SPOON is celebrating the passage of the Global Child Thrive Act. This new legislation will ensure US foreign assistance programs provide children with holistic early child development support, including children with disabilities and children without family care. Early child development includes good nutrition, clean water, responsive caregiving, and protection from violence. These basic elements set children up to develop strong brains and bodies, and lead to life-long benefits in health, learning, and more.
The Need for Action
Research shows that around 250 million children in low- and middle-income countries are at risk of stunting, and over 53 million children under 5 have developmental disabilities. Millions of children are living without family care. Too often, children facing these challenges do not receive the early child development support they need. When programs do exist, they may only focus on one area or fail to reach children with the highest need. The COVID-19 pandemic is placing even more children at risk by introducing new stressors while interrupting access to health care, child protection, and education. This op-ed from the Thrive Act’s Senate co-sponsors captures the urgency of early child development in the context of COVID-19.
As a member of the Thrive Coalition, SPOON worked with other child-focused organizations to support the Thrive Act. The Coalition held meetings with House and Senate staff, coordinated civil society letters, reached out to media, and led grassroots outreach to support the bill. The Act was introduced in October 2019 in the House and the Senate, and received strong bipartisan support. It was ultimately included in the National Defense Authorization Act, which passed in January 2021.
“As the world toils through a devastating pandemic, now more than ever we must keep child welfare and the elimination of poverty front and center if we are to lead our country and the world to a stronger, healthier, and more resilient condition.”
U.S. Representative Joaquin Castro
Original Cosponsor of the Global Child Thrive Act, House testimony
Impact of the New Legislation
The Global Child Thrive Act now mandates that US foreign assistance programs include early child development in current programs serving young children and their families. It emphasizes the importance of reaching ALL children, including children with disabilities and children without family care. The Global Child Thrive Act will support countries to target proven interventions to their most vulnerable children; maximize the impact of existing programs by integrating early child development; and reinforce the critical goal of supporting children in adversity.
The Path Forward
SPOON has seen the power of an inclusive, holistic approach in our programs. For example, we have seen how including hygiene messaging and support for responsive feeding in our nutrition training allows caregivers to maximize their impact. We also know that it will take a global effort to meet the needs of the 250 million children living with disabilities or living without family care. The Global Child Thrive Act is an important step towards reaching ALL children with the basics they need for a strong foundation.
