:

  • parents and carers can feel overwhelmed by the amount and type of information available about child development and parenting in the early years.
  • information about child development is sometimes not communicated well.
  • parents and carers often don’t feel comfortable asking for help when they need it.
  • ‘parenting should come naturally’ is a common belief.

To help us all navigate through the waters of raising children in the early years, the Australian Government is partnering with experts to provide a range of resources to help.

This is a one-stop shop of information, resources and support material about raising children in the early years.

  • Horizon Communications Group will promote ‘The First 1000 Days’ page so people can easily find the information they need.
  • The Parenting Research Centre will provide tools to help organisations communicate about early childhood effectively.
  • Australian Childhood Foundation will develop the ‘Bringing Up Great Kids in the First 1000 Days’ training program.

This aims to help everyone in the community play their role in ensuring our children get a happy and healthy start to life.

Navigating Waters animation transcript.

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