Unfortunately, some children are not afforded these basic but vital ingredients due to the financial or social conditions they are born into. Promoting interventions and programmes that support vulnerable parents who struggle to provide the best start for children has been the driving force behind early years experts, welfare campaigners and policymakers developing the "first 1,001 days" movement.
Evidence base
There is an array of evidence on why the first 1,001 days plays such an important role in child development. The 1,001 Critical Days Manifesto - a cross-party report first published in 2013 that outlined the moral, economic and scientific case for greater policy focus on this period - explains that babies' brains make one million connections per second and that early experiences can have a life-long impact on mental and emotional development.
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