As we consider the many stressors and burdens that get in the way of positive, nurturing relationships between babies and toddlers and their parents or caregivers that contribute to healthy development (early relational health), climate hazards are yet another to add to the list. At the same time, we are aware of the buffering effect that positive childhood experiences (including ERH) have in the face of a variety of adversity factors.
Capita, in partnership with the Aspen Institute, has co-convened the Early Years Climate Action Task Force – which includes 21 leaders from the education and health sectors, current and former elected officials in state and Tribal government, parent leaders, and early childhood advocates – to release the U.S. Early Years Climate Action Plan later this year.
Capita released Protecting Our Future Now: A Policy Framework for Climate Change and the Early Years to help inform the Action Plan and foster more dialogue about promising approaches to help young children flourish in the face of climate disruption in the United States. That report was funded by ECFC member, the W. Clement and Jessie V. Stone Foundation. While environment is not one of their portfolios, they recognized the interdependence of climate change and good outcomes for young children.
Learn more about the intersection and importance of climate change, early childhood and early relational health:
- ECFC Webinar: Early Childhood in the Era of Climate Change, funder discussion hosted with Health and Environmental Funders Network, Children, Youth and Family Funders Roundtable and Capita, co-convener of the Early Years Climate Action Taskforce, to learn more about the crossroads of climate change and early childhood development, ways early childhood-focused philanthropies can engage with the climate to further their missions, and how a climate frame can open up early childhood to a powerful new set of investments.
- Environmental Justice & Climate Change – Funder Series, hosted by the Children, Youth and Family Funders Roundtable, in partnership with: Environmental Grantmakers Association, Grantmakers in Health and Health and Environmental Funders Network. Find primers on environmental justice and children, climate change and children’s health, and the impact of climate on children’s mental health; Funder Q&A’s; and webinar archives.
Climate Change is Essential to the Work of Child Health & Early Childhood Leaders, by Joe Waters, Capita
Planning for Resilient Early Care and Education: Addressing Climate Vulnerabilities, Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF) and the Center for Cities + Schools at UC Berkeley make the case for explicit focus on and improvements to the physical settings where young children spend their time, through the lens of space, facilities, and the built environment.
- National League of Cities, Education and Early Childhood Success compilation, and Addressing the Impacts of Environmental Challenges on Early Childhood Development, includes examples of cities promoting resiliency and innovation.
Health and Environmental Funder Network (HEFN) also helps funders find their place and connect with others who care about environmental health and justice. Resources include good “first-reads” to dive deeper, and see what other funders are doing. The Resource Library and Funder Stories offer more ways to learn and explore.